Steven Soderbergh has made every kind of film
imaginable, from fizzy comedies to penetrating dramas, from experimental
indies with miniscule budgets to star-studded extravaganzas. But he
always seems willing to try anything, and that's what makes him so vital
and exciting.
Soderbergh's
latest, "Contagion," follows a deadly virus as it spreads worldwide,
claiming millions of victims. It gives us a chance to roll up our
sleeves — and wash our hands — and pick five of the director's best
films:
— "Traffic" (2000):
Soderbergh won the Academy Award for best director — even though he was
competing against himself with another film on this list, "Erin
Brockovich" — for his sprawling depiction of the international drug
trade. Not a moment of this 147-minute epic rings false. Soderbergh
juggles several complex, intertwined story lines and a huge, big-name
ensemble and makes it all look effortless. Serving as his own
cinematographer as usual under the name Peter Andrews, Soderbergh
explores the pervasiveness of drugs — and the futility of government
efforts to stop them — through a hyperreality, one that's raw and edgy
at times, dreamy and almost hallucinatory at others. Michael Douglas,
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle and an Oscar-winning Benicio Del Toro
are among the top-notch cast.
—
"Out of Sight" (1998): Soderbergh captures just the right tone every
time, even as he encompasses a variety of genres. Based on the Elmore
Leonard novel, this story of the improbable connection that forms
between a career bank robber (George Clooney) and the federal marshal
who's after him (Jennifer Lopez) ranges from buddy comedy to gripping
suspense to sexy, noir-style romance. Clooney and Lopez have crazy,
flirty chemistry as they exchange banter in Scott Frank's script that
couldn't be tighter or snappier. They're each at the height of their
charisma, and together they're irresistible. The excellent supporting
cast includes Ving Rhames, Albert Brooks, Cheadle (again), Steve Zahn
and Catherine Keener.
— "The
Limey" (1999): Terence Stamp is just a complete bad-ass as a British
ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to investigate the death of his
daughter. His performance is powerful and without question, but
Soderbergh provides an intriguing contrast by telling the story in
fragments, in overlapping wisps of memories and dialogue, which
contributes to the air of mystery and keeps us guessing. Stamp prowls a
blistering, bleached-out LA, a mix of downtown warehouses and cheap
apartments, shimmering beaches and staggering hillside mansions. He's
hunting a slick, laid-back record producer, played perfectly by Peter
Fonda, who was involved with this much-younger girl when she died.
Soderbergh seamlessly blends these actors' aura of '60s cool with his
own contemporary style.
— "Erin
Brockovich" (2000): Soderbergh takes a daunting and seemingly dry topic —
the true story of the industrial pollution of a town's water supply —
and turns it into an inspiring tale of redemption that's warm, human,
funny and even sexy. That largely has to do with Julia Roberts, who
earned a best-actress Oscar for playing the title character, a single
mother of three who takes on a massive class-action lawsuit while
working as a file clerk for her lawyer (Albert Finney). Roberts radiates
sass and smarts with her clingy clothes and dirty mouth, and she's an
absolute hoot. Aaron Eckhart counters that, bringing sweetness and
tenderness to the film as the biker next door who cares for Erin's kids.
—
"Ocean's 11" (2001): His remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper is perfect
escapist entertainment: fun and fast-paced, slick and spontaneous, light
and full of laughs. Clooney, Roberts, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt are
clearly having a ball bouncing off each other, never taking themselves
too seriously despite their Hollywood heavyweight status. Clooney stars
in the Frank Sinatra role as Danny Ocean, who amasses a rag-tag crew of
cons to pull off his latest heist: a robbery of Las Vegas' biggest
casinos on the night of a heavyweight championship fight, when he knows
the high rollers will be in town and the vault will hold about $150
million. The fact that this is preposterous, yet goes so smoothly, is
only part of why it's such a kick.
By CHRISTY LEMIRE - AP Movie Critic 
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