Contagion (2011)

A thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writer:

Scott Z. Burns

Stars:

Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Jude Law

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marion Cotillard	...	Dr. Leonora Orantes
Matt Damon	...	Mitch Emhoff
Laurence Fishburne	...	Dr. Ellis Cheever
Jude Law	...	Alan Krumwiede
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Beth Emhoff
Kate Winslet	...	Dr. Erin Mears
Bryan Cranston	...	RADM Lyle Haggerty
Jennifer Ehle	...	Dr. Ally Hextall
Elliott Gould	...	Dr. Ian Sussman
Chin Han	...	Sun Feng
John Hawkes	...	Roger
Anna Jacoby-Heron	...	Jory Emhoff
Josie Ho	...	Li Fai's Sister
Sanaa Lathan	...	Aubrey Cheever
Demetri Martin	...	Dr. David Eisenberg

Storyline

Soon after her return from a business trip to Hong Kong, Beth Emhoff dies from what is a flu or some other type of infection. Her young son dies later the same day. Her husband Mitch however seems immune. Thus begins the spread of a deadly infection. For doctors and administrators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, several days pass before anyone realizes the extent or gravity of this new infection. They must first identify the type of virus in question and then find a means of combating it, a process that will likely take several months. As the contagion spreads to millions of people worldwide, societal order begins to break down as people panic.

---

Plot Keywords:

virus | disease | doctor | infection | hong kong | 

---

Taglines:

Don't talk to anyone. Don't touch anyone.

---

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing content and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de] Warner Bros. [es]

Country:

USA United Arab Emirates

Language:

English Mandarin Cantonese

Release Date:

9 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Contagion: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$22,403,596 (USA) (9 September 2011)

Gross:

$75,638,743 (USA) (9 December 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Participant Media, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Russian title of the film ("Zarazhenie") contains nine letters, like the English one, and the poster of the film also mentions nine cities' names with one letter highlighted and the highlighted letters form the name of the film. They are, from top to bottom: kaZan, atlAnta, san fRancisco, chicAgo, pariZH (Paris), gEneva, loNdon, tokIo (Tokyo), pErm - Z-A-R-A-ZH-E-N-I-E. Kazan and Perm are Russian cities.

---

Goofs

When Li Fai, the Hong Kong patient, exits the elevator on his way home, the two red Chinese characters on the wall means "the 10th floor", while the display of the elevator says it's the 9th. However, this is likely not a goof. Floor numbering has become quite confused in Hong Kong due to a combination of British numbering (ground floor -> 1st -> 2nd -> 3rd) and the Chinese system which counts the ground floor as the 1st. Also, due to other traditions in regard to the number 4, that number may be skipped when numbering the floors.

---

Quotes

Alan Krumwiede: It's a bad day to be a rhesus monkey.

---

Crazy Credits

The colors of the Warner Bros. Pictues logo are slightly faded.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Gruen Transfer: Sports Betting (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"All I Want is You"
Lyrics by Bono
Music by U2
Performed by U2

User Reviews

Effective, thought provoking, and mis-marketed.

Not much to say that hasn't been already… the critics are right, it is an effective slick movie that may be a bit slight as far as character development but doesn't suffer too badly for it. This is a movie far more about ideas than people and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Excellent direction from Soderbergh, masterful cinematography, and while there are a few logical mis-steps, the writing more than makes up for that by confounding expectations more than once in truly creative and credible ways.

Unfortunately trailers have many seeking an action thrill-ride, when what it delivers for the most part is a slow boiling suspenseful drama. When will Hollywood learn that setting expectations that don't match the product may sell a few extra tickets in the beginning, but hurts word of mouth and user reviews which are needed for the success of a film beyond the opening weekend.