This is a fine - even superb - suspenseful drama from director Steven Soderbergh, and writer Scott Z. Burns, with a modern but familiar theme: the devastation of disease. The film begins with the mysterious and fairly sudden sickness and death of Beth Emhoff, superbly played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Her death foretells terrible events to come and we see what happened to her in flashbacks. Those events are what transpires when a new and extremely virulent virus appears in the world, beginning in Asia and rapidly spreading throughout the world. What is depicted in in the wake of this horrible outbreak is an epidemic as bad, or worse, that the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918 that killed between 50-100 million worldwide.
Paltrow's husband is played, in an equally fine performance, by Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff, a plain, ordinary man caught up in incredible and devastating events that suddenly kill his beloved wife and step-son. Damon's daughter, Jory, is played by newcomer Anna Jacoby-Heron who is virtually imprisoned in the house with her father for the duration as he is terrified that it will infect her although he, himself, is immune. Damon and Jacoby-Heron are then the frame-of-reference for the film and how this terrible thing affects all of humanity. Through them we see what happens in America when people go berserk with fear and desperation. I tend to think the depiction of that is an accurate, probably conservative, representation of what would actually happen if such a pandemic were to happen today, which is all too possible. I feel that possibility makes this film far more of a horror film that anything produced by Hollywood with all the usual blood, gore and special effects of monsters and madmen. It is more horrifying because it is all too possible and what we see on screen feels all too real.
Most of the rest of the "name" cast, comprise the "good guys" who are working on a way to save the world as civilization crumbles beneath their feet. They are Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Ellis Cheever, Marion Cotillard as Dr. Leonora Orantes, Kate Winslet as Dr. Erin Mears and Elliott Gould as Dr. Ian Sussman. They provide the intellect and stability that leads to the discovery of ways to treat the disease and through them we see some of the scientific process involved in fighting modern diseases.
There is a semi-badish kind of guy, portrayed by Jude Law as a selfish, self-serving blogger named Alan Krumwiede. In him we see some of the worst parts of society and how unethical people take advantage of tragedy to empower and enrich themselves.
In all, the film is riveting and interesting throughout. It has the right note of suspense and discovery to keep us interested, awake and not fleeing for the exits. Therefore, the writing, directing, costumes, makeup, cinematography, sound, music, everything, is expertly, professionally and superbly done.
Bruce L. Jones http://webpages.charter.net/bruce.jones1/
Paltrow's husband is played, in an equally fine performance, by Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff, a plain, ordinary man caught up in incredible and devastating events that suddenly kill his beloved wife and step-son. Damon's daughter, Jory, is played by newcomer Anna Jacoby-Heron who is virtually imprisoned in the house with her father for the duration as he is terrified that it will infect her although he, himself, is immune. Damon and Jacoby-Heron are then the frame-of-reference for the film and how this terrible thing affects all of humanity. Through them we see what happens in America when people go berserk with fear and desperation. I tend to think the depiction of that is an accurate, probably conservative, representation of what would actually happen if such a pandemic were to happen today, which is all too possible. I feel that possibility makes this film far more of a horror film that anything produced by Hollywood with all the usual blood, gore and special effects of monsters and madmen. It is more horrifying because it is all too possible and what we see on screen feels all too real.
Most of the rest of the "name" cast, comprise the "good guys" who are working on a way to save the world as civilization crumbles beneath their feet. They are Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Ellis Cheever, Marion Cotillard as Dr. Leonora Orantes, Kate Winslet as Dr. Erin Mears and Elliott Gould as Dr. Ian Sussman. They provide the intellect and stability that leads to the discovery of ways to treat the disease and through them we see some of the scientific process involved in fighting modern diseases.
There is a semi-badish kind of guy, portrayed by Jude Law as a selfish, self-serving blogger named Alan Krumwiede. In him we see some of the worst parts of society and how unethical people take advantage of tragedy to empower and enrich themselves.
In all, the film is riveting and interesting throughout. It has the right note of suspense and discovery to keep us interested, awake and not fleeing for the exits. Therefore, the writing, directing, costumes, makeup, cinematography, sound, music, everything, is expertly, professionally and superbly done.
Bruce L. Jones http://webpages.charter.net/bruce.jones1/