“Panic in the Streets” is a 1950 film noir directed by Elia Kazan. The film is a thriller about a manhunt for a murderer infected with pneumonic plague. The story is set in New Orleans, where a seaman named Ortega is found dead with symptoms of the plague. Dr. Clinton Reed (played by Richard Widmark), a public health official, realizes the danger of an outbreak and tries to convince the authorities to take immediate action to prevent the spread of the disease.
Reed teams up with police captain Tom Warren (played by Paul Douglas) to track down the killer, who is also infected with the plague and could potentially infect others. The manhunt takes them through the dark alleys and seedy underworld of New Orleans, as they search for clues and try to find the killer before he can infect more people.
As they close in on the killer, tensions rise, and the situation becomes more desperate. The clock is ticking as Reed and Warren race against time to find the killer and prevent a deadly epidemic from breaking out.
The film was praised for its realism and suspenseful atmosphere, and it won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It is considered a classic of the film noir genre and a must-see for fans of suspenseful thrillers.
Directors:
Elia Kazan
Writer:
Richard Murphy, Daniel Fuchs, Edna Anhalt
Stars:
Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes
