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IMDbPro

Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America

  • TV Movie
  • 20062006
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
4.7/10
896
YOUR RATING
Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America (2006)
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi
An outbreak of avian flu mutates into a virus that becomes transmittable from human to human.An outbreak of avian flu mutates into a virus that becomes transmittable from human to human.An outbreak of avian flu mutates into a virus that becomes transmittable from human to human.
IMDb RATING
4.7/10
896
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Richard Pearce
  • Writer
    • Ron McGee
  • Stars
    • Joely Richardson
    • Scott Cohen
    • Justina Machado
Top credits
  • Director
    • Richard Pearce
  • Writer
    • Ron McGee
  • Stars
    • Joely Richardson
    • Scott Cohen
    • Justina Machado
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 28User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America (2006)
    Justina Machado and Eliana Saenz in 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America'
    Justina Machado and Eliana Saenz in 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America'
    Eliana Saenz in 'Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America'

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joely Richardson
    Joely Richardson
    • Dr. Iris Varnackas Dr. Iris Varnack
    Scott Cohen
    Scott Cohen
    • Governor Mike Newsomeas Governor Mike Newsome
    Justina Machado
    Justina Machado
    • Alma Ansenas Alma Ansen
    Ann Cusack
    Ann Cusack
    • Denise Connellyas Denise Connelly
    David Ramsey
    David Ramsey
    • Curtis Ansenas Curtis Ansen
    John Atkinson
    • Ed Connellyas Ed Connelly
    Stacy Keach
    Stacy Keach
    • Collin Reedas Collin Reed
    Peter O'Brien
    Peter O'Brien
    • Alanas Alan
    Carolyn Dando
    • Lauren Connellyas Lauren Connelly
    Kodi Smit-McPhee
    Kodi Smit-McPhee
    • Toby Connellyas Toby Connelly
    Kate Butler
    Kate Butler
    • Chief of Staff Jean Loosas Chief of Staff Jean Loos
    Trevor Sai Louie
    Trevor Sai Louie
    • Dr. Kwonas Dr. Kwon
    Latham Gaines
    Latham Gaines
    • Kostmart Manageras Kostmart Manager
    Jonny Pasvolsky
    Jonny Pasvolsky
    • Governor Newsome's Aideas Governor Newsome's Aide
    Steve Bastoni
    Steve Bastoni
    • FEMA Director McGarrettas FEMA Director McGarrett
    Jerome Ehlers
    Jerome Ehlers
    • Chad Sinclairas Chad Sinclair
    Mark Tronson
    • Derek Newsomeas Derek Newsome
    Rebecca Hamilton
    • Sarah Newsomeas Sarah Newsome
    • Director
      • Richard Pearce
    • Writer
      • Ron McGee
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Parallels the real life pandemic that occurs 15 years later in 2020.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Cinema Snob: Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America (2020)

    User reviews28

    Review
    Top review
    Terrifying and graphic, at least in the first half
    In Guangdong province, China, numerous birds infected with the H5N1 virus are being killed, but it may be too late to stop the disease from spreading. At least one man is sick at a nearby factory being visited by Ed Connelly of Richmond, Virginia, who is criticizing the factory's policies that are costing the company money (as far as we know, this has nothing to do with the disease).

    As Connelly returns to the United States, we see extreme close-ups of the ways the disease is being spread by him to others on the plane. Soon after he gets back to Richmond, life appears normal but he is infecting others around him. He has no idea how sick he is.

    Dr. Iris Varnack (Joely Richardson) is called to China, where 8 people have been infected by the bird flu virus. Correction--25 people. And the doctor there believes these cases, unlike others before, were passed from human to human rather than from bird to human. Dr. Varnack soon must inform the government that a pandemic worse than the 1918 Spanish Flu is a strong possibility. 300 million people could die worldwide (compared to 50 million in the earlier disaster).

    Connelly becomes delusional and passes out in a store, and once doctors figure out what is wrong, all who visit him, including his wife Denise (Ann Cusack), must wear what look like space suits. By the first commercial break, the death toll is 125.

    Soon, Connelly's neighborhood looks like a military installation, with a fence, complete with barbed wire, and armed military guards. Everyone there and in several other Richmond neighborhoods must stay in, depending on outsiders to get them the food and supplies they need. And as the epidemic worsens nationwide, the necessities of life become harder and harder to get.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services (Stacy Keach) communicates with the press. We are told the President addressed the nation, but we never see him.

    Hospitals are soon overwhelmed with people who suspect they have the disease. We see treatment of the bird flu primarily through the eyes of one heroic nurse, Alma Ansen (Justina Machado), whose husband Curtis (David Ramsey) is in the military in Iraq--until his unit gets called back to the United States. Hospitals become terrible places, and before long, large buildings must be turned into auxiliary health care facilities.

    The Connelly family becomes isolated from the world, though they do not have the disease. Or do they?

    Periodically, we see a death count on the screen. People are dying so fast, though, that the count looks like the total sale display on a gas pump while you are filling up. The death toll goes from hundreds to thousands to many millions.

    Virginia Governor Mike Newsome (Seth Cohen) is criticized for overdoing the quarantines and focusing on certain groups (the NAACP and ACLU, we are told, do not like his policies). He is told his efforts are doing no good to stop the disease's spread, but that doesn't really matter.

    Life as we know it ceases to exist. The country is like a Third World nation, with people waiting in lines for everything they need, and lucky to get what they have. Black markets develop and crime increases (Remember the Rodney King verdict? Fortunately, we see this type of situation primarily in news footage). And people need other types of services from hospitals and the health care system--but this is just not readily available. Other problems develop that you might not have thought of. This situation is much worse than when polio was a problem (I'm not that old, by the way, but I've heard about it)--that's more like what I was led to expect if the bird flu became a problem.

    The situation is not as grim in the second half. Life appears 'normal' in many scenes, though it is a 'new' normal. Denise Connelly's determination and compassion make the movie worth seeing, and a little more than just a 'disease of the week' movie. Scenes with Alma and Curtis also provide some welcome relief, though they both have their jobs to go back to.

    I have to wonder why people stopped wearing space suits. There was no vaccine to begin with, and of course we had the obligatory controversies once one was found (there has to actually be a specific form of the disease to develop a vaccine for). My guess is they ran out of space suits and hoped they didn't need them. Of course, we are told some people just don't get sick.

    The ending shows promise of a return to normal, but also impending gloom. IT MAY NOT BE OVER.

    It is true that every version of the flu must have its own vaccine, and we don't know whether a vaccine for the current H5N1 virus will work if human-to-human transmission occurs. That part the movie probably got right. And people do have a tendency to overreact to threats such as this--where I live even the hint of snow means no bread or milk on grocery store shelves, so people's behavior here probably seemed realistic. But this movie just showed a quite exaggerated and terrifying look at what could happen. We may have been educated on some of the concerns a bird flu epidemic could bring--both consequences directly related to the flu, and the indirect results as well. Still, this looked overdone to me.

    The autopsy on one victim was quite graphic. And we did see blood in a number of cases, because people with this disease cough up blood or bleed from the nose, at least in this version.

    Stacy Keach gave the standout acting performance. Other actors were good at times, considering this was a TV-movie. Seth Cohen, Ann Cusack, Justina Machado and David Ramsey all had their moments.

    Was it just a 'disease-of-the-week' movie? Probably, but it had its good moments.
    helpful•15
    8
    • vchimpanzee
    • May 10, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 9, 2006 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • New Zealand
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Virus mortal
    • Filming locations
      • New Zealand
    • Production company
      • American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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