Vegas Traffic is Joseph Charafi’s second feature-length effort and his first in a decade (according to IMDb). Running an epic 2 hours and 5 minutes long (or almost three and a half hours if you are the person who submitted the movie to Film Threat and forgot the : between the 2 and 05), the motion picture starts with narration from Detective Carter (John Molinaro) set to a black and white montage of the cop taking down baddies in an overly aggressive manner. This makes the whole thing feel like a cinematic wrap-up to a television series or the final installment in a cinematic franchise.
When Detective Carter teams up with Detective Martinez (Kevin L. Sanders), the story proper gets underway, and the flick goes into color mode. While looking into a missing girl case, the two polar opposites stumble upon something much bigger and darker happening throughout Las Vegas. There’s been a rash of child abductions from all sides of the underworld: the Triads, the Cartels, and, most viciously, religious fanatics are all stealing kids at the behest of Damion (Paul Fisch). Can the detectives find the children before it is too late, or are the wheels of evil already turning too fast to be stopped?
While the opening credits of Vegas Traffic do not portend the rest of the story accurately, the rest of the plot is tightly wound and engaging. The way the officers shake down people for information feels realistic, especially considering their vastly different approaches. The use of a good Christian as one of the main characters versus the extremists doing these horrible deeds adds a timeliness to the proceedings. A big raid is prepped for roughly at the 105-minute mark, and while that may sound like the beginning of the climax and denouement, the next 50 minutes fly by with well-staged action and intense confrontations.
“…the Triads, the Cartels, and, most viciously, religious fanatics are all stealing kids at the behest of Damion.”
Also of note is the score. IMDb does not list a composer, but whoever it was matches the tone perfectly. The music compliments the action nicely with driving beats and strings to aid in the sweeping nature of the narrative. When Martinez goes to meet a gang leader for some information, the score hints at something nefarious but does not play its hand too soon.
Molinaro plays the hard-edged cop with a (possible) death wish well. He’s engaging, even charismatic, but truly scary and unhinged. Sanders plays up the goody two-shoes angle without going over the top, as seen in his constant berating of Carter’s liberal use of cuss words. The two play off each other very well. Cate Luna plays Denise, a fellow badge willing to put all on the line to help Martinez and Sanders save the children. She’s very fierce yet projects a certain warmth that makes the character’s arc work. Glenn Heath’s portrayal of Mortimer, a ghoulish pastor, will send chills down your spine. Fisch, with his deep voice and intense stare, is menacing and terrifying at every turn.
Vegas Traffic is epic in length and scope, but most of that runtime is necessary to build up the characters and the seedy world they inhabit. The plot never lags and remains riveting from start to finish, excluding the opening title sequence. The cast is fantastic, and the action is exciting.
For more information, visit the official Vegas Traffic site.
"…epic in length and scope..."
