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What’s the greatest threat to humanity? Perhaps an unseen assailant, a virus with pandemic potential. That’s exactly the concept that Steven Soderbergh-directed 2011 thriller “Contagion” explores. Buoyed upon its ensemble cast, expertly told through a multi-narrative structure, and truly terrifying, it’s a must-see.
Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns from a business trip in China. Unfortunately, Beth brings home more than just her checked bag, or the emotional baggage of shtupping a former lover during an extended layover in Chicago. Emhoff contracts some strange virus, coming home to her family, husband Mitch (Matt Damon), and son Clark (Griffin Kane). Two days later, Beth is pronounced dead, and Clark soon behind. After a brief quarantine period, Mitch is released, returning home with his teenaged daughter, Jory (Anna Jacoby-Heron).
The CDC and DHC meet, with efforts to identify the virus spearheaded by Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) and Dr. Ally Hextall (Jennifer Ehle) of the CDC. Rear Admiral Lyle Haggerty (Bryan Cranston) aids Cheever and Haggerty. Cheever loops in Dr. Ian Sussman (Elliott Gould), a research scientist at the University of California San Fransisco as a consultant.
Meanwhile, in China, World Health Organization epidemiologist Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) seeks to trace the virus to its roots. And Stateside, British freelance writer Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law), a conspiracy theorist, stirs up trouble.
From the onset, “Contagion” bristles with slick storytelling. Much of the narrative is relayed quickly, though not too fast, and by juggling multiple narratives and characters. It wastes no time offing its first few victims, setting the stage for the scale of the pandemic. This string of plots and subplots successfully probes the aftermath, and reaction to, a major catastrophe such as a pandemic. On the individual level, there’s concern for family, friends, and loved ones as Mitch shows. At the government and organizational level, the CDC and WHO search for answers. Quarantines are implemented. Conspiracy nuts shout that governments are concealing a cure. There’s an onus on the social impact, and the mass hysteria that’s prone to spawn from catastrophes.
Like 1995 pandemic thriller “Outbreak,” 2011’s “Contagion” features a star-studded cast as well as genuine epidemiology chatter. There’s a focus on the various scientific components of combating a viral outbreak, from searching for the original source to reproducing viral cultures in a lab. 2009 dark comedy “The Informant!” saw director Soderbergh team up with Damon for a delightfully witty, romp, and once again the pairing works wonders in “Contagion.” The ensemble cast is spectacular from start to finish. In fact, the only minor issue is not enough screen time for certain characters, notably Dr. Sussman (Gould), as well as the Department of Homeland Security official Dennis French (Enrico Colatoni).
Cinematography is stunning. The camera focuses on small details which, though briefly captured, speak volumes. A credit card passed between hands, a bar of peanuts on the bar in a restaurant, a doorknob being twisted. Masterful camera work reinforces the idea that, throughout the day, we touch tons of surfaces and not each of those is as clean as we’d like to hear. It’s enough to make you put down the popcorn for a moment while watching. The electronic score composed by Cliff Martinez perfectly matches the onscreen drama, conveying a host of emotions, from fear and anxiety to hope.
“Contagion” is a smart thriller that, despite bobbling a bevy of characters and storylines, remains smooth and composed. Exploring a pandemic with actual science behind it, the film manages to simultaneously tackle human drama on several levels. Thought-provoking, wholly engaging, and infectiously watchable “Contagion” is a taut, edge-of-your-seat adventure.
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