Panic in the Streets (1950) Review

Title: Panic in the Streets
Year: 1950
Director: Elia Kazan
Country: US
Language: English

Elia Kazan's Panic in the Streets (1950) is older than most people's grandfathers, but is a surprisingly relevant picture during our pandemic and post-pandemic times. Film noir happens to be the perfect genre to capture the isolation, pessimism, and individualism of these times. The frustrating feelings of our reality are heightened by the intense noir pulp.

A doctor (Richard Widmark) and a policeman (Paul Douglas)  in New Orleans have only 48 hours to locate a killer infected with pneumonic plague.

Kazan and cinematographer Joseph MacDonald help us see the consequences of a bubonic plague epidemic by widening each setting and elongating each shot. Actors navigate the full depth of the frame as they run through big warehouses and crowded outdoor settings. The booming score adds to an uneasy tension in the atmosphere. 

Our main character, Lt. Cmdr. Clinton Reed (Richard Widmark), is a relatable everyman as he struggles against an incompetent bureaucracy filled with miscommunication, distrust and lack of co-operation. Much like the 2020's, the Press isn't trusted with handling the news with sensitivity. Reed fears that a premature reaction will cause a revolt among the have-nots in society. 

Modern films will attempt to entertain us with on-the-nose allegory about the pandemic, but I appreciate this honest film noir. Panic in the Streets will have you gripping your sofa in anticipation of what will happen next.