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Outbreak

Play trailer Poster for Outbreak R,  1995,  2h 7m,  Mystery & Thriller/ Action/ Drama/ Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 59% 64 Reviews Tomatometer 56% 100,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
59% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
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.
Outbreak

What to Know

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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Critics Reviews

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Malcolm Knox Sydney Morning Herald Apr 29, 2026
This film could have learnt one lesson from Ron Howard's excellent Apollo 13: you don't need baddies to generate suspense. And you don't need miraculous coincidences -- stretching credulity tighter than Homer Simpson's underpants -- to save the day. Go to Full Review
Ian Nathan Empire Magazine Mar 16, 2020
4/5
Petersen pulls off the thrills at a stomach lurching pace, and with its requisite Hollywood ham... Go to Full Review
Duane Byrge The Hollywood Reporter Mar 11, 2020
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. Go to Full Review
Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com May 8, 2026
B+
It's a very silly film, but it's also grandly entertaining for its first 90 minutes, watching Petersen keep things on the move as catastrophe comes for all. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Jul 15, 2025
6/10
It’s difficult to appreciate the prescience of the film and its unending relevancy, thanks to the theatrics and excitement and nearly laughable finale (full of extreme improbabilities), but it’s still mostly entertaining. Go to Full Review
Cory Woodroof 615 Film Jun 25, 2022
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Han G Mar 17, 2019 Just as good as I remember it being, my personal favorite Dustin Hoffman movie.
Mar 8, 2019 I got to be an extra in this movie, but it got cut. Either way, it will always play a special place in my heart. Even though it was super dumb. See more
Mar 3, 2019 Outbreak is such a great suspenseful drama motion picture. I personally think itâ(TM)s a good movie. What a remarkable story about a money that gets kidnapped from an African jungle and gets transported to a pet store in America during a deadly virus that makes people sick. Such a good movie. Wonderful acting from Dustin Hoffman and Morgan Freeman. See more
Anakin R Jan 24, 2019 this movie wasn't very good, but it was very unsettling and boring.
Anakin S Dec 11, 2018 Peterson's empty threats fails to scare its characters revolving around it let alone put an entire world on the verge of annihilation. Outbreak Peterson's empty threats fails to scare its characters revolving around it let alone put an entire world on the verge of annihilation. Driven with similar concept, years later Soderbergh itself took charge over such a tale and he too failed on delivering this cautionary tale with any whatsoever flow. Ironically, carrying the tracks of the disease they didn't have much of a big challenge to be fluent but what sticks this wheel from spinning are the characters that it was supposed to map out. Whenever dealing with such a script that takes you over different territories, the characters that comes in to pass the torch forward, ought to have an arc or at least have the potential to leave an impression, but this seems a far fetched concept in here. Amidst all these disappointments, surprisingly its middle act is a nail biting enthralling drama, from flipping the courts to close calls and from unexpected revelations to an exhilarating chase sequences. And before you know it, that stage is overridden by spoiled dull thrills that are taken for granted along with numb emotions that clearly doesn't go as anticipated. Hoffman as the savior that cracks every pattern and codes is convincing along with Spacey as surprisingly a positive character that still is somehow difficult to digest. Freeman and Sutherland as the powerful selfish antagonist are your stereotypical one dimensional character alongwith Russo as a sort of love interest. But Cuba is the one that stands alone among all that cries, laughs, fears and rage of his in this crisis. His moving character and his impressive brotherhood equation with Hoffman is both heartwarming and charming. Outbreak, if anything, is a threat to the makers on their investment, to the actors on their talent that goes waste by, and audience that just can't spare the time for its mediocrity. See more
Theodore W Jun 19, 2018 A good film about a pandemic. Outbreak is a good movie featuring a stellar star cast (really its almost like spot the star) and a good plot about an outbreak of a deadly virus in a Californian town, brought here by an African monkey. Its well-paced and quite entertaining and probably the last good film by German Wolfgang Peterson. See more
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Outbreak

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Arnold Kopelson, Wolfgang Petersen, Gail Katz
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
Runtime
2h 7m
Sound Mix
Surround
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