Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

MisterWhiplash This was Jack Palance's debut in films as an actor (or should I say "Walter" Jack Palance, for some reason that's there in the credits), and he eats up every second of film he has. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and in a way it helps to lift up a character who has little dimension. He doesn't need it, you could argue: he's a thug who wants his money, that's it, and will do anything he can to get it (this may include killing, of course, which we see very early on as the thing that kicks off much of the story). He is imposing too physically, with that chiseled face and tall frame - at one point he talks to someone who is quite short and the difference between the two is like night and day - and he also is believable to the point where you realize why Zero Mostel (also very good as the talky-kinda-dumb lackey) is so subservient. Not much depth, no, but who needs depth when Palance can kick your ass any way to Sunday? In this story it's a film-noir but unique in that it's focus is not about a man-hunt only for the killer, but because of a plague (not the Bubonic plague, the other one the Numonic plague or other, the one that you just need to know is around now), and Richard Widmark plays the stalwart, headstrong doctor who will get his job done to catch the people infected (or even those, especially those, who may not be yet) into quarantine and given shots and so on. He's up against cops (including a sometimes-sympathetic-sometimes-not Paul Douglas), and a bevvy of other cops and reporters.Some of the early scenes with Widmark's family is pretty standard - he has a nice and loving and family, OK, that's fine - but once that's out of the way the story kicks in and it has a natural momentum to it. An outbreak or contagion-type of story is intrinsically dramatic because it brings people together - or, on the flip-side, it drives people apart and shows what self-interested idiots people can be some/most of the time. I don't know if Kazan meant for this to have deeper sociological meaning like On the Waterfront. Maybe the hunt for the people who've come in contact with the infected is a euphemism for Communism, or maybe not, it doesn't seem as cut and dry to me as in the latter film.In any case Panic in the Streets is engaging and enjoyable as a no-frills thriller, a picture that uses human nature and the lack of speaking up about something grave and dangerous as a way of forward momentum - who will speak up first, who won't - and if you want a simple cops and criminals chase story you get that also. I think it holds up most of all due to the performances though, even including the story, since Widmark, Panace, Mostel et al beef up the material with the kind of emotion that I'm sure Kazan was great at coaxing out of his actors (whether it was making them relaxed enough or getting them into the 'method' of it in the case of Palance I don't know).

AaronCapenBanner Elia Kazan directed this thriller that stars Richard Widmark as Dr. Clinton Reed, Lt. Commander of the Public Health Service who is called upon when a murder victim in New Orleans also shows signs of bubonic plague, and he is determined to track down anyone who may have had contact with the victim, which is difficult to do when they don't even know who he is. Reed tries to convince disbelieving civil authorities of its importance, since the infection could spread in 48 hours if not stopped. Jack Palance and Zero Mostel play two crooks who are infected, but don't know it. Suspenseful and smart film with fine acting, and an interesting storyline unique for its time.

drystyx Very few films have this kind of "flow", this kind of clever logistics. It is as though no strain went into the formation of the movie, but instead was the result of complete inspiration.The plot is that of a doctor and detective bonding together to stop a plague that is hidden in the underworld.The pace is unbelievably perfect. We are drawn in, hook, