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Human Traffic
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (24th July 2025). |
The Film
![]() "Human Traffic" (1999) Jip (played by John Simm), Koop (played by Shaun Parkes), Moff (played by Danny Dyer), Nina (played by Nicola Reynolds) and Lulu (played by Lorraine Pilkington) are five friends in their early twenties who are ready to take control of the weekend in Cardiff through pub hopping, going to raves, as well as partaking in various substances along the way. The weekend is their escape from their normal everyday existence. Jip works at the bottom of the ladder at a retail store, and is also worried about his trouble with intimacy as he is going through sexual anxiety. There is his concern with his inadequacy, but also the issue of his single mother continuing to work as a prostitute to make ends meet. Koop may have a fun job working at a record store where he uses his music knowledge and wit to entice customers and listeners, he is also dealing with having a father in a mental institution. Moff is a Londoner that moved to Wales with his family, who is a part time dealer even though his father is a high ranking police officer. Happy-go-lucky Nina might seem like she is all smiles, but is constantly harassed by her sweaty and noisy boss at her fast food workplace. Lulu is unhappy that her last few relationships have all fallen flat from non-committed partners. It’s time to put all their frustrations aside for a weekend of fun. “Human Traffic” was written and directed by twenty-six year old Justin Kerrigan as his feature film debut. Though it was not easy finding backers for the project due to its content. The drug use in particular was not the issue, but that there was no moral arc for the drug use. It did not have the terrible consequences of drug use that films such as "Trainspotting" or "Pulp Fiction" had, but treated it as a matter of fact for the characters in their normal life. It didn’t contain shocks or discomfort, but was a playful and humorous look at rave culture in the late 90s in Britain. The film feels like an extended music video, especially with its soundtrack and its visual style. The soundtrack was curated by famed DJ Pete Tong, and had an amazing lineup with Fatboy Slim, Armand Van Helden, Death in Vegas, C.J. Bolland, Underworld, Orbital, and Primal Scream to name a few. In addition to the sounds, there are a number of visual cues that are straight out of music videos, from symmetrical shots with protagonists breaking the fourth wall, wide angle lenses, 360 degree camera moves, quickfire edits, and even some Spike Lee inspired tracking shots. But the film is not bombarded with the music video style, as there are a number of scenes that use traditional framing and looks, especially in the more “mundane” sequences. As for the story itself, the plot itself is quite straightforward, playing in linear order with each of the five main characters being introduced with their daily routines and their inner thoughts, as well as their connections to each other. Daydream sequences and inner monologues are intercut, giving the introductions a quick and sharp pace that brings in the audience into their world, and while not everything about them is particularly likeable, the characters are well played by the actors. The dialogue has a natural beat rather than scripted, and it seems that the actors had a lot to play with and improvise their lines, bringing a cadence that doesn’t feel forced or rehearsed (though there must have been rehearsals obviously). There are other characters that make their way into the narrative as well. Andrew Lincoln plays Felix, who is not part of their little crew but makes memorable appearances throughout. Dean Davies played Nina’s younger brother Lee who is about to experience a true weekend for the first time in his life. There are also cameo appearances from musician Carl Cox as the club owner Pablo Hassan, notorious Welsh drug smuggler turned writer Howard Marks as himself in a television program, and Pete Tong as himself lending his voice for the radio. But the center is always with the five and their time together, as well as their developments in character. There is Jip trying to overcome his “Mr Floppy” while also wanting a chance to start a relationship with Lulu. Koop wants to make the relationship with Nina work and he has some personal struggles to deal with. While drug use is prevalent with the nights with the characters, it is interesting to note that the drug consumption is never seen on screen. There are shots of cutting of cocaine and such, but there are never graphic examples of drinking, shooting up, smoking, swallowing, or snorting to be found. Again, rather than showing how “bad” drugs can be, the film is focused on the characters and their routines through humor and drama, and the drugs are just part of the routine for a unique and non-disturbing look at the youth on the weekend at the time. As for the story itself, it has more in common with “Dazed and Confused” that with “Trainspotting” which it is unfairly compared to. “Trainspotting” showed the highs and the extreme lows of drug addiction, with dark humor in the storytelling. “Dazed and Confused” showed that drinking and smoking could cause a ruckus, but the episodes between the characters were filled with having a good time for the evening, free of worries about school, work, or responsibility. “Human Traffic” does not preach for free drug use, nor does it have a stance to say the negatives about it. It also shows the communal aspect of rave culture and dance music, and sadly it has become a nostalgic memory of the time period. Electronic music may be more popular now that ever as it has infiltrated pop music entirely, but the 1990s era in which big beat, jungle, acid house, trance and IDM (no, not EDM, but IDM) emerged together for a movement was absolutely exciting to say the least. Rave culture has died down over the last two decades as the music scene has changed as well as discos and nightclubs becoming a niche gathering, mostly for nostalgia. While the kids in “Human Traffic” talk about how clubbing is not like what it used to be, it rings truer for the modern day over two decades later. The film was released theatrically in the UK June 4th, 1999. It was well received critically with awards from the British Independent Film Awards and the Welsh BAFTAs. But awards did not particularly signal box office success, as the £2.2 million budgeted film only grossed £2.5 million theatrically, barely making a profit. The film was distributed worldwide by various local distributors in 2000. The American release was unfortunately picked up by Miramax. As was their usual case of distributing foreign features, many changes were made to the film to make it resonate better for American audiences. Some dialogue dubs were made for cultural references, some character development scenes were axed entirely, and some soundtrack music substitutions were made. The American version ran fifteen minutes shorter, and received mixed reactions from critics. While in Britain the film became a cult hit on the home video market, it was barely a blip for America, with Miramax not giving it sufficient distribution. There have been rumors of a sequel film with Kerrigan attached and it was in early development until the COVID pandemic placed it entirely on hold. Kerrigan stated that he was not going to revive the sequel idea and would leave the story of "Human Traffic" as is with one feature film. Though there was one instance of an alternate version of the film itself. In 2003, VCI Entertainment released “Human Traffic: Remixed” on DVD, which was a new recut of the film. This was not recut by Kerrigan, but controversially by producer Allan Niblo, in which Kerrigan was not informed until two weeks until its release and did not approve of it. It featured new soundtrack cues, some deleted scenes reinstated, some original scenes removed or shortened, and added new CGI effects. For the film’s 4K restoration, the original theatrical version was restored and is now available from the BFI on both the 4K UltraHD Blu-ray and standard Blu-ray formats in two separate releases. Note this is a region ALL 4K UltraHD Blu-ray
Video
The BFI presents the film in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 2160p HEVC with HDR10 / Dolby Vision grading. The film was restored in 4K resolution by Starlight Films Ltd and Silver Salt Restoration Ltd using the original negatives. It already looked quite good on DVD as how many people experienced watching, but this 4K restoration is on another level. Colors certainly pop with the high resolution and the Dolby Vision grading, giving an extra push with depth for greens and reds found in wardrobes and backgrounds, while the dark skies of night and shadows in the clubs are rich in scale. Sharpness is also excellent throughout, and there are no examples of damage to be found on any frame, while still keeping the original film grain intact. The image is always correctly framed without instances of wobble or distortion, for an incredibly pleasing look for its full duration. An excellent job on the restoration and a great transfer to the 4K UHD format by the BFI. This is the original theatrical version with a runtime of 99:28.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English LPCM 2.0 stereo There are lossless 5.1 and uncompressed 2.0 stereo options for the film. Being a music heavy film the sound and use of the surrounds are quite important, and it sounds absolutely wonderful with the 5.1 track. Bass is heavy and stereo effects are spread out to the sides while the surrounds are kept for ambience. The music is well balanced against the dialogue which is always level, clear and crisp. The remastered sound is well balanced between the dialogue, music and effects, and there are no instances of dropout or damage to be heard. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the main feature in a white font, which are well timed and easy to read. There was an odd misspelling of the word "bass" as "base", and there were some portions in which song lyrics were captioned while other times they were not.
