Outbreak (1995)

Army doctors struggle to find a cure for a deadly virus spreading throughout a California town that was brought to America by an African monkey.

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers:

Laurence Dworet, Robert Roy Pool

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dustin Hoffman	...	Sam Daniels
Rene Russo	...	Robby Keough
Morgan Freeman	...	General Billy Ford
Kevin Spacey	...	Casey Schuler
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Major Salt
Donald Sutherland	...	General Donald McClintock
Patrick Dempsey	...	Jimbo Scott
Zakes Mokae	...	Dr. Benjamin Iwabi
Malick Bowens	...	Dr. Raswani
Susan Lee Hoffman	...	Dr. Lisa Aronson
Benito Martinez	...	Dr. Julio Ruiz
Bruce Jarchow	...	Dr. Mascelli
Leland Hayward III	...	Henry Seward
Daniel Chodos	...	Rudy Alvarez
Dale Dye	...	Colonel Briggs

Storyline

When a disease in Africa is discovered, Colonel Sam Daniels of the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases or USAMRIID, is sent to investigate. When he reports back to his superior officer General Ford and tells him that they should put out an alert on this disease but the General that since the disease is so far away and not airborne that it can't possibly reach the U.S. However, a monkey from that part of Africa was captured and brought to the U.S. and a man who works at the customs house took it and tried to sell it but when the person he tried to sell it to rejected it he released it. Later the man who arrived in Boston collapses and dies, Col. Daniels wants to look into it but General Ford denies his request so he turns to his ex-wife, who works at the Center for Disease Control or CDC to look into and they discover it's the African disease but since it kills very quickly, Col. Daniels feels that it's been contained until another outbreak!

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Plot Keywords:

disease | epidemic | virus | monkey | quarantine | 

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Taglines:

This animal carries a deadly virus... and the greatest medical crisis in the world is about to happen.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Korean French

Release Date:

10 March 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Epidemia

Filming Locations:

Arcata, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,420,387, 12 March 1995, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$67,823,573

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$189,859,560

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,Arnold Kopelson Productions,Punch Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(at around 26 mins) In the film, it is said that "Motaba" was more deadly than the "Ebola" virus. Then they show a picture of the "Motaba" virus. The virus shown in the photograph, is a strain of Ebola.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 50 mins) The helicopter that Daniels is in is tagged as 1350. When they take off from Cedar Creek to stop the bomber it has the number 1360 on it. After it is airborne the shot shows it with the number 1350.

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Quotes

Sam Daniels: If you think I'm lying, drop the bomb. If you think I'm crazy, drop the bomb. But don't drop the bomb just because you're following orders!

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Connections

Referenced in Evolution (2001)

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Soundtracks

Polka Dot Puss
Written by Scott Bradley

User Reviews

Disease Is Bad.....Very Bad!

Outbreak is a very good, intense movie on what would happen if a virus were to go rampant. This movie connects well because of recent world news concerning the Ebola virus and in that regard, the film is downright scary. One thing the film did was make sure I develop some healthy habits. That being said, this a fast-paced movie that has an incredible cast and a story that is well-written. My only qualm about the movie is the helicopter chases near the end, as I don't believe they fit the overall story arch.

Wolfgang Petersen's film is about how a fictional disease from Zaire called the Motaba runs rampant in a small California village. Now Colonel Sam Daniels and his CDC helpers must contain the virus before the virus spreads beyond the town's border.

As mentioned before, the film has a very talented cast. It's surprising how many Oscar-winners are in the cast. Dustin Hoffman does very well as Sam Daniels and the man who wants to save the lives of the sick. Rene Russo likewise does a good job as Sam's estranged wife and co-worker. Morgan Freeman is excellent as Sam's boss, the man who is stuck in the middle. We also get great supporting turns from Kevin Spacey and the villainous Donald Sutherland.

Overall, Outbreak is an excellent movie that raises the question "what if?" If any town gets an outbreak of a deadly virus, would the government and the military take the same course of action as they did in this film? No matter which way you look at it, it's a very scary thought. The film, along with 2011's Contagion, are two worthy films to watch if you want to be scared the unconventional way. Because trust me, this film is scary because it could very well happen in reality. As for filmmaking, this is a very intense, well-made film. I rate this film 9/10.