It might just be my West Virginia roots, but there’s something honest and true about the show’s rural, bucolic Harlan County, Kentucky, setting that believably masks the diametrical seedy, crime-laden underbelly so well. Of course, we’re talking about something adapted by Graham Speed Yost from Elmore Leonard material, and, really, does Mr. Leonard ever disappoint? If there’s one writer in this world that writes crime well, it’s Elmore Leonard. And Timothy Olyphant is always interesting no matter what role he takes. As U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens he (true to his nature) doesn’t disappoint. Nick Searcy has a charming, biting wit that lends the show some tongue-in-cheek comedic relief when needed, and Natalie Zea is gorgeous. At times, Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett, the Bennett family matriarch, reminds me of Jacki Weaver’s character “Smurf” in Animal Kingdom. There are moments when you cringe realizing how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to maintain her position. She plays that part so disturbingly well. Also, I can’t fail to mention that Walton Goggins’ Boyd Crowder is my choice as the most interesting character on television. Period. Walton Goggins is the reason I sat through Predators, actually. Someone has said it before, so I’m just reiterating, but Walton Goggins pisses excellence. Seriously, that dude can act.

When I grow up I want to (help) write and/or direct an episode of Justified. I love it that much. I do. If you haven’t already, pick up the First Season while you’re at it.

Sadly, we only have one Justified script. Someone should seriously rectify that situation. I’d love to read some more of these.

And it’s only January 3rd, I know, but the winner of Worst Cover Art of 2012 goes to Contagion. Really? Who at Warner Bros. thought this cover was a good idea? How does something that ugly make it through the ranks? You know what I think it is? Pay back for Soderbergh ditching The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Yep, Warners was like, “We’ll show him. We’ll show him real good.”

Seriously, though, I love Soderbergh. He’s my favorite living director. In my eyes, the man can do no wrong. You may hate him, but I love that he’s always willing to take a risk; to experiment. It saddens me that he’s retiring. I’m hoping that he just leaves film for a bit, then return in a rush of inspiration and continues making great films. Or maybe he’ll continue to direct under an alias. I could live with that.

Anyway, Contagion is great. A friend asked me before this film hit theaters if I thought Soderbergh could bring anything to the already-crowded global pandemic genre. My response? Yes… and better. And I think that’s exactly what Soderbergh delivered with the film. It’s smart, intelligent, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking, and much of that came from Scott Z. Burns’ script, which was easily one of the best reads of 2011. And for such a star-studded cast, I’d like to point out that they balance the story and action very well. You never feel like any single actor is vying for the spotlight (except maybe Jude Law), they’re all working in harmony to tell a solid story.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like the film comes with a Soderbergh audio commentary, which is disappointing because Soderbergh gives some of the best commentaries imaginable, especially when coupled with the writer. The Limey audio commentary, anyone?

Burns is a talented writer, having given us such good films as The Bourne Ultimatum and The Informant, but he just doesn’t do anything new with the material here. With all the talent involved, it’s sad to say that none of the performances really stand out. We even get a needless and bizarre subplot featuring Jude Law that goes nowhere. Soderbergh is a great director, he just needs to choose his material more carefully. Overall, it’s not as dull as The Andromeda Strain, but it lacks the energy of Outbreak, making it feel rather unnecessary. Check out my full review of the film here.

I’d have been infinitely more interested if the title was Shark Knight, though, wouldn’t you?