Human Traffic (1999)

Director:

Justin Kerrigan

Writer:

Justin Kerrigan (written by)

Release Date:

5 May 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The Weekend has Landed!

Plot:

Five friends spend one lost weekend in a mix of music, love and club culture.

Plot Keywords:

Teen Movie | Masturbation Scene | Ecstasy | Friends | Nudity

Awards:

10 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

John Simm	...	Jip
Lorraine Pilkington	...	Lulu
Shaun Parkes	...	Koop
Danny Dyer	...	Moff
Nicola Reynolds	...	Nina
Dean Davies	...	Lee
Peter Albert	...	Lulu's Uncle Eric
Jan Anderson	...	Karen Benson
Terence Beesley	...	Moff's Father
Sarah Blackburn	...	Jip's Ex #2
Anne Bowen	...	Moff's Grandmother
Neil Bowens	...	Asylum Doorman
Peter Bramhill	...	Matt
Jo Brand	...	Reality (voice)
Stephanie Brooks	...	Flour

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive drug content and language, and for some strong sexuality.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | USA:R | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, UK

Company:

Irish Screen

Trivia:

When Jip first picks up Koop in his car you here the radio broadcast of BBC's Radio One. The MC is Pete Tong, who is the movie's Music Supervisor. Pete Tong actually does have a weekly radio show on Radio One.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the gang are in the pub and Jip realizes he fancies Lulu, he looks over and she lights her cigarette and has a puff. But then it switches to a wider shot and you can see Lulu lights her cigarette again.

Quotes:

Jip: He who dares, my son! He who dares!

Movie Connections:

References The Karate Kid (1984)

Soundtrack:

King Tito's Gloves

Any film with Bill Hicks AND Howard Marks can't fail..surely?

At its end, HUMAN TRAFFIC has hit one note quite charmingly for a breezy ninety minutes, not overstaying its welcome, but never in danger of becoming anything more than a curiosity to its audience.

In fact, it begs the question why the opening credits interspersed footage of protests against the draconian Criminal Justice Bill with scenes of revelry. The film cops out at every opportunity to make a serious comment on disillusioned youth, tied to mind-numbing jobs, a drug generation needing an escape. Any film which contains an affectionate tribute to the prophet Bill Hicks (the best, most astute and concerned stand-up comedian that ever lived), and an inspired cameo from Howard Marks surely demands a bit more substance.

But HUMAN TRAFFIC never allows you to linger on its flaws. It adopts an entirely disjointed narrative, liable to go off on tangents at any stage, for any interval. You get the suspicion the filmmakers think there is something especially inventive about the surreal treatment (which extends little further than illusion sequences and direct-to-audience addresses). But it hardly matters whether the visual tricks hit-or-miss, they offer a surprising, and refreshing way of extending a slim idea out to a relatively full 90 minutes.

Justin Herrigan actually develops the characters to the extent you can't help but care about them. Honest in their weaknesses, they are easy to relate to. He should be applauded for extending the appeal of the film beyond an exclusive target audience. It would be inadvisable to compare it with the much stronger TRAINSPOTTING and TWIN TOWN, although all three are refreshingly different. HUMAN TRAFFIC is an affectionate, semi-autobiographical account of modern culture.