Contagion

Contagion proves once again that Steven Soderbergh has effectively taken on the mantle of the late Robert Altman as the go-to director for star studden movies in which the characters' storylines intertwine like wicker baskets (even though their movies have nothing else in common).

This time Soderbergh works his magic with Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, John Hawkes, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Elliott Gould, Bryan Cranston, and Jennifer Ehle, who isn't particularly famous but whose resemblance to Meryl Streep in uncanny (I was convinced she was her daughter!!).

Synopsis: an unknown virus that spreads like the common cold but is almost as lethal as Ebola starts infecting humans at an alarming rate.  No one has any idea how to fight it and the only way to prevent infection seems to be complete isolation.  Everyday life crawls to a halt as people become afraid of their neighbors, friends, and families.  The world economy and societal norms crumble.  The CDC, working with its counterparts all over the world and the World Health Organization, are the only hopes to come up with a cure before the human race is wiped out of existence.

The movie touches a very current theme, given the recent outbreaks of Bird Flu and H1N1 viruses, against which humans have no immune defenses and there exists no vaccine.  Interesting is also the very realistic representation of what would happen to our way of life if (or when) such an outbreak were to occur.

I really like Soderbergh's style.  He is a great actors' director, able to get excellent performances out of everyone he works with, in spite of the amazing star wattage often collected on his sets, which might lead to power struggles brought on by outsized egos in less experienced hands.  He tackles interesting subjects and develops them thoroughly and carefully, analyzing every angle.  And he does all this with seeming ease, putting his inimitable stamp on every frame and yet allowing the film to breathe on its own.

The Bottom Line: I think this movie should be watched by everyone because of the subject it tackles.  Its amazing cast should also be a magnet for any movie lover, and if you've never seen anything by Soderbergh, you should start somewhere.

Grade: 9