Contagion

This nightmarish vision of global catastrophe is a great example of Soderbergh's directorial zip. And even though the story gets a bit clunky at times, there are some tremendous performances that bring it right back up to speed.

The hype...
Steven Soderbergh brings a terrifyingly realistic scenario to the screen, and has a cast of familiar faces to help him out. 'Contagion' might hark back to the Dustin Hoffman thriller 'Outbreak', but there is something altogether more serious about this effort. With this particular director the question will be 'how far into the apocalypse will we go'?

The story...
Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to America from a business trip in Hong Kong with what appears to be a severe case of the flu. In just a few hours she is dead, and her son is displaying the same symptoms. Mitch (Matt Damon), the heartbroken husband and father, appears to be immune from the killer virus that has destroyed his family, but the rest of the planet is not so lucky.

A video blogger (Jude Law) thinks he has uncovered the story. He's keen to get the impending crisis out to the widest possible audience, and in the process make some money for himself.

Meanwhile medical teams around the world are trying to find a cure for the epidemic. Dr Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) sends his colleague Dr Mears (Kate Winslet) to the front line where she soon makes a breakthrough, but at a terrible cost.

Elsewhere Dr Orantes (Marion Cotillard) finds herself at the source of the virus, but facing a very different kind of danger as panic begins to spread faster than the virus itself.

And then there is Mitch. A man who is now left with a daughter whom he will protect with everything he's got.

The breakdown...
Arriving just in time for Halloween, there is something genuinely terrifying about Soderbergh's ultra-realistic disease outbreak chiller. There is a real efficiency with which the film unfolds, but it's not just because he's going through the motions, it's designed to keep up the pace and it makes for an enthralling experience.

Matt Damon proves he is one of the most reliable leading men in Hollywood with an assured performance that gets to the root of his character, and in the process eloquently transfers his survival guilt to the audience. This sense of melancholy is then deliberately undermined by his fatherly instincts.

It's wise decision to make Mitch such an integral part of the story: the multitude of strands in the film need this grounding, as elsewhere we fly around the globe with some rapid detective work akin to something from CSI. We're never in doubt of the film's realism, but it would feel too distant were it not for the homely story at the core.

Jude Law also turns in a good performance, despite an unconvincing Australian accent. His crusading journalist/blogger adds to the appealing meta nature of the project, and the idea that (mis)-information can be as deadly as the disease itself is a powerful one.

It's never made too difficult to follow the story, and here the director should be given much of the credit. There is a lot going on, from conspiracies to cures, but Soderbergh presides over the film in a controlled manner. The only obvious intrusion is a score which tends to overpower some scenes which should have more subtlety.

The verdict...
The journey home from the cinema after watching this film is a fun experience. Every cough or sneeze you hear will set alarm bells ringing; such is the impact of this frightening concept. We wouldn't call it enjoyable, but it's still a fine slice of modern filmmaking.

Rating: 4/5

'Contagion' is due to be released in the UK on 2 October. Certificate: 12