Paranoid flick doesn't monkey around with army cover up

By LISSETTE SANTANA
Collegian Arts Writer

Do you exibit signs of paranoia? Do you think Oliver Stone is the only hope to uncovering all of the government's evil plots? Are you a hypochondriac? If you answered yes to any of those questions do not see Outbreak.

Outbreak is a paranoid look at the outbreak of a deadly virus and the army's attempt to keep it under control.

It's not that unlikely that an infected monkey imported from Africa could be stolen by an unlucky warehouse worker. And it's not unlikely that the worker would take the monkey to a pet store.And it's not unlikely that the monkey infects the pet store owner.Okay, maybe it is a little unlikely, but while the movie's playing, somehow it's believable.

The action in this movie is so fast paced that it is hard to keep up with the plot, which is a good thing because of the film's totally uninspired dialogue.

With the exception of a few conversations the plot and dialogue are contrived. The A-list of actors keeps the movie going.

The director, Wolfgang Petersen (In the Line of Fire), does his part to keep the film moving with swerving camera angles. Petersen makes everything equally exciting whether it's a helicopter chase or a petri dish. The movie goes so fast it's staggering.

Back in movies after a three-year break, Dustin Hoffman is good and almost believable as an army doctor whose specialty is infectious diseases. He's the perfect hero: trying to save the world even if it means risking his own life.

Hoffman's ex-wife and colleague, played by Rene Russo, starts off strong but turns into little more than Hoffman's sidekick in an questionable transformation. The pair is recently divorced but their biggest problem is about their dogs -- it's too bad all divorces aren't so friendly.

Morgan Freeman and Donald Sutherland play Hoffman's superiors, two men who will stop at nothing to keep the public from discovering their 30-year coverup.

Rather than bombing a small American town full of infected citizens, Freeman does the right thing and disobeys Sutherland, who plays the movie's only villain.

The ending is as predictable as the rest of the movie, but at least the suspense and tension are held up until the end. An Oscar winner it is not, but if you are looking for an action-packed escape this movie will do the job.