Michael Douglas plays a senator recently promoted to deal with the narcotics trade. Being a successful senator in the past he is expected to perform well in his new position. Catherine Zeta Jones on the other hand, plays the pregnant wife or a convicted calfornia drug baron who despite the best efforts of the LAPD, will walk free. The mexican's on the other hand take a more practical approach to the problem and ignore the book totally. With full on stake outs on known drug barons, they then "persuade" their captives to tell them where the rest are.

The beautiful part of this films is that while each story is interconnected, none of the characters are connected or aware of each other with the exception of the Mexican and US marshalls working together. Also the use of the camera filters to colour the shot depending on which story is shown is a wonderfully inventive and interesting way of making sure the viewer is never confused when it comes determining where the story is located. For example, Mexico is coloured yellow while the senate is blue.

But the best part of this beautiful piece of Cinema is the powerful images portrayed so brilliantly. This is shown perfectly by the ironary of a narcotic crimes senator's (Michael Douglas) relationship with his drug junkie daughter or Heavily pregnant Catherine Zeta Jones ordering a hit man to get out and shoot a witness in the head with such cold-heartedness.

Overall, a brilliant screenplay performed by brilliant actors and all looked over with brilliant direction. It's scoop of Oscars is also purely justified. No two words about it. Go see this film, 2001's answer to Gladiator and Titantic.