Outbreak

R

1995

2 hr. 7 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Drama

Horror

List

59%

64 Reviews

Tomatometer

56%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A dangerous airborne virus threatens civilization in this tense thriller. After an African monkey carrying a lethal virus is smuggled into the U.S., an outbreak occurs in a California town. To control the spread of the disease, a team of doctors is brought in that includes a contagious disease expert (Dustin Hoffman) and his ex-wife (Rene Russo). Once the Army intervenes to handle the situation, though, the doctors must fight against the clock to save the town and its residents.

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Critics Consensus

A frustratingly uneven all-star disaster drama, Outbreak ultimately proves only mildly contagious and leaves few lasting side effects.

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Adam E

Outbreak, Wolfgang Petersen's disaster drama from 1995, boasted an all-star cast and it proved a hit at the box-office despite receiving mixed reviews. It follows a small team of scientists who attempt to find the host of a deadly virus before the army eradicates an affected small American town. Dustin Hoffman stars as Colonel Sam Daniels, a virologist for the U.S. Army who investigates an outbreak in Zaire and soon butts heads with higher ups who are attempting to cover up the first time this virus appeared in the 1960's when they bombed a camp with infected soldiers to keep it from spreading. Donald Sutherland is the ruthless General willing to ignore scientific breakthroughs and risk human lives if it means shielding his own coverup. Sam's team includes young Major Salt (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Lieutenant Colonel Casey Schuler (Kevin Spacey) and Sam's ex-wife Robby (Rene Russo), a doctor who later becomes infected with the virus. Morgan Freeman also stars as a General who is stuck having to answer to his superior's dodgy orders. Here's a very Hollywood take on a still relevant subject matter that works hard to convey the panic and urgency involved when it comes to dealing with such a potentially devastating event. Outbreak goes the thriller route which does keep the plot moving along at a good pace but also, arguably, distracts from what the characters are going through. In fact, everything about Outbreak is somewhat heavy-handed from the make-up effects to the big rousing speeches our heroes break into and the rushed storytelling that sees the scientist team crack the case and save the world in 48 hours. A more subtle and measured approach would have, no doubt, made it all more palatable and, ultimately, more powerful. An excellent cast saves Outbreak from being a waste of time as everyone delivers solid performances here. The film itself definitely had potential and it does have some good scenes here and there but it lacks the energy to be a worthy thriller or the realism to make the drama count and carry a much needed emotional weight. Not bad but forgettable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/07/23

Full Review

Rick M

Great cast, very convincing acting, some really intense action scenes, without ever losing site of the seriousness of the situation-- a situation that is all too real, and possible, given the mentality of too many people in high places with power and no accountability; a warning to us all of how things might really go/be in the near future. Depicts the very real dichotomy between those who really care about life, vs those who have no regard for it. I thought it was one of Dustin Hoffman's best roles ever. The greatest disappointment was NOT seeing the character played by Donald Sutherland be literally and totally destroyed at the end.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

Jasper A

I want to know what happened to the dogs. I'd give it 0 stars if I could.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

director Wolfgang Peterson juggles a star studded cast and a very terrifying premise that holds a lot of real-world context the only thing deadlier than being killed by something you know is nothing you can see or prepare for whether it's AIDS, ebola, salmonella, lyme disaease etc. Morgan Freeman, Renee Russo, Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, Patrick Dempsey, Donald Sutherland, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. all work for the government mainly the CDC and the World Health Organization after a struggle in an African nation a deadly disease is then shown to have wiped out most of the village members, the site itself is blown away and sometime later a Capuchin monkey is captured to be sold in a pet store...little does everyone know that this animal has become a carrier for this deadly virus and it begins to spread everywhere the main focus here is a little Californian town which is then put under quarantine and a divorced couple Sam and Robin played by Hoffman and Russo attempt to combat this increasing pandemic a secret conspiracy is then uncovered mixing bureacracy, dirty politics, and biolocial warfare sure the movie is a bit of a stretch as far as scientific/medical accuracy is concerned but it is still very scary knowing how the real world reacts in response to a global catastrophe like this it's action-packed, grabs your attention, and makes everyone aware to take care of themselves more because even the smallest cough or so can make so many very on edge that's how strong our fear can be

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/13/23

Full Review

Red T

It's better than I thought it would be. The acting is solid and the best part of the whole film with an absolute all star cast that does a good job. While it isn't phenomenal acting its still well done overall. I felt you could take the romance out because it feels hammed in and Hoffman/Russo don't have that good of chemistry but its still well acted. The cinematography is not bad either with well framed shots and some great stunts in the third act along with great sets and makeup. The only problem is there are some farfetched scenes in the third act and the I wouldn't call any of the camerawork phenomenal but still well done. The music is not bad in this either, the first half I felt had better music because the second is loaded with more action film tracks and I feel it doesn't mix that well but there both good on their own. The editing is ok enough here as stated before the two main problems is the romance feels unneeded and repetitive at times. The other major problem is this feels like a virus outbreak thriller and a military conspiracy action movie merged together and they don't compliment each other well. This leads to decent but not phenomenal pacing as it is still entertaining but it isn't a satisfying a conclusion for over an hour investment required to get there. The U.S. Govt conspiracy, Romance, and the farfetched action scenes like the news room scene and afew others hold this back and make it feel like it is a action movie rather than a horror/thriller it starts out as. That being said its still entertaining and a decent film for anyone that's a fan for any of the actors, director, or fans of 90's films to give this a watch. Otherwise you can skip this.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

michael e

Great moments of suspense, tragedy and triumph. Well made, I loved it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Wolfgang Petersen

Director

Dustin Hoffman

Col. Sam Daniels

Rene Russo

Robby Keough

Morgan Freeman

Brig. Gen. Billy Ford

Kevin Spacey

Maj. Casey Schuler

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Maj. Salt

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Ian Nathan

Empire Magazine

Petersen pulls off the thrills at a stomach lurching pace, and with its requisite Hollywood ham...

Rated: 4/5

Mar 16, 2020

Full Review

Duane Byrge

Hollywood Reporter

Petersen's vigilant, enlivening direction never allows the story's death-of-mankind topic to undermine its personal powers, deftly mixing in humor, as well as other tonal lighteners, to nurture it.

Mar 11, 2020

Full Review

Dolores Barclay

Associated Press

Outbreak will keep you on the edge of your scat, and every time someone sneezes or coughs in the audience, you'll pay attention.

Feb 20, 2020

Full Review

Cory Woodroof

615 Film

Maybe not my favorite Petersen film, but it’s pretty compelling when it’s showing the horrors of contagion and how futile we are to nature.

Jun 25, 2022

Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

As an action outing, Outbreak is painless fun, designed to provide a quick rush rather than set off any kind of alarm.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 1, 2022

Full Review

Casey Cipriani

Bustle

The whole movie is so intensely melodramatic and unbelievable...

Nov 17, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

A dangerous airborne virus threatens civilization in this tense thriller. After an African monkey carrying a lethal virus is smuggled into the U.S., an outbreak occurs in a California town. To control the spread of the disease, a team of doctors is brought in that includes a contagious disease expert (Dustin Hoffman) and his ex-wife (Rene Russo). Once the Army intervenes to handle the situation, though, the doctors must fight against the clock to save the town and its residents.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Executive Producer: Duncan Henderson, Anne Kopelson
Screenwriter: Robert Roy Pool, Laurence Dworet
Production Co: Warner Bros., Kopelson Entertainment, Punch Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action, Drama, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $65.9M
Sound Mix: Surround

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