Outbreak (1995)
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A virologist must race against time to contain a deadly, mutating virus that threatens to become a global pandemic.
The story
In 1967, a deadly virus called Motaba is discovered in the African jungle and subsequently kept secret by the U.S. Army. Twenty-eight years later, Colonel Sam Daniels investigates an outbreak in Zaire that wiped out an entire village. After returning to the United States, he discovers that a white-faced capuchin monkey carrying the virus has been smuggled into the country. The monkey is stolen and eventually leads to a human infection in California. As the virus mutates into an airborne strain, Daniels must work with CDC scientists to contain the spread while navigating military secrets and a looming quarantine.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1967, the U.S. Army discovered the Motaba virus in the African jungle and ordered the bombing of an infected camp to keep it secret. Twenty-eight years later, Colonel Sam Daniels investigates a village wiped out by the virus in Zaire. Upon returning to the U.S., he learns a monkey host for the virus was smuggled into the country. The monkey is stolen by James 'Jimbo' Scott, who is infected; he then passes the virus to a pet-store owner, Rudy Alvarez, and a hospital technician in Cedar Creek, California. The virus mutates into an airborne strain following a superspreading event at a movie theater. Daniels joins CDC scientist Roberta Keough to contain the outbreak as the Army imposes martial law. Daniels discovers that his superiors knew about the virus and planned 'Operation Clean Sweep' to bomb Cedar Creek to prevent a pandemic. He learns that a major general wants to preserve the virus as a biological weapon. After escaping arrest, Daniels and an officer named Salt capture the monkey, 'Betsy.' They create an antiserum using her antibodies. Daniels eventually persuades a bomber's crew to detonate their thermobaric bomb over water, sparing the town. The general is arrested, and Daniels and Keough reconcile as the residents are cured.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 128
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Wolfgang Petersen
- Writers
- Laurence Dworet · writer; Robert Roy Pool · writer
- Cast and characters
- Dustin Hoffman · Sam Daniels; Rene Russo · Alice; Morgan Freeman · Dr. Roberta Keough; Cuba Gooding Jr. · James "Jimbo" Scott; Patrick Dempsey · Lieutenant Colonel Casey Schuler; Donald Sutherland · Ford; Kevin Spacey · Alvarez
- Genres
- medical disaster; action thriller
- Themes
- biological warfare; government secrecy; medical ethics; pandemic containment
- Tone and mood
- tense; fast-paced; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- virus outbreak; military conspiracy; medical thriller; disaster movie
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, described as a frustratingly uneven disaster drama, but it was a commercial success and saw a popularity resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.7 · scale: 10 · review count: 64; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 21
- Production trivia
- Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson were all offered the role of Sam Daniels but turned it down.; A real-life outbreak of the Ebola virus was occurring in Zaire when the film was released.; Producer Lynda Obst stated that the production of Outbreak led to her film adaptation of The Hot Zone being dropped by 20th Century Fox.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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