Outbreak (1995)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Col. Sam Daniels	Dustin Hoffman
Robby Keough	Rene Russo	½
Brig. Gen. Billy Ford	Morgan Freeman
Maj. Casey Schuler	Kevin Spacey	½
Maj. Salt	Cuba Gooding Jr.
Maj. Gen. Donald McClintock	Donald Sutherland	½
Jimbo Scott	Patrick Dempsey	½

Review

Outbreak presents a semi-scientific basis which is adequate for most viewers, and spins its clever, high-octane suspense plot around this. The director is Wolfgang Petersen - a man well-acquainted with technological catastrophe thrillers. This time he works with our intellect and spine at once, presenting one of humanity's greatest fears, a new plague. What is remarkable here is how Petersen manages to merge a jam-packed, roaming screenplay into a slick and effective film. It's so manipulative that we can't help but getting sucked in. Petersen works well with his performers too - Dustin Hoffman gives one of his best performance on this side of the 1980s. He is industrious and believeable – both as a scientist and as an accidental action-hero. Sure, the formulaics treathen to take control towards the end, but it always manages balance on the right side of ridicule - much like Speed - another good action film from the same era. An era with some great action films that managed to keep the pace up without becoming overly frenzied.