“Pray for the people trapped inside. Pray that they never get out.”

That tagline ranks up there as one of the best of any horror movie. It applies to Warning Sign, a big budget studio friendly movie about an outbreak of an infectious disease in a secret Government laboratory for developing bio-weapons. Despite having the studio friendly feel to it, the movie is a tightly crafted thriller with incredibly real characters, tense scenarios and set pieces. Not as mean, brutal or gruesome as it could have been, though that might have taken away from the down to Earth situations and procedures, Warning Sign stands above the crowd of similar movies with its tight, crisp writing and flowing direction.

To make matters worse, there is an accident in a lab which results in a containment breach and a complete lockdown of the facility during a biohazard containment action. As the Army, led by Yaphett Kotto, moves in to take control and the locals get good and drunk and demand their family members released, Cal must find a former scientist who worked at the facility to help him rescue Joanie, who seems to be the only one inside not affected when exposed to the deadly toxin. As the body count mounts, the dead seemingly return to life and matters only get worse in time; can Cal get to Joanie in time to help find a cure and find out why she is seemingly immune?

The dialogue flows well in Warning Sign, with virtually every character believable and a real person, not just some portrayal on screen. There is a real affection and chemistry between Waterston and Quinlan and Jeffrey DeMunn, once he is introduced, brings credible outrage and smugness to his part as the disgraced scientist. Kotto exudes the right amount of government coolness which is barely holding down a cold, efficient exterior.

The situation inside the complex continues to mount with increasing dread, and once the men in the biohazard suits show up, you just know that no good can come out of it. The attack is brutal and fast and the real dread and disgust the observers feel is very understandable. As the disease causes its victims to lapse into a death like coma and re-emerge as lesion-covered psychopaths, the disease’s military aspect begins to make more sense. Once our heroes get inside they know that no help is coming from the army, who now have the growing number of good ‘ol boys to deal with. With no real solution ever even considered from the planning stages, the hopelessness of the situation becomes all too apparent.

Warning Sign is one of the better movies to tackle the idea of bio-warfare gone wrong. The movie has many similarities to George A. Romero’s “The Crazies” but is more polished and has a better defined sense of purpose. Warning Sign does not ramble, but progresses to its conclusion with a deliberate pacing. Not as goopy or disgusting as most people would probably be led to think about it given the subject matter and title, but a tight movie with plenty of thrills and suspense, Warning Sign is highly recommended for anyone who wants a smart thriller to keep them on the edge of their seats.