It seems like in this time of a global pandemic people seem to be whiling away the hours by watching media about global pandemics. I'm not suggesting this is a bad thing, hell I'm doing the exact same thing, but it is very interesting to see. Of course you can watch films about global pandemics without them being horribly depressing. Not all films in the genre are 'Contagion' (2011). No, some are a little more cheery, more melodramatic, more Hollywood. Step forward 'Outbreak' (1995), a film very similar to 'Contagion' but with a tone that couldn't be more different if it tried. The film follows Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman), an army scientist who is sent to Africa to investigate a brand new virus that has appeared in a remote village. The virus is deadly and Sam wants to put out a warning to US citizens about it, but is shot down due to the low stakes of it entering the country. However, a monkey carrying the disease finds its way, via boat, to a small town in California and starts to quickly spread the disease among the citizens. Sam is fighting to find a cure but finds his progress stumped by the army higher ups who were aware of the disease years earlier and have been keeping it secret in hopes of using it as bioweapon. It is then a race against time for Sam to find a cure before the army destroys the town to cover their tracks.
This film is dumb. It is not a film you should come to if you want a realistic look at a virus outbreak, but it isn't trying to be either. It instead fits in with the disaster films of the 1990s. 'Armageddon' (1998), 'Independence Day' (1996), 'Dante's Peak' (1997), 'Twister' (1996), etc. These are the kind of films this film's tone follows and more than likely inspired. It is a film that focuses on melodrama and action rather than any kind of realism. It uses a grandiose score to keep this melodramatic feel and, despite being a decent score, it could be placed on any of these other disaster films and you wouldn't notice. It also has a lot of action scenes for a film about pandemic. Seriously, the amount of helicopter scenes in this film is substantial for a film where the main plot involves the finding of a cure. There are also a silly amount of explosions in the film, but these kind of fit the narrative so whatever. The biggest problem with this film is that if you took away the pandemic the narrative is really cliched. You have the divorced couple who start the film hating each other but you know they'll get back together, the obnoxious smart-arse character, the evil army general and the general who is conflicted. It is all characters and scenarios you have seen a thousand times and it makes the film quite predictable, which in turn makes the film drag a little bit. If you are in to these big, 90s style disaster movies then you may really buy into whats happening, but they're just not for me. However, the film does have some interesting shots and scenarios. One in particular is great, with the camera focusing on a character who is feeling dizzy and spinning around him to simulate the dizziness. It's pretty simple but boy does it work. The film is also helped by its strong cast.
Okay, I feel like I should point out that this cast is full of controversial actors but I believe in putting art above artist. I do not condone any of the actions of these people, but I do want to speak about their performances objectively and without outside bias. And, looking at the film objectively, the performances are all good. Dustin Hoffman is the lead of the film and he carries it well. He has a charisma and screen presence to him which helps in the action scenes but he also has an emotional weight to his performance which does pull you in. Rene Russo is also good as Robby Keough. She is Hoffman's divorced wife and the two have good chemistry, but Russo also holds her own in the emotional department as well as having an air of leadership and smarts about her character. Kevin Spacey is his usually witty and charming self as Casey Schuker and you fully believe his character is as smart as he written to be despite the smart arse nature of him. Cuba Gooding Jr. has probably the weakest character in Major Salt and this does mean he puts in the weakest performance but it is still pretty decent. Both Morgan Freeman and Donald Sutherland are great as General Billy Ford and General Donald McClintock respectively. Both have the air and presence of an army general, but after this their performances are very different. Freeman puts in a performance that is authoritarian but also concerned and with heart. Sutherland is basically your super villain with the evil smile and the hard arse attitude. Yeah it is cliched but it is also the most fun performance in the film.
'Outbreak' is a film that you should watch if you fancy a pandemic film where you can turn your brain off and just veg out. It is not a terrible film in any respect. It is well made and has some cool and creative moments and it fits into that collection of 90s disaster films nicely. It also has a very strong, if controversial, cast who all put in good performances. If you like those 90s style disaster films or are just looking for some melodramatic action fun then I would definitely recommend it. It's not really for me however, although it was okay while it lasted.