Outbreak (1995)

Extreme measures are necessary to contain an epidemic of a deadly airborne virus. But how extreme, exactly?

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers:

Laurence Dworet, Robert Roy Pool

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman

6 wins & 2 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

In July of 1967, In Motaba River Valley, Zaire, a virus with a 100% mortality rate starts infecting people. The virus becomes known as the Motaba virus, and it's so deadly that it causes severe bleeding and liquefies internal organs, killing within 3 days. The virus wipes out Motaba River Valley, and a devastatingly huge fire bomb is dropped onto Motaba River Valley in order to reduce the chances of further infection. The bomb was dropped on the orders of corrupt General Donald McClintock, even though an army surgeon, General Bill Ford, was against the idea. 27 years later, in 1994, there is another outbreak in Motaba River Valley. At the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), located at Fort Detrick in Maryland, Colonel Sam Daniels is doing research on the Motaba virus, and so is his ex-wife Roberta Keough, who works at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. A monkey carrying the Motaba virus stows away on a ...

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Plot Keywords:

virus | disease | monkey | river | army | 

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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 | Sci-Fi | 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)

Gross:

£4,343,040 (UK) (16 June 1995)

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

Dustin Hoffman and Maya Angelou did uncredited work on the script but most of their work went unused.

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Goofs

Hospital HVAC Systems are supposed to be designed to not recirculate air from room to room. The ideal design is so that patients who walk in with broken arms do not walk out with other maladies. However, many hospital HVAC systems are not correctly maintained, and others are not correctly designed - some/many have exam rooms that share air. So when the virus in the movie mutates and is air born, it could be spread by the HVAC System especially in a community hospital that isn't geared up for contagious diseases. In fact, the Llassa fever virus was spread exactly this way in a major US east coast medical center. One person, a tech working on a non-patient floor, contracted the virus even though extreme containment procedures were thought to be in place - the HVAC system was assumed to be the pathway.

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Quotes

[George isn't cooperating with Daniels]
Sam Daniels: George, you've heard about this virus?... Shall I cough on you, George?

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Connections

Spoofed in Serving Sara (2002)

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Soundtracks

"If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)"
Written and Performed by Pete Droge
Courtesy of American Recordings
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Well Made Film

Outbreak (1995, Dir. Wolfgang Peterson)

It's 1967 and there's a deadly outbreak of 100% mortality rate virus in Motaba River Valley, Zaire. The Valley is destroyed to prevent the virus from spreading, but 27 years later, the virus finds its way over to the USA aboard a monkey. This time though, the virus has evolved and is now airborne, as Col. Sam Daniels (Hoffman) races to not only prevent a virus epidemic but to prevent the destruction of Cedar Creek by the corrupt Maj. Gen. Donald McClintock (Sutherland).

Great acting from its talented cast and superb storytelling make a well made film which hooks you into waiting for the final outcome. Story doesn't focus on the effects of the virus, but rather the hunt for the cure, which makes a far better film.

You want a hotshot scope-jockey, fine, but, frankly, I'm hurt. – Maj. Casey Schuler (Kevin Spacey)