Contagion

After director Steven Soderbergh’s latest, this deadly virus thriller, Gwyneth Paltrow will now have the power to clear a room whenever she coughs. The sound of anything raspy leaving her mouth will cause large, grown men to scatter. Paltrow plays Beth, a world traveler who picks the wrong time to visit Hong Kong, becoming Patient 1 in a virus epidemic that will kill many and kill them fast. Matt Damon delivers some seriously good work as Mitch, Beth’s husband, forced to deal with much unexpected death mere hours after learning his wife and kid seemingly have the sniffles. Not so good are Jude Law as some kind of militant blogger and Marion Cotillard as a kidnapped doctor. Both of their subplots muddy the waters and slow the film down. Overall, the film is uneven, with a strong start, mediocre middle, and OK finish. Good movie, but not one of Soderbergh’s best.