Contagion (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Contagion' (directed by Steven Soderbergh) is one of the best films to date about a viral pandemic/epidemic. This isn't another Outbreak. Good as that movie is (and is IS), that plot focused as much on the disease as it did on its character's home lives, & romantic entanglements. By making the characters (here) accessories to the plot rather than the focus, the movie is able to tell the story of the evolution of a disease without being hit over the head with melodrama or action scenes. 'Contagion' is scary because what happens in the story ... could actually happen. This is not another regurgitated tale of the apocalypse (thank GOD) in which Earth is reduced to starving humans living in squalor. Instead, it's a cold, clinical, but fascinating view of what 'might' happen if said epidemic occurred. 'Contagion' is purely plot-driven. There are a host of intertwining characters, but their purpose is less potent. The disease is the main character, here.
Laurence Fishburne plays Dr. Ellis Cheever, head of the CDC, who becomes singled out as the fall guy when the disease spreads out of control. Kate Winslet plays Dr. Erin Mears, a no-nonsense Epidemic Intelligence officer he sends to Minneapolis to investigate. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Beth Emhoff, Patient Zero. Matt Damon plays Mitch, her husband, who 'appears' to be immune to the disease. Jennifer Ehle plays Dr. Ally Hextall, the epidemiologist tirelessly working in the lab to find a vaccination. Marion Cotillard plays Dr. Leonora Orantes, a WHO member sent to Hong Kong, where the source of the disease is believed to be. And Jude Law plays Alan Krumwiede, a snag-toothed, rabble-rousing blogger with 2 million followers who is trying to turn the epidemic into a $$-making opportunity.
'Contagion' shows us MANY things. Firstly, how the government & WHO react to the situation once they finally realize it's severity. As Dr. Hextall (Ehle) & her colleagues attempt to replicate the virus in the lab, Dr. Orantes (Cotillard) uses security tapes to identify Patient Zero (Paltrow) with hope of figuring out how the disease made it's way from bat-to-pig-to-human. Dr. Cheever (Fishburne) holds news briefings to quell public concern; but his credibility flounders when it's discovered that he gave preferential treatment to his wife (telling her to evacuate Chicago). Mitch (Damon) pursues measures to keep his daughter safe. Dr. Mears (Winslet) risks her life by interacting with the afflicted as she sets up makeshift hospitals in sports stadiums {smart cookie}. Alan (Law) uses fear-mongering to manipulate the market. The economy falls. Our president goes into hiding. Kidnappings (to get secret vaccinations) occur. And riots break out.
'Contagion' is quite the fascinating little thriller. Steven Soderbergh (director of Traffic, Sex, Lies, & Videotape, Erin Brockovich, Ocean's 11,12,13) +
A-list cast + apocalyptic dread = a pretty big wow of a movie. For anyone interested in an intelligent thriller (with a dollop of gruesome imagery), this film should push the right buttons. Furthermore, since the MEV-1 disease in this film is transferred by direct contact; and since those afflicted acquire quite a cough ... it's fun/scary to watch 'Contagion' in a theater where every stifled cough or clearing of the throat gets you on edge! In fact, the most riveting scenes occur early on when the camera focuses on every single location that could harbor the disease (door handles, drink glasses, bus seats, handshaking, peanuts in a bowl, etc.).
Soderbergh has a lot to say about disease control. Back at CDC, Homeland Security becomes involved over fears that the disease is a bio-weapon. By way of the loathsome Jude Law character (the out-for-himself activist/blogger), we're shown how the internet can spin a story about disease into something it's not. Misinformation spreads like wildfire over the 'net & tends to cancel out info that could actually save people. The Laurence Fishburne character (wholesome as he is) represents the idea that people DO get preferential treatment when in the right position. Kate Winslet's character shows that even doctors are not immune to the tragedies befalling their patients. The Jennifer Ehle character (lab doctor) shows us that amid disaster, it takes enormous risk to find a cure for disease. And though I jest with this ... the film shows me (with the Paltrow character) that: for cheating on your husband, you pay the price by being Patient Zero of an epidemic.
