Rating of
3.5/4
Contagion
Bizarro - wrote on 10/23/11
Soderbergh obviously relishes doing something that very much contradicts his previous film. With Contagion, a brainy thriller centered on the global spread of a deadly disease, he does just that. And he succeeds brilliantly, resulting in a accurate and terrying experience of what could happen if a new strain of virus suddenly emerged without any seeming cure and the global mass-panic that would no doubtedly ensue.
Contagion, which boasts one of Soderbergh's usual stellar cast lists, including Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard and Gwyneth Paltrow, has something that usual Hollywood thrillers very rarely have, a scientifically accurate plotline.
Apparently, during the scriptwriting process, Soderbergh approached various scientists and disease control agencies to work out finer plot details and ensuring that the film doesn't exaggerate the spread of the horrific disease. This attention to accuracy gives Contagion an ominious and unsettling atmosphere, were a mere cough in the cinema your watching it in results in you second-guessing what illness that person has.
Great performances all around, especially Matt Damon's unfortunate father who gives a strong performance and Kate Winslet's CDC senior analyst who dies tragically from the disease. And it's good to see Elliot Gould still in the business, even for a small but critical part.
An exceptionally well-realised film with a great cast and an even better script, which is sure to leave you with some questions about your pig industry.
