Outbreak (1995 film)

Outbreak is a 1995 American medical disaster thriller film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and based on Richard Preston's 1994 non-fiction book The Hot Zone. While the film draws inspiration from Preston's book, it presents a fictionalized and dramatized account of a filovirus outbreak in a small town in California.

The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Donald Sutherland. It follows the efforts of virologists from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) as they attempt to contain a deadly Ebola-like virus that originates in the African rainforest and is transmitted to the United States through an infected monkey.

The plot focuses on Dr. Sam Daniels (Hoffman) and his ex-wife, Dr. Robby Keough (Russo), as they race against time to identify the virus, find the original host, develop a cure, and prevent a wider epidemic. Complicating matters are political agendas, military intervention, and the potential for the virus to mutate into an airborne strain. General Billy Ford (Freeman), Sam's superior officer, is also caught between the scientific need to contain the virus and the military's desire to control the situation. The film explores themes of government secrecy, the dangers of emerging infectious diseases, and the ethical dilemmas faced during a public health crisis.

Outbreak was a commercial success, capitalizing on public anxieties surrounding emerging infectious diseases. However, it received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its suspenseful pacing and performances, while others criticized its scientific inaccuracies and reliance on Hollywood tropes. While dramatized for entertainment purposes, the film brought greater awareness to the threat of highly contagious and deadly viruses.