Review #325: 'Contagion' (2011)

Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) arrives back in America after a trip to Hong Kong displaying symptoms of a serious illness. Her husband Mitch (Matt Damon) rushes her to hospital after she suffers a violent fit, only for her to die there. Puzzled about the virus, doctors quarantine Mitch and alert Dr. Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) of the CDC. Cheever sets about growing the virus to find a potential cure, and sends Dr. Mears (Kate Winslet), an Epidemic Intelligence Officer, to begin the investigation. Internet blogger Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) runs with the virus and apparently cures himself from the disease by taking forsythia, an alternative medicine, and therefore causes a mad panic for the drug. While Dr. Orantes (Marion Cotillard), an epidemiologist, travels to Hong Kong to discover the root of the virus.

Similar to director Steven Soderbergh's film career, Contagion is a mixed bag. The first two thirds of this film are quite exceptional - exciting, intelligent, and often fascinating. Yet it burns itself out towards the end, as the distribution of the vaccine becomes the central focus, and the film loses its edge. But at the same time, the film's dedication to realism is admirable, even though it does affect the films quality. The ultra-talented and multi-Academy Award nominated/winning cast are exceptional, with Jude Law's slimy, dentally-challenged journalist, and Winslet exhausted yet dedicated investigator proving the stand-outs. I usually hate Jude Law, but he is at his best when he plays arseholes - Closer (2004), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), I Heart Huckabees (2004) - and he is at his most despicable here.

Law's character is at the centre of one of the film's themes about mass hysteria and panic, as he uses the power of the Internet to send the country into a spiral of looting and violence. It's an interesting commentary on how small the world has become with the introduction of blogging and social networking, and how this can be abused for personal gain. Krumwiede has no scientific fact or support behind him, just a webcam and a computer, and the results are quite terrifying.

Soderbergh wanted to make this as realistic as possible, and Contagion received praise from scientific institutions for its accuracy. Similar to his excellent 2000 film Traffic, Soderbergh explores the subject from the ground floor upwards. From Damon's struggling father trying desperately to shield his daughter from the virus, way up to Fishburne's CDC agent fighting against it on a global level. Watching it unfold, and seeing the political and social implications that stems from it is quite fascinating. But when that final third arrives, story threads become stale, and Soderbergh seems to lose interest in certain characters (Cotillard suffers the most), and the film fizzles out. Disappointing, but the film's thrilling beginning and middle certainly make the film worth a watch.


Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow
Country: USA/United Arab Emirates

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie