Steven Soderbergh is arguably Hollywood’s biggest independent film director. Paradoxical as that may seem, more than any of his contemporaries (the Anderson’s Wes and Paul Thomas come to mind) Soderbergh has managed to direct huge Hollywood blockbusters only to use that success to rejuvenate his indie-cred with divisive films like Bubble, Solaris and The Girlfriend Experience. And aside from his excellent genre pieces like Out of Sight, The Limey, and yes, the Ocean’s movies, Soderbergh has always kept one toe in the socio-political pool. Even when directing major films with major stars, like Erin Brockovich and Traffic before it, Contagion doesn’t buck the trend.
It’s signature Soderbergh; entire scenes awash in blues and bronzes as the film opens following four people across the globe, all with innocuous cold-like symptoms that belie the true nature of their shared ailment. Despite the over-the-top-notch bill, the deadly disease plays first fiddle, and the film makes sure its main character is fully realized, even if it’s at the expense of the human players. Gwyneth Paltrow is one of the First Four and the bringer of the plague to the States. From there, the virus (dubbed MEV-1) fails to infect her husband Matt Damon, but draws the attention of freelance writer and conspiracy blogger Jude Law and a host of famous people who work for the CDC, like Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard. Then, while some scientists, including Demetri Martin (?!), try to find the vaccine, Bryan Cranston and that bald guy from Just Shoot Me pull the national security strings as top U.S. military officials. Not to mention everything going on in London, Hong Kong and the rest of the world.
For actors, working with Soderbergh must be a dream; a chance to regain one’s humble humanity and finally be a part of something that’s real, damnit! But the flood of stars all vying for best supporting role to A VIRUS proves more than distracting. Which isn’t to say the film is without merit. Now I know what R0 means, for what it’s worth. And at times this subdued procedural genuinely conveys the horrifying societal effects of an invisible monster like SARS or H1N1. The brief looting scenes in particular strike an eerily apocalyptic note. But even Soderbergh’s skills can’t keep his “actor’s drama” from ultimately feeling like a celebrity PSA for better disease control without actually saying, “The More You Know.”
