Outbreak Movie Review 1994

Smuggled African monkey spits on someone who kisses someone else who sneezes on a bunch of people, thus initiating the spread of a highly infectious mystery disease in a northern California 'burb. Hoffman leads a team of scientists in a search for the anti-serum, but it's a secret government plot to exterminate the victims that literally sends Hoffman and crew into action movie cliche overdrive (add "helicopter" to the list of chase scene vehicles). Not that that's so bad--if the beat-the-clock tempo doesn't grab you, paranoia certainly will. But Hoffman's hardly a threat to Arnold or Sylvester as the next action hero, and the talented Russo remains suspiciously ravishing even with festering pustules. Based on two books: Richard Preston's "The Hot Zone" and Laurie Garrett's "The Coming Plague."

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 128 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Adventure Drama, Emerging Viruses, Doctors & Nurses, Race Against Time, Rebel With a Cause, Rescue Missions, Science & Scientists, Monkeyshines

Screenplay

Laurence Dworet, Robert Roy Pool

Cast

Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland, Cuba Gooding, Kevin Spacey, J.T. Walsh, Dale Dye

Cinematography

Michael Ballhaus

Director

Wolfgang Petersen

Music

James Newton Howard

Producer

Arnold Kopelson, Wolfgang Petersen, Gail Katz, Duncan Henderson, Warner Bros.

Awards

N.Y. Film Critics 1995: Support. Actor (Spacey).