ABC Film Challenge – 1990s Movies – O – Outbreak (1995) Movie Review

By Newguy

Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Writer: Laurence Dworet, Robet Roy Pool (Screenplay)

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr, Donald Sutherland, Patrick Dempsey

Plot: 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.


Tagline – Try to Remain Calm

Runtime: 2 Hours 7 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Outbreak starts when the CDC look to investigate an outbreak of a virus in Zaire, Sam Daniels (Hoffman) Casey Schuler (Spacey) and Major Salt (Gooding Jr) are called off the investigation when General Billy Ford (Freeman) and General Donald McClintock (Sutherland) believe it is connected to something in their past and it is no longer a threat.

When the virus finds itself on America soil it is spreading like wildfire, leading to Sam and his team, along with his ex-wife Robby (Russo) needing to find a solution before the military will turn to a drastic measure to solve problem.

Thoughts on Outbreak

ThoughtsOutbreak is a thriller that will follow a group of army scientists that are fighting against time to save the lives of millions from a virus which is taking over the nation, while they look for a cure, other members of the military are looking for a more radical solution. This is a thriller that will highlight just how deadly a viral outbreak can become in a major populated area, showing the panic and the speed in which things can spiral out of control, while also pointing out the work the scientist will do to solve the problem. We have an all-star cast that all shine through the film, as we see them all get their strong moments in the film. Watching the search for patient zero is just as intense as trying to stay ahead of the military decision making.

Final ThoughtsOutbreak is an intense relentless thriller.