Traffick puts the spotlight on human trafficking in the USA

Movie Title: Traffik

Grade: C-

Rating: R, 1 hour 36 minutes

In a Nutshell:

I was in the Las Vegas airport recently and saw a sign on the bathroom door stall that gave an emergency phone number for women who were trapped in human trafficking.

The number is 1-8888-3737-888. That’s a fantastic idea and easy number to remember, but I wonder how many girls who get kidnapped happen to have a cell phone on them. Right?

At the end of the movie, it says, “It is estimated there are 1.9 million women being trafficked in the United States. Worldwide, 21 million victims of human trafficking generate illegal profits each year of 150 billion dollars.” For more information about this despicable crime, go to www.polarisproject.orgor www.endslaverynow.org

I applaud writer/director Deon Taylor for trying to create a movie that puts the spotlight on an important issue, but the film itself has some serious flaws. One of my biggest gripes about this movie is that it attempts to criticize human traffickers who exploit women, yet the movie itself spends a LOT of time sexualizing Paula Patton.

Tips for parents:

Profanity and lots of F-bombs.
Pre-marital relations
Lots of cleavage and skimpy clothes. You see a woman’s naked backside. The rest of the time, she has a hard time keeping her shirt strap on.
Crude gestures
Violence with blood splatters
Parents, talk to your daughters about how to be safe and avoid being a victim.

Uplifting theme:

Be aware of your surroundings
Think smart

Things I liked:

It was suspenseful a few times, although there were some fake jumps and scares that annoyed me.
Paula Patton didn’t use a stunt double.
I think this was the first time I have ever seen Missi Pyle in a dramatic role. Good for her. Did you know she’s also a great singer? She always wanted to be in a rock band, which she did for a number of years.
Roselyn Sanchez is so beautiful. You’ve seen her in Act of Valor and Rush Hour 2.

Things I didn’t like:

The movie tries to be a romantic thriller with meat, but it doesn’t quite get there.
Dumb slow-motion bad guy scene.
Laz Alonso’s character is so over-the-top and ridiculous that the audience laughed almost every time he opened his mouth.
Some of the acting and crying is really bad. Lots of useless whimpering.
This is one of those movies where people make dumb choices.
I didn’t feel any chemistry between Paula Patton and Omar Epps.
For some reason, this movie isn’t even listed on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s getting mixed reviews on IMDB.