Outbreak (1995)

A monkey with a deadly virus is brought into the U.S. via a ship. It's not long before the virus spreads to humans and an entire California community is infected. A virologist (Dustin Hoffman) is racing against time trying to find an antidote while a corrupt General (Donald Sutherland) wants to simply annihilate the entire town to stop the spread of the virus. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen (DAS BOOT), this is a crackerjack doomsday virus thriller until the movie's final 40 minutes when it goes wobbly. It's not that the last 40 minutes aren't good but it's infested with unnecessary sentiment and some far fetched moments. It doesn't ruin the movie but it does take away points. Petersen still manages to race the movie forward at a breakneck speed and although this isn't a movie where the acting is a major component, the cast goes through their paces with the precision of a marching band. James Newton Howard's underscore is a plus factor in keeping the tension mounted. With Morgan Freeman, Rene Russo, Donald Sutherland, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr. (very good), Patrick Dempsey, Zakes Mokae, J.T. Walsh and Dale Dye.