# About the ending of TRAFFIC (spoiler, obviously) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2001, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437 "2001-02-22T06:11:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diletante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Diletante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diletante)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437/1 "2001-02-22T06:11:35Z")
Saw this movie, pretty good. I was surprised, expected something a little more sanctimonious from Hollywood. Anyway… At the end of the movie, Don Cheadle’s character (the black cop whose partner was killed) enters the drug kingpin’s house to confront him. As he’s being pulled out by security he leaves a small round object under the kingpin’s desk. And seems to gain some satisfaction for having done so. What was the deal with this? Supposed to be a bug? If so, it’s a little late, he was already acquitted. Maybe they can try to pin something else on him, but it seems like a weird note to end things on. Or perhaps I missed something. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437/2 "2001-02-22T06:19:06Z")
It’s a bug. It’s true that he’s already been aquitted, but they can still get him on something else. (Or get a confession for the original crime.) ---
**Author:** ![PatrickM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@PatrickM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickM)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437/3 "2001-02-22T11:29:51Z")
Not only can the cops get _him_ they can also get _her_, the Catherine Zeta Jones character, who was now up to her lovely eyeballs in the cocaine trafficking and murder for hire business. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437/4 "2001-02-22T14:01:26Z")
Uhhh… he wasn’t acquitted of anything, guys. The prosecution dropped the case for lack of evidence after Miguel Ferrer’s character died. There was no acquittal, and so he could be tried again on exactly the same charges. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437/5 "2001-02-22T14:45:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PatrickM \* > \*\*Not only can the cops get _him_ they can also get _her_, the Catherine Zeta Jones character, who was now up to her lovely eyeballs in the cocaine trafficking and murder for hire business. \*\* OK, now I thought she knew what Don Cheadle was up to in planting the bug and was helping him get into the house. Remember how she hurries to straighten the rug lest her husband bend down and see the bug. She knows Don Cheadle is FBI, and wants to bring her husband down so she can run the cartel herself. The most telling scene to me was when she was talking on the jail phone to her husband and was so angry that he’s risked her standard of living, and how she won’t go back to living on nothing like she grew up. That anger at him would be enough to make her want to bring him down and control the empire herself. She’s gotten a taste of the power and wants to run things. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437/6 "2001-02-22T16:09:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\*Uhhh… he wasn’t acquitted of anything, guys. The prosecution dropped the case for lack of evidence after Miguel Ferrer’s character died. > > There was no acquittal, and so he could be tried again on exactly the same charges. \*\* But, what if they found out that Ferrer’s character faked his death, and wasn’t really dead?!?! Wouldn’t that be double jeopardy?!?! 😃 Anyway, I had to get that out of my system. Yes, Cheadle’s character planted a bug. ---
**Author:** ![Eohippus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Eohippus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eohippus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437/7 "2001-02-22T16:18:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gigi \* > **[Remember how she hurries to straighten the rug lest her husband bend down and see the bug. She knows Don Cheadle is FBI, and wants to bring her husband down so she can run the cartel herself.** Wow, gigi! Good take on that! I missed the rug-straightening bit, but that DOES seem like she was covering up. An she was definitely pissed during the jail visit, so she had plentiful reasons for getting him out of the way. Now you’re gonna make me have to watch it again… ---
**Author:** ![Eohippus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Eohippus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eohippus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-ending-of-traffic-spoiler-obviously/55437/8 "2001-02-22T16:21:33Z")
On the other hand, if he goes down, she’s in the same boat as before, when he was jailed. Plus, anything she says gets bugged too, no? Just can’t trust those chingados of the Tres Letras.