Panic in the Streets (1950)

95% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(1,890 ratings)

Filmed entirely on location in New Orleans, Panic in the Streets stars Richard Widmark as Dr. Clinton Reed, a physician from the U.S. Health Service who must race against time to stop a plague. The carrier was an illegal alien, murdered by criminals Jack Palance and Zero Mostel. When local officials… More Filmed entirely on location in New Orleans, Panic in the Streets stars Richard Widmark as Dr. Clinton Reed, a physician from the U.S. Health Service who must race against time to stop a plague. The carrier was an illegal alien, murdered by criminals Jack Palance and Zero Mostel. When local officials note the strange condition of the corpse, they fear that the germs will spread to epidemic proportions, and thus summon Reed to wrest control of the situation. At first facing opposition from rule-bound police captain Paul Douglas, Widmark is finally able to work hand-in-glove with Douglas in tracking down Palance and Mostel, who have themselves become plague carriers. Many of the actors in Panic in the Streets are local nonprofessionals, selected by director Elia Kazan because of their "rightness" within the framework of the story; the rest of the cast is peopled by such film veterans as Barbara Bel Geddes, Tommy Cook, Emile Meyer and H.T. Tsiang. Widmark's son is played by an uncredited Tommy Rettig, four years before he starred on the Lassie TV series. Though Elia Kazan liked to claim that much of Panic in the Streets was improvised, there was a script, adapted by Richard Murphy and Daniel Fuchs from a story by Edward Anhalt and Edna Anhalt. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Elia Kazan
Written By: Richard Murphy
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Jun 12, 1950 Wide
On DVD: Mar 15, 2005

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
There is vivid action, nice human touches and some bizarre moments. Jack Palance gives a sharp performance.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
[The] best and most neglected of Elia Kazan's early features.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A taut thriller with a poignant message, Panic in the Streets, which won the Oscar for Motion Picture Story, is well directed by Kazan and well acted by Richard Widmark, Jack Palance, Zero Mostell (just before he was blacklisted) and others.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
This is a tense, offbeat, and fairly absorbing drama.
Steve Crum, Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers
Fine Elia Kazan drama with Richard Widmark.
Tom Milne, Time Out
A classy thriller, much less laden with significance than most Kazan movies.
Dan Fienberg, Zap2it.com
Performances by Richard Widmark and Jack Palance and the New Orleans settings distinguish this not-quite-noir.
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
A brooding melodrama given a nice, high-end buff job.
Patrick Peters, Empire Magazine
An underrated cracker.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
This comparably early Elia Kazan movie indicates just how prodigious his talents behind the camera could be.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...[features] an action-packed finale that's surprisingly tense.
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
Benefits immeasurably from a menacing turn by Jack Palance.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
Kazan's tense thriller reminds us that Jack Palance's skin needed to get all leathery later in life to prevent his ludicrously prominent cheekbones from piercing through.
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
Tense and pulpy.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Realistic medical noir thriller.

Read all 15 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

familiar s

Not panic enough to entertain.
AJ V

With such a great cast this could have been an great classic, but the movie has it's boring slow scenes, other than that I liked it. The story is exciting and the actors do their best.
Stella D

a medical thriller where widmark gets to play the hero for a change. he's a public health doctor racing the clock to prevent an outbreak of plague in new orleans. jack palance is a very effective villain in his film debut. good suspense
Randy T

When a dead man is fished out of the harbor with two bullet holes and a case of pneumonic plague the police pull out all the stops to find the killer before he spreads the disease. High stakes drama with an outstanding cast.
Ken S

Elia Kazan crafts another film on the edges of Noir that acts as a thematic cousin to On the Waterfront. In this cross between Outbreak and A buddy cop film, the continuously fantastic Richard Wydmark desperately tries to find the man who shot an immigrant infected with mnemonic… More
Elia Kazan crafts another film on the edges of Noir that acts as a thematic cousin to On the Waterfront. In this cross between Outbreak and A buddy cop film, the continuously fantastic Richard Wydmark desperately tries to find the man who shot an immigrant infected with mnemonic plague. Jack Palance has the most textured face of any person on the planet. Good lord.
Adam M

germophobes will find lots of horrifying holes in the plot, but it's a noir by Kazan & fun; camera moves fast but not too slick; Douglas & Palance are its surprise greatness
Michael G

Jack Palance is insane in this movie. A lot of fun.
Mike T

A tense, inventive thriller that brings new ideas to the film noir genre. The picture benefits from Kazan's trademark realism, shot on location in a documentary-esque style. The director's unique style of guiding actors is beneficial too; every player is convincing and… More
A tense, inventive thriller that brings new ideas to the film noir genre. The picture benefits from Kazan's trademark realism, shot on location in a documentary-esque style. The director's unique style of guiding actors is beneficial too; every player is convincing and highly effective. It's a tough, expertly crafted movie that leaves the audience satisfied.
Doctor S

Government health official Widmark has 48 hours to motivate a sluggish New Orleans police squad whilst in pursuit of a couple thugs once a plague-stricken foreigner is discovered shot dead at the pier. Elia Kazan stages his scenes wonderfully and gives a glimpse of the hard lives… More
Government health official Widmark has 48 hours to motivate a sluggish New Orleans police squad whilst in pursuit of a couple thugs once a plague-stricken foreigner is discovered shot dead at the pier. Elia Kazan stages his scenes wonderfully and gives a glimpse of the hard lives spent on the docks four years before 'On The Waterfront.' Widmark is very curt and demanding with everyone he deals with, however this negative character trait is neatly explored in a conversation with his wife during a short break in the manhunt. Jack Palance looms menacingly in another meaty bad guy role.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings

Cast

Richard Widmark
as Dr. Clinton Reed
Paul Douglas
as Police Capt. Tom Warren
Barbara Bel Geddes
as Nancy Reed

Jack Palance
as Blackie
Zero Mostel
as Raymond Fitch
Dan Riss
as Neff

See full cast

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