Contagion

After this deadly virus thriller, Gwyneth Paltrow will have the power to clear a room whenever she coughs. In director Steven Soderbergh’s latest, 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—quickly. Matt Damon delivers some great work as Mitch, Beth’s husband, who is forced to deal with a lot of unexpected death mere hours after learning that his wife and kid have the sniffles. Not so good are Jude Law as a militant blogger, and Marion Cotillard as a kidnapped doctor. Their subplots muddy the waters and slow the film down. Overall, the film is uneven, with a strong start, a mediocre middle and an OK finish. Good movie, but not one of Soderbergh’s best.