Why review a movie in AVN about the wasteful and unwinnable war on drugs? Because the people who want to jail pornographers are the same people who want to jail recreational drug users.

Traffic, arguably the best mainstream picture to be released last year (late last year; just under the wire for Academy Award(r) consideration), skillfully and compellingly weaves a handful of narcotics-related stories into one large, epic tapestry.

Those intertwining sub-plots involve a Mexican narc (Benicio Del Toro), a new American drug czar (Michael Douglas), a pair of DEA agents (Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman) and the wife of (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and attorney for (Dennis Quaid), a major San Diego-based drug trafficker. A stronger ensemble cast has not been seen all year. Adding a feel of authenticity to the film are cameos by U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

It's to director Steven Soderbergh's (Sex, Lies and Videotape; Erin Brockovich) credit that with a nearly 2 1/2-hour running time, the movie never feels that long.

It's also to Soderbergh's credit (as well as screenwriter Stephen Gaghan's) that while he could have fashioned the film into a stronger polemic against drug prohibition, he presents all viewpoints as to that raging controversy.

Traffic is a must-see movie for anyone concerned about the erosion of personal freedom in America.