Contagion (2011)

Healthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a worldwide epidemic as the CDC works to find a cure.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writer:

Scott Z. Burns

Stars:

Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law

2 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Beth Emhoff
Tien You Chui	...	Li Fai (as Chui Tien You)
Josie Ho	...	Li Fai's Sister
Daria Strokous	...	Irina
Matt Damon	...	Mitch Emhoff
Griffin Kane	...	Clark Morrow
Yoshiaki Kobayashi	...	Japanese Bus Man
Laurence Fishburne	...	Dr. Ellis Cheever
John Hawkes	...	Roger
Jude Law	...	Alan Krumwiede
Monique Gabriela Curnen	...	Lorraine Vasquez
Teri McEvoy	...	School Nurse
Sue Redman	...	ER Nurse #1
Teri Campbell	...	ER Nurse #2
Stef Tovar	...	Dr. Arrington

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.

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Plot Keywords:

virus | contagion | infection | epidemic | outbreak | 

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Taglines:

The world goes viral September 9

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing content and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany] Warner Bros. [Spain]

Country:

USA United Arab Emirates

Language:

English Mandarin Cantonese

Release Date:

9 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Contagion: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

Taylor Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,403,596, 11 September 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$75,658,097, 15 December 2011

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$135,458,097, 15 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 actual desk of Benny Evangelista, reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, appears in the film as Lorraine Vasquez's desk. Evangelista's desk is notoriously messy, and was left as it was by the crew.

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Goofs

At one point Dr Cheever, played by Laurence Fishburne, says the Spanish flu of 1918 killed "70 million people, representing 1% of world population". Actually, the death toll is not that precise: it is estimated between 50 and 100 million. Also, the world population in 1918 was slightly less than 2 billion (also an estimate): hence the Spanish flu death toll ranged from 2.5% to 5%. Surprinsingly, that flu was deadlier than WWI; however its lethality was increased by the poor health of the population after the war.

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Quotes

Jory Emhoff: [Rhetorically] Why can't they invent a shot that keeps time from passing?

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Katy Perry/Robyn (2011)

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Soundtracks

All I Want Is You
Lyrics by Bono
Music by U2
Performed by U2
Courtesy of Island Records Ltd. under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Good movie, but could have been better

I saw this movie at a pre-screening in St. Louis. I thought it was good, and I did enjoy it, but I also thought it could have been better. It's about a virus outbreak that is untreatable, and threatens the whole world's population. I thought it had a kind of 'CSI' vibe to me. I liked the way the story showed what day it was, place, etc, and kind of followed the outbreak across the globe. The acting by Matt Damon and Jude Law was great, but overall it just didn't have enough conflict. I felt like I had seen it before in similar movies, and there was no main protagonist/bad guy to fight against (well, besides the virus itself, of course!) The film made me think about germs, diseases, and government cover ups. Which are all too real even today. I did really like the last scene and how the movie came full circle. Overall though, I felt like it could have gone somewhere, but didn't. But still I enjoyed it and would recommend it, it's just not one of my favorites. 7/10