Contagion Review

An unknown, highly communicable and very deadly disease spreads across the globe. Millions are dying. Scientists are baffled. Governments cannot control its spread nor provide adequate protection for the uninfected. Society begins to break down. People start looting supermarkets and hording food. In the back of your mind you think,perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to start stocking up on tinned goods. It’s for this reason you know Contagion works, at least on a basic level. It generates thought, it provokes discussion, it makes you think.

Steven Soderbergh directs an impressive ensemble cast: Gwyneth Paltrow is Patient Zero, Matt Damon is Immune Husband, Laurence Fishburne is the Doctor from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Kate Winslet is his Doctor in the Field, Jude Law is Paranoid Blogger, Elliot Gould is Another Doctor, Marion Cottilard is Yet Another Doctor and Bryan Cranston is Token Army Dude. There’s others too. Of course the problem with having such a start-heavy cast is that you’re constantly thinking,oh that’s him from that thing! And she’s that woman out of so-and-so and bits of the film can slip past you. In short, it can be a little distracting.

Most of these characters get their own narrative thread, in which we see how they deal with the outbreak, which is picked up and put aside in a fluid and smart manner. Despite the transitions between the plotlines being smooth, however, that’s not to say that each is as strong as the next one. Matt Damon is always highly watchable (and arguably one of the best actors of his generation) as he strives to protect his young daughter and the scenes at CDC, where we learn about the science and procedures concerned with outbreaks, are riveting. Jude Law’s plot though, feels muddled are unsure of what point it is trying to get across. Are the government bad? Are the conspiracy theorists just as bad? Who knows? Who cares? Most annoying about Law’s character and by turn his arc, is that whilst he feels free to criticise the government’s handling of the crisis, he offers nothing in the way of an alternative. This is a shame as much more could have been done with this strand of the story. Similarly, Marion Cottilard’s parts start promisingly enough, as she attempts to locate the source of the outbreak, but unfortunately take a turn for silliness, which is otherwise admirably absent in this highly naturalistic film.

Other than that, Contagion is a solid and enjoyable feature. Attention to detail is impressive as is the restraint with which Soderbergh directs proceedings. There are no explosions or shoot-outs, just a hefty dose of realism. Cliff Martinez’s score is very good too. It may be overly reminiscent of films that have trod a similar path before it and it may not stand amongst 2011’s most memorable and impressive films, but it is an enjoyable and absorbing watch. Contagion’s greatest strength is reminding us how easily the tacit bonds of trust that keeps society going are broken – something even more resonant in this post-riots landscape. Its greatest weakness is having a tagline that sounds as those it’s advertising a particularly sinister brand of margarine: nothing spreads like fear.