Extras
Audio commentary by film critic Mark Searby (2025) This new and exclusive commentary has journalist, critic and DJ Mark Searby who was part of the rave scene the time the film was set. He discusses about the Criminal Justice Bill and its impact it had on rave crackdowns in the 1990s, the music choices in the film and the music scene of the era, his time working at a record shop in the 1990s, as well as information on the film itself. He talks about the casting choices, the film techniques used, the capturing of drug and club culture, quotes from the director, the cameo appearances, the cuts made to the Miramax version, the rumored then cancelled sequel, and much more. in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles "Show Me the Money" 2025 interview with executive producer Renata S Aly (19:12) This new and exclusive interview with Renata S Aly has her discussing getting into the film business and working on "Human Traffic" at a very early time in her career. She talks about how the script connected with her and how authentic it was, as well as the difficult financing aspect and the music choices made for the soundtrack. She also talks about how it was a labor of love that wit would be more difficult to get something like this made in the modern day. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.85:1, in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles "Nice One Bruvva" 2025 interview with Mark Searby (14:09) This new and exclusive interview has Searby talking directly to the camera while in between two crates of vinyl discussing the music choices in the film and its iconic 2-disc CD soundtrack, as well as about the characters and what they represented. There is some overlap with the commentary, but there are some interesting points that are also made in this interview piece. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.85:1, in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles This 2023 on stage Q&A has Dyer interviewed by Nia Childs. It follows his career from working in television, his first film role in "Human Traffic" and the themes of the film and the rumors of the sequel, his working relationship with famed writer Harold Pinter, later works in film and television over the years including "Severance" and "Eastenders". He doesn't shy away from discussing his roles that were not particularly great and is honest at his brashness and unconventional attitude compared to seasoned actors who he had to work alongside with, and there are probably more F-bombs per second than one would expect. The conversation has been embedded below, courtesy of the BFI. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles "Rave" 1997 short (11:37) Directed by Torstein Grude, this documentary short looks at the world of rave culture through the music and by clubbers in their own words, as well as the issues with the government cracking down on illegal raving. Shot on film and transferred from original film elements, it looks quite good here as well as with the clear sound. There is some film damage spotted from time to time, but is in excellent shape. The film is also available to watch for free on the BFI Player. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles Deleted Scenes (23:19) Presented here is a reel of deleted scenes taken from a video source, with timecodes presented above and below the windowboxed image. The scenes are presented in raw form, with direction from Kerrigan overheard, clapperboards shown, pre-sound mix and pre-color corrected. The titles for the deleted scenes presented are “We are Cardiffe e”, “Put down that ninja star”, “Silver penis capris”, “Marlon mashed”, “Go girl”, “Charles.. Line up”, “Reality”, “The Asylum”, “I’m sorry”, and a second take of “We are Cardiffe e”. “Reality” is an interesting scene in which internal monologues of all the other main characters '(besides Jip as seen in the film) are heard while they envision themselves on the TV program, giving a bit more insight for the characters, as well as “I’m sorry” with an emotional monologue by Koop. The video source is quite good with fine sharpness and colors, without any analog errors to speak of. Note these deleted scenes were first made available on the extras of the UK VCI 2004 “Remixed” DVD release. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in windowboxed 1.85:1, in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles "Human Traffic" pop promo (3:55) Presented here is a music video featuring shots and dialogue from the film intercut with various rave footage as well as Simm in character as Jip. It is presented in windowboxed form with yellow bars on the top and bottom of the screen. The quality is very good, seemingly coming from the original source materials, in much better form that the pixelated version embedded below. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles 1999 trailer (1:34) The original trailer featuring “Build It Up, Tear It Down” by Fatboy Slim against various scenes from the film comes from a standard definition source upscaled. It is still fairly good in quality with a clean image and booming sound/ in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.85:1, in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles 2025 trailer (1:21) The 4K restoration trailer is newly edited and looks and sounds incredible as it should. The trailer has been embedded below, courtesy of the BFI. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.85:1, in English DTS 5.1, English DTS 2.0 without subtitles Booklet A 24 page booklet is included with the first pressing. The first essay is "How Human Traffic Brought Rave to the Big Screens" by Lou Thomas, the digital production editor of the BFI website, which looks at the groundbreaking elements of the film and its production. Next is "Human Traffic, 25 Years On: Still Raving, Still Relevant" by Renata S Aly as she looks back at the film which she helped produce. Then there is "One Nation Under a House Groove" by writer Tim Murray on the music scene the film represented. There are also film credits, special features credits and information, transfer information, acknowledgements and stills. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in various editions with slightly differing extras and cuts. The US DVD is the only release with the shortened US cut with no extras which should be avoided, but the UK and Australian DVDs with the original theatrical cut had some cast & crew interviews and a music video by CJ Bolland. In addition, the UK "Remixed" DVD is the only one to have the alternate cut, and has an exclusive making-of featurette, as well as the short film "Boom Boom" by Allan Niblo. The film was first released on Blu-ray in Germany, which had no extras except for a German dubbed trailer. This new BFI 4K UHD (as well as the simultaneously released standard Blu-ray) has the most extras, but there are some extras that have not been ported over. In addition, the new release makes no mention of the "Remixed" version, nor does it have any scenes from that version as deleted or alternate scenes. Maybe they want to sweep that version under the rug...? In addition... The US Miramax trailer
Overall
"Human Traffic" is a time capsule of the rave scene of the mid to late 90s with great direction and performances, though ones expecting deep drama will be on the disappointed side, as this is about having a weekend out with friends and partying on, trying to leave the troubles of the week behind. A great soundtrack and fun visuals throughout, the film's 4K restoration looks exceptional with this 4K UltraHD Blu-ray release from the BFI of the original theatrical version. Great extras, a great presentation, easily highly recommended. Amazon UK link (4K UltraHD Blu-ray) Amazon UK link (standard Blu-ray)
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