Surprisingly, the scariest movie of 2011 thus far doesn't technically fall into the horror genre. With ""Contagion,"" A-list director Steven Soderbergh (the man behind hard hitting dramas like ""Traffic,"" but also the breezy diversions of the ""Ocean's"" series) has shown his enduring versatility as a filmmaker. Shot in an all-too-realistic, practically documentary style, the viral anxieties of ""Contagion"" travel through the screen and right into your theater. Bring Wet-n-Wipes with you for this one.
Soderbergh wastes no time in gripping the viewer. A chilling opening montage reveals that a new virus has claimed victims in Asia and in Europe; America is next.
The film then breaks off into multiple narratives, all of them driven by solid performances. Matt Damon plays an overweight Minnesota family man whose wife (Gwyneth Paltrow, improving here upon the not-so ""Country Strong,"" although in a much minor role) has come down with the virus.
Another subplot involves the super serious, but always composed Elliot Cheever (Laurence Fishburne,) a big-time doctor at Center for Disease Control. Much of the film follows the beauracratic work that Cheever and his coworker Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winselet) do to contain the virus.
The smoking-hot Marion Cotillard plays a World Health Organization epidemiologist investigating the disease in Japan. The best performance of the movie (perhaps even worthy of a Supporting Actor nod?) comes from Jude Law—a great actor whose skills too often go wasted (ahem, ""Repo Men."") He chews up the scenery as the egotistical, conspiracy theory-sprouting blogger Alan Krumwiede.
A major strength of ""Contagion"" is that the script generally does not play by the rules of Hollywood convention. A lot of people die (duh), including characters you don't necessarily expect. Some critics have complained that the scientific lingo used in the movie is confusing, but it really contributes to the stark realism that Soderbergh brings to the table.
The story intensifies from beginning to end. Lingering shots of empty corridors, filthy stair-railings and deserted streets provide a feeling of quiet unease. These scenes are juxtaposed with graphic sequences of people succumbing to the virus in the grossest ways possible. All of the chaos is set to frequent Sodebergh collaborator Cliff Martinez's electronically infused score. This is easily the best soundtrack since Trent Renzor's work on ""The Social Network.""
""Contagion"" isn't for everyone, it isn't light escapism. Soderbergh's work here is unrelenting, graphic and largely joyless. It is truly remarkable that a film so brutal and downbeat managed to get a PG-13. Soderbergh pushes the rating to its outer limits, making the experience of ""Contagion"" more disturbing than any R-rated movie of recent memory.
Basically, if you like thrillers, get to the multiplex, now. Just make sure you wash your hands afterward.
