Human Traffic

"The weekend has landed."

1999 1h 40m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 417

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

For Jip, Lulu, Koop, Nina, and Moff, the dead-end jobs they endure during the week just kill the time until Friday night. That's when they cut very loose and get on the rollercoaster ride that takes them right through to Monday morning.

“The weekend has landed.”

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Cast

John Simm
Jip
Shaun Parkes
Koop
Nicola Reynolds
Nina
Lorraine Pilkington
Lulu
Danny Dyer
Moff
Dean Davies
Lee
Andrew Lincoln
Felix
Terence Beesley
Moff's Father

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Justin Kerrigan
Writers: Justin Kerrigan, Deena Mathews, Nick Kilroy
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, Ireland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Ireland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Justin Kerrigan, shot by Dave Bennett. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roberto Leite. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Patrick Moore shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

John Simm and Shaun Parkes and Nicola Reynolds carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Justin Kerrigan directs. Dave Bennett behind the camera. Roberto Leite scores. Patrick Moore cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, Ireland. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 6.7× over at the box office.
327 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, Ireland.
5Directed by Justin Kerrigan, shot by Dave Bennett. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Roberto Leite. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Patrick Moore shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8John Simm and Shaun Parkes and Nicola Reynolds carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The weekend has landed.".
10IMDB entry: tt0188674 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 23 themes, including "salesclerk", "drug dealer", "boredom", "ecstasy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Dave Bennett
Original score: Roberto Leite
Editing: Patrick Moore
Production design: David Buckingham
Makeup / hair: Tony Lilley
Sound: Craig Irving
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $600,000
Box office: $4,000,000
Return: 667% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Human Traffic (1999)

Also by

Justin Kerrigan

I Know You Know
2009 · ★ 5.8

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Community reviews

What people are saying

zag2019-01-19
★ 10/10
One of my favorite films of all time, its a period movie describing the young party goers of the UK in the 1990's. It hits the nail on the head, the love, the empathy and the freedom of being young in a group of friends who are finding their way in the world through pure hedonism. The soundtrack is phenominal and I could real off quotes all day from the dialouge. "Any jungle in Guy!!". This is a must see for anyone who lived though this decade or anyone who didnt experience its true magic.
r96sk2024-05-28
★ 8/10
It commits to its schtick and does a great job at nailing it, to be fair. I did like the opening portion of <em>'Human Traffic'</em> more than what followed it, though even so it's a fun time from beginning to conclusion. John Simm, Lorraine Pilkington, Shaun Parkes, Nicola Reynolds and Danny Dyer are entertaining and bounce off each other well. I did not know Mr. Andrew Clutterbuck was in this, was almost shocked when he first appeared - great to see him nevertheless! Odd in a lot of ways, but basically all of which are positive. Fair play to all involved for sticking the landing, it could've been severely cringe otherwise.
CinemaSerf2025-01-05
★ 7/10
Though the story is a bit old-hat, even for 1999, there are some really energised performances to enjoy in this story of angst and frustration amongst five twenty-something friends. It's really all about poor "Jip" (John Simm) who's obsessed with not being able to get it up! Is he just so stressed to function? His best mate "Koop" (Shaun Parkes) has no such problems with his bored, burger flipping, girlfriend "Nina" (Nicola Reynolds). Then there's the misunderstood and frustrated "Moff" (Danny Dyer) and finally "Lulu" (Lorraine Pilkington) who's hitherto seemed the more grown up of the bunch, with little interest in men and their foibles. It's a Friday afternoon and skint as they are, they are set for a boozy, drug-fuelled weekend in the clubs. It doesn't start well, which requires a bit of bravado from think-on-your-feet "Jip" but then they're off! For the next ninety minutes we take turns following each of them, and their peccadilloes, as the threads gradually knit towards a denouement that's a bit predicable but that's not the point. It's the joyride leading up to it that's entertaining, foul-mouthed and fresh. It's got an authenticity to it that Simm, especially, and Pilkington positively wallow in. They are just like the rest of us were at that age - a hormonal mess of anxieties and despair mixed with a life's too short mentality and these five carry that off well. It does have a slight serious side - and I'm sure the analysts could write a book about their behavioural issues, or about the difficulties of parenting - bit that's all subliminally delivered in a maelstrom of noise, music and excess. There's some pretty shocking overacting now and again, too - but on the whole it's a good laugh.