CONTAGION (2011)

Written by Scott Z. Burns


Directed by Steven Soderbergh


Where & When: Vista Theater, Los Angeles, CA. September 11, 2011 7:00 PM



Have you ever thought about what you would do if an unknown, deadly, airborne virus was gradually wiping out the entire human population?

I sure hope you haven't but if you tend to dwell on dark subjects, then "Contagion", the latest by Steven Soderbergh, is a thriller that gives you the perfect opportunity to envision this chilling scenario. What makes this even more frightening is that the possibility of this actually occurring seems even more plausible than ever considering the current condition of our planet.

Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) is in a Chicago airport, waiting to return home to Minneapolis after a business trip in Hong Kong. She has a raspy cough and doesn't feel well but simply assumes it's jetlag. By the time she arrives home to her husband, Mitch (Matt Damon) and their son, Beth is feeling much worse with a very high fever. Two days later, Beth has a seizure and is rushed to the hospital. The doctors do all they can, but they cannot save her. Unable to explain the cause for her tragic death, Mitch is barely able to cope with this loss when he is called home by the babysitter. By the time he gets there, his son has also died from the same mysterious ailment.

This virus, which appears to be easily spread from a contaminated person either by touching, coughing or breathing, is killing people not only in the areas that Beth had visited but rapidly spreading across the globe. Mitch, however, seems to be immune to this virus. He is quarantined and questioned by Dr. Mears (Kate Winslet), sent by Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) of the C.D.C. to help investigate this growing epidemic.

Over the course of the investigation, doctors struggle to identify the common aspects of the virus while political bureaucracy manages to get in the way of the research. The Department of Homeland Security gets involved, checking to see if this could possibly be a bioweapon. And a paranoid, attention-seeking blogger (Jude Law) takes advantage of this situation, using the power of the Internet to manipulate a terrified public and profit off their fear.

It's safe to say that Soderbergh remembers the all-star disaster flicks of the 1970's. But instead of a burning skyscraper or a capsized cruise ship, his modern version of that genre is less of an over-the-top spectacle and something more grounded in reality, backed up with plausible science that makes the stakes feel much higher as time is quickly running out.

While "Contagion" seems like a reasonable outline of the frightening circumstances that could occur if this pandemic actually happened, we are never able to connect to this large, global cast of doomed characters as they are either not properly fleshed out or they are not on screen long enough to leave a lasting impression. All of the big-name actors on board, which includes Marion Cotillard as a doctor from the World Health Organization sent to China to figure out how this virus began but ends up being used as a pawn. And in even smaller roles, Elliott Gould, Bryan Cranston, John Hawkes and Sanaa Lathan are all fully committed but because of time constraints, all of their star-power is wasted in parts that don't add up to much more than cameos. Only Jennifer Ehle, as the doctor who works desperately on trying to create a vaccine, in a quiet but effective performance, leaves any real impact.

Soderbergh has always been one of the more adventurous film makers working today and although not everything he has made has been worthy of overwhelming praise, every film has refreshingly challenged as well as offering thoughtful and unconventional ideas (including his more commercial ventures) while never feeling like a waste of time or energy. "Contagion" presents a relatively, mainstream sci-fi thriller combined with his trademark idiosyncratic film making, accomplished with a sharp screenplay by Scott Z. Burns, who wrote the director's previous film, "The Informant!", although the final resolution feels a bit too tidy and unbelievably fast.

"Contagion" is a fascinating examination on how human beings react and behave during an unimaginable crisis. The film doesn't leave much of a deep or lasting impression, yet it perfectly creates an atmosphere of tension, anxiety and paranoia. If anything, it may probably encourage people to stock up on hand sanitizer and become a little bit more nervous when they hear somebody cough.