'Contagion' Shows It Can Happen Here

As prolific a worker as any in contemporary Hollywood, Soderbergh claims to be on the verge of packing in his own career, which gives his movie a pretty interesting subtextual twist: Work, in Contagion, is fraught with mortal peril. The first victims are business travelers, while stay-at-home-dad Mitch is spared and even turned into one of the film's least ambiguous heroes. If Contagion truly is the first leg of Soderbergh's retirement victory lap, this harrowing film is a potent reminder of what we stand to lose.

Clean up, aisle Earth

Details

Contagion was directed by Steven Soderbergh; written by Scott Z. Burns; and stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston, Elliott Gould, John Hawkes, Demetri Martin and Jennifer Ehle. Rated PG-13. Click here for show times.

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More About

• Steven Soderbergh
• Contagion (Movie)
• Anthony Trollope
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media
• Movie Stars

This review appeared in print as "It Can Happen Here: Steven Soderbergh turns the star-studded Hollywood disaster flick on its head in Contagion."