Outbreak (1995) is a suspense film starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey. The film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen. In addition, Outbreak features Cuba Gooding, Jr., Donald Sutherland, and Patrick Dempsey.
The film focuses on an outbreak of a fictional Ebola-like virus called Motaba. Its primary settings are government disease control centers USAMRIID and the CDC, and the fictional town of Cedar Creek, California. Outbreak shows how far the military and civilian agencies might go to contain the spread.
The film was released in March 1995 and proved a solid box office success. The film was nominated for various awards but failed to garner any major award nominations. It also raised various "what-if" scenarios: media outlets began to question what the government would really do in a similar situation and if the CDC has plans in case an outbreak ever does occur. A real-life outbreak of the Ebola virus occurred in Zaire only a few months after the film was released.
Plot
In 1967, the Motaba virus is discovered in a mercenary camp in Africa and kept top secret. Two soldiers order the camp bombed to cover up the discovery.
Thirty years later the virus resurfaces in Africa. Colonel Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman), a USAMRIID (United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) virologist is sent to investigate. He and his crew gain information about the virus and return to the United States where he asks his superior, Brigadier General Billy Ford (Morgan Freeman), to put out an alert. Ford, who knows the virus is not new, tells Sam it is unlikely to show up. Meanwhile, one of the host animals, a White-fronted Capuchin monkey, has been illegally brought to the United States. Jimbo Scott (Patrick Dempsey) takes the monkey to Cedar Creek, California. During the trip, Jimbo is infected with the virus.
Trying to sell the monkey to a pet store, the owner, who becomes infected as well, tells Jimbo the monkey is the wrong gender. Jimbo releases the monkey into the woods. Jimbo starts to show signs of infection while flying to Boston, where he gets off the plane and kisses his girlfriend, infecting her. They are both hospitalized. A Centers for Disease Control scientist, Robby Keough (Rene Russo) who happens to be Sam's ex-wife, investigates the infections. Jimbo, his girlfriend, and the pet store owner die from the virus. Robby finds that no one else in Boston was infected.
While the techs at a Cedar Creek hospital run tests on the pet store owner's blood, one of them inadvertently reaches into a spinning centrifuge. The vial inside breaks, splattering the tech and infecting him. He later goes to a packed movie theater and exposes numerous Cedar Creek citizens to the virus. Sam learns of the infection and wants to be sent there, but Ford orders him to New Mexico to investigate an outbreak of Hantavirus to prevent him from learning too much about the Motaba virus. Sam disobeys the order and flies to Cedar Creek, joining Robby's team.
Sam realizes that the virus has become airborne. At first, Ford orders Sam arrested, but after learning of the airborne mutation lets him continue. They find out about the pet store owner and believe that a host animal at the store may be carrying antibodies. Searching the store, they find a monkey; the monkey is already sick, but they contain and examine it. Meanwhile, a state of martial law has been declared in Cedar Creek, and the United States Army has taken control of the town to contain the outbreak.
A mystery serum, E-1101, is introduced to those suffering from Motaba. Daniels wonders what this is and administers it to the infected monkey obtained from the pet store. The monkey recovers and Daniels realizes that E-1101 is not experimental, that it was designed to cure Motaba, and people knew about the virus beforehand. However, the serum does not help the residents of Cedar Creek, since the virus has mutated.
Several accidents happen - Casey's (Kevin Spacey) protective suit tears when his air line stretches too far, infecting him with the virus. While treating Casey, his sudden spasms cause Robby to jab herself with a needle. Sam confronts Ford about the serum and learns about Ford's involvement in the African village. Ford admits he withheld information on the virus due to national security- its potential to be turned into a biological weapon.
Sam learns from Ford of Operation Clean Sweep, a plan by the military to bomb the town of Cedar Creek, with approval from the President. Major General Donald McClintock (Donald Sutherland), who was Ford's partner in the African camp and was responsible for its destruction, plans to use the bombing to cover up the virus's existence to advance his weapon objective. To prevent Sam from finding a cure, McClintock has him arrested by implicating Sam as a carrier of the virus. This leads Sam and Major Salt (Cuba Gooding Jr.) to search for the host animal to save the town, Casey and Robby. Flying a helicopter to the ship that carried the host animal, Sam obtains a picture of the monkey and broadcasts it on the news, which a viewer realizes her daughter is playing with in their backyard. She calls the station, and Sam and Salt arrive at the family's house. The daughter coaxes out the monkey, which Salt tranquilizes. Learning from Sam that the host animal is captured, Ford delays the bombing.
Flying back, Sam and Salt are confronted by McClintock, who also came by helicopter. Sam has Salt fire two rockets into the trees to trick McClintock into thinking they crashed. Returning to Cedar Creek, Salt mixes the monkey's antibodies with the E-1101 to create an anti-serum in time to save Robby but not Casey. Sam discovers Operation Clean Sweep is in progress and becomes aware that McClintock won't call off the bombing. He and Salt take it upon themselves to fly in the way of the bomber to stop it. With support from Ford, Sam is able to stay in the way of the plane long enough to convince the pilot and his bombardier that information was withheld from them. The bombardier detonates the bomb over water instead of the town. Ford, having had enough of McClintock's single-minded obsession, relieves McClintock of command and places him under arrest for withholding information from the President. McClintock promises to take Ford down with him. Sam and Robby make up, and the remaining residents of the town are successfully cured.
Production
The film was shot at various locations in California and Hawaii. The locations used in California include Eureka, Ferndale, Los Angeles, and Pasadena. The lone spot used in Hawaii was Kauai, which was used to film some of the scenes that were supposed to be in Africa.[citation needed]
The film was inspired by a rival, never-produced virus outbreak movie, Crisis in the Hot Zone, an adaptation of Richard Preston's factual 1994 best-seller The Hot Zone. That adaptation and this project were in heated competition to get the right cast together and begin filming. "Crisis" had attachments from Robert Redford and Jodie Foster but they couldn't agree on the script, leading this film to get its cast and director together first and win the race to reach theatres in 1995.[citation needed]
The Biological-Chemical protective suits that the soldiers wore were actually real MOPP gear and not props. The masks were also real, known as the M17 Gas Mask. The suit that Hoffman wore is now displayed in the Planet Hollywood restaurant in the Disney Village section of Disneyland Resort Paris.[citation needed]
Awards and nominations
- ASCAP Award
- Top Box Office Film (Won)
- Saturn Award
- Best Science Fiction Film (Nominated)
- NAACP Image Award
- Cuba Gooding, Jr. - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Nominated)
- New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Box office
US Gross Domestic Takings: US$ 67,659,560
- + Other International Takings: $122,200,000
- = Gross Worldwide Takings: $189,859,560
Cast
Four cast members (Hoffman, Freeman, Spacey, and Gooding, Jr.) are Oscar winners. Although at the time of release, only Hoffman had won the prize.
External links
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Films directed by Wolfgang Petersen |
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Blechschaden (1971) · Strandgut (1972) · Anna und Totò (1972) · Jagdrevier (1973) · Nachtfrost (1973) · Smog (1973) · Van der Valk und die Reichen (1973) · Aufs Kreuz gelegt (1974) · Die Stadt im Tal (1975) · Kurzschluss (1975) · Hans im Glück (1976) · Vier gegen die Bank (1976) · Reifezeugnis (1977) · Planübung (1977) · Die Konsequenz (1977) · Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte (1978)
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Der Eine – der Andere (1967) · Die Rote Fahne (1968) · Ich nicht (1969) · Ich werde dich töten, Wolf (1971)
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