Outbreak climax explanation
In the climax of Wolfgang Petersen's film Outbreak (1995), we see Ford (Morgan Freeman) relieves McClintock (Donald Sutherland) of his command and arrests him for "withholding information from the president". Ford is a Brigadier General which is supposed to be subordinate to Major General McClintock as per the organizational hierarchy, then how is it possible for Ford to "relieve" McClintock who in fact is Ford's boss. Ford acts subservient to McClintock in the entire movie, what authorizes him to take that action only during the climax? Appreciate if someone can help me understand this.
Best Answer
In a fictional movie like Outbreak, it seems to divert from the reality that a subordinate officer can relieve and arrest his commanding officer!
But if Ford received an illegal order from McClintock, he could possibly legally relieve the Major General of his command as P. Simmons, a military lawyer explains briefly:
Resolved question
"In the event that a subordinate officer recieves from his commander what he believes to be an unlawful order, what are his courses of action? Additionally, if the subordinate believes that the commander is acting a manner contradictory to his sworn oath and he wishes to relieve him of his command, what provisions , if any, of the UCMJ cover this? (In terms of fiction, I am thinking of the situations in both Caine Mutiny and Crimson Tide where a Captain was relieved of command of a naval vessel). I am a novelist and this is integral to my story line and I want to make sure I get it right."
Simmon's Response
"Simple. Subordinate has 2 choices
Obey and report. This is the safest if the order is not clear if illegal or not.
Do not obey and report. This only for obvious examples (like "I order you to kill all the women and children")
This is covered by UCMJ Art 92.
Its also covered in the Military Judges Bench Book
Now, the "relief of command" is a tough one...since only a superior officer can relieve a commander of his or her command. if subordinates try this they can be prosecuted (as in Caine). The only defense would be illegal order.
This may not play so well in fiction, I suspect...but on the modern battlefield, communication is pretty good...so if a subordinate has a concern with his commander, he could simply go "up the chain" one link and tell the boss's boss...and let that commander make the call."
Pictures about "Outbreak climax explanation"
What is the climax of the movie Outbreak?
There is medical detective work, military conspiracy, marital and professional jealousy, and finally an action climax in which Hoffman and his daring helicopter pilot (Cuba Gooding Jr.) fly all over California and even out to a ship at sea in a race against time and against another deadly bomb drop.What is the ending of Outbreak movie?
Sam goes back to the hospital to find the serum administered to the infected and Robby back to normal. At the end of the movie it is implied that Sam and Robby, who were recently divorced, got back together.What was the cure in Outbreak?
A mystery serum, E-1101, is introduced to those suffering from Motaba. Daniels soon realizes that the serum is not experimental, but was designed to cure Motaba, and that Ford knew about the virus beforehand.Why did they bomb the village in Outbreak?
In 1967, during the Kisangani Mutinies, a virus called Motaba, which causes a deadly fever, is discovered in the African jungle. To keep the virus a secret, U.S. Army officers Donald McClintock and Billy Ford destroy the camp where soldiers were infected.Outbreak Ending + Virus Explained
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Markus Spiske, cottonbro, Karolina Grabowska, Matilda Wormwood