'Contagion' is great, but it isn't perfect. The film is short on emotion; though, I suppose you can feel for the Damon character & his daughter, in the end. The way the film jumps from character to character and back again prevents a certain flow. While the 1st hour & 15 minutes are as taut & gripping as any global bio-thriller could possibly be ... the last half hour isn't as strong. The more we know about the disease & it's potential cure (or not), the less interesting it got. And because there's a lot of material to cover, some of the characters get shortchanged (maybe the film needed another 20-30 min.). But on the whole, it's hard not to be affected by Soderbergh's vision in 'Contagion'. I'm skeeved out just thinking about what I watched. Every actor in this thing brought their A-game. And though this film is not 'entertainment', so to speak ... it gives a powerful perspective of what could happen if such a scary scenario were to occur to us.
Laurence Fishburne plays Dr. Ellis Cheever, head of the CDC, who becomes singled out as the fall guy when the disease spreads out of control. Kate Winslet plays Dr. Erin Mears, a no-nonsense Epidemic Intelligence officer he sends to Minneapolis to investigate. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Beth Emhoff, Patient Zero. Matt Damon plays Mitch, her husband, who 'appears' to be immune to the disease. Jennifer Ehle plays Dr. Ally Hextall, the epidemiologist tirelessly working in the lab to find a vaccination. Marion Cotillard plays Dr. Leonora Orantes, a WHO member sent to Hong Kong, where the source of the disease is believed to be. And Jude Law plays Alan Krumwiede, a snag-toothed, rabble-rousing blogger with 2 million followers who is trying to turn the epidemic into a $$-making opportunity.
'Contagion' shows us MANY things. Firstly, how the government & WHO react to the situation once they finally realize it's severity. As Dr. Hextall (Ehle) & her colleagues attempt to replicate the virus in the lab, Dr. Orantes (Cotillard) uses security tapes to identify Patient Zero (Paltrow) with hope of figuring out how the disease made it's way from bat-to-pig-to-human. Dr. Cheever (Fishburne) holds news briefings to quell public concern; but his credibility flounders when it's discovered that he gave preferential treatment to his wife (telling her to evacuate Chicago). Mitch (Damon) pursues measures to keep his daughter safe. Dr. Mears (Winslet) risks her life by interacting with the afflicted as she sets up makeshift hospitals in sports stadiums {smart cookie}. Alan (Law) uses fear-mongering to manipulate the market. The economy falls. Our president goes into hiding. Kidnappings (to get secret vaccinations) occur. And riots break out.
'Contagion' is quite the fascinating little thriller. Steven Soderbergh (director of Traffic, Sex, Lies, & Videotape, Erin Brockovich, Ocean's 11,12,13) +
A-list cast + apocalyptic dread = a pretty big wow of a movie. For anyone interested in an intelligent thriller (with a dollop of gruesome imagery), this film should push the right buttons. Furthermore, since the MEV-1 disease in this film is transferred by direct contact; and since those afflicted acquire quite a cough ... it's fun/scary to watch 'Contagion' in a theater where every stifled cough or clearing of the throat gets you on edge! In fact, the most riveting scenes occur early on when the camera focuses on every single location that could harbor the disease (door handles, drink glasses, bus seats, handshaking, peanuts in a bowl, etc.).
Soderbergh has a lot to say about disease control. Back at CDC, Homeland Security becomes involved over fears that the disease is a bio-weapon. By way of the loathsome Jude Law character (the out-for-himself activist/blogger), we're shown how the internet can spin a story about disease into something it's not. Misinformation spreads like wildfire over the 'net & tends to cancel out info that could actually save people. The Laurence Fishburne character (wholesome as he is) represents the idea that people DO get preferential treatment when in the right position. Kate Winslet's character shows that even doctors are not immune to the tragedies befalling their patients. The Jennifer Ehle character (lab doctor) shows us that amid disaster, it takes enormous risk to find a cure for disease. And though I jest with this ... the film shows me (with the Paltrow character) that: for cheating on your husband, you pay the price by being Patient Zero of an epidemic.
'Contagion' is great, but it isn't perfect. The film is short on emotion; though, I suppose you can feel for the Damon character & his daughter, in the end. The way the film jumps from character to character and back again prevents a certain flow. While the 1st hour & 15 minutes are as taut & gripping as any global bio-thriller could possibly be ... the last half hour isn't as strong. The more we know about the disease & it's potential cure (or not), the less interesting it got. And because there's a lot of material to cover, some of the characters get shortchanged (maybe the film needed another 20-30 min.). But on the whole, it's hard not to be affected by Soderbergh's vision in 'Contagion'. I'm skeeved out just thinking about what I watched. Every actor in this thing brought their A-game. And though this film is not 'entertainment', so to speak ... it gives a powerful perspective of what could happen if such a scary scenario were to occur to us.