Outbreak (1995)

In this week's episode of Born to Watch, the boys dive headfirst into a movie that feels a little too real after the last few years. Our Outbreak 1995 Movie Review isn't just a look back at a blockbuster about a killer virus; it's a full breakdown of a film that somehow became more relevant decades after its release. For Whitey, Gow and Damo, revisiting Wolfgang Petersen's tense, fast-paced viral thriller has stirred up memories of VHS nights, cinema crowds, and that one mate coughing a bit too loudly during COVID. But Outbreak isn't just a virus film. As the boys quickly discover, it's an action romance conspiracy hybrid, depending entirely on which one of them you ask.

From the moment Dustin Hoffman strides in as Sam Daniels, the stubborn, brilliant, pigheaded virologist who refuses to let common sense get in the way of his moral compass, the team is hooked. Damo is convinced it's a love story, Gow reckons it's a straight-up action blockbuster, and Whitey is adamant it's a conspiracy movie wrapped in a hazmat suit. One thing they all agree on, though, is that Outbreak pumps along at an absolute clip. Even with the science occasionally held together by duct tape, there's never a dull moment.

The boys relive everything from the opening scene in Zaire to the helicopter chase that absolutely no one asked for but everyone secretly loved. The idiocy of certain characters becomes a major talking point. Jimbo, Jim Bob, Hibbo, whoever he is, returns from Africa with a virus, bleeds from multiple orifices, and still wanders around town like he's only got hay fever. His girlfriend passionately kisses him while he looks like he's one hour from the morgue. Then there's the world's worst lab tech, sticking his hand inside a spinning blood machine like he's checking the oil in a 1992 Corolla.

Hoffman's performance gets a full deep dive. Gow breaks down his entire career from The Graduate to Rain Man to Wag the Dog. Whitey points out how small Dustin Hoffman really is, particularly when stacked up next to Renee Russo, and how this might be the least believable on-screen couple we've covered since Sharon Stone and anyone. The crew also discuss the real MVP of the movie, the man with the greatest eyebrows in cinema history, Donald Sutherland, delivering pure villainy with the energy of a man who genuinely enjoys ordering towns to be firebombed.

Morgan Freeman, as always, earns unanimous praise for bringing gravitas with every line, even when delivering military exposition about viral containment strategies. JT Walsh gets special mention for turning up for one single scene and blowing everyone off the screen with a thundering, no-nonsense speech that still hits hard.

From 90s nostalgia to scientific nitpicking, from snorbs reporting chaos to the classic Born to Watch overs-and-unders debate, this episode has everything. The boys even pick their own 1995 sleepers and duds, featuring Clueless, Just Cause, and Get Shorty. And yes, Damo manages to squeeze in a reference to Big Tit Monastery. Of course he does.

If you loved Outbreak back in the day, or if watching it post-pandemic makes you question every life decision you’ve ever made, this is an episode you cannot miss. Dive in for big laughs, big nostalgia, big stupidity, and some of the most questionable hazmat protocols ever put to film.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

• Does Outbreak hit different post-COVID?
• Should a monkey really be the hero of the third act?
• Was that helicopter chase the most unnecessary scene in '90s cinema?

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or BornToWatch.com.au

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