Steven Soderbergh's medical thriller Contagion is a tautly spun tail of epidemic and panic, made all the more frightening by its realism that makes you think, "Wow, this could really happen!" That realism--along with an exceptional ensemble cast and a creepy, ominous soundtrack--is that separates this movie from all other "disaster" flicks. We all know the world isn't going to really end in 2012 and regardless of what you think about global warming you gotta admit an overnight northern hemispheric blizzard where you literally have to outrun temperature is pretty unlikely, not to mention California joining Hawaii as an island state (for the record, I love a bad disaster movie; always so full of wonderful cheese and you usually get to see a beloved landmark crushed/swallowed up/melted/toppled/imploded).
To be sure the scenario in Contagion is unlikely, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility, especially in light of the SARS, bird flu, H1N1, and swine flu scares over the last few years.
The story starts with a cough. Seemingly innocent enough, but before long the cougher is overtaken with fever and seizures. Similar symptoms soon appear in other corners of the world. Medical officials the world over are stumped by this new virus and there is no known treatment. As the CDC and it's counterparts around the world scramble to find the origin and research to develop a vaccine, the disease continues to spread rapidly, aided by the virtual closeness of our globalized world. As the virus spreads, so does fear and becomes as, if not more dangerous, than the virus itself. Rioters storm grocery stores and pharmacies, stocking up on canned goods and bottled water. People live in fear of handshakes and the mere breath of neighbors. Purported by a popular conspiracy theorist blogger to be a cure, a supposed homeopathic remedy becomes a valuable commodity with roving mobs willing to threaten and kill to get it. Health officials are kidnapped and held hostage, their captors hoping they will be moved to the front of the line when a vaccine is finally discovered. Meanwhile, the body count continues to rise.
Rather than follow one main character's thread through this nightmare, Soderbergh takes an ensemble approach, looking at the epidemic from different points a view. The actors are all top notch and give good performances. Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow are a husband and wife, one who is immune, one who is most certainly not; Lawernce Fishburne is the public face of the CDC both trying to help find a cure and trying to keep the public from going into full scale panic; Kate Winslet is a CDC researcher who is out in the field trying to track down the origin's putting herself in peril; Marion Cotillard is a WHO doctor working in Asia trying to track down the source; Jude Law is the conspiracy theory blogger, bent on exposing the government secrets he's sure are being covered up. The cast is rounded out by Elliott Gould, Jennifer Ehle, John Hawkes, and Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston.
The movie moves along at a good clip, not lingering on one character or story line too long, always keeping things fresh and interesting. You witness the breakdown of society from every angle and watch the characters wrestle with difficult decisions: should a government official tell his loved ones privledged information that would give them an advantage over the general populace? If a cure is found, how can it be fairly distributed? What's the balance between national health and national security?
Despite the obviously upsetting premise, the movie ends on a pretty positive note, though even that is still bittersweet.
Contagion is a solid movie all the way around, being both entertaining and intellectually stimulating. Just be sure you wash your hands afterward.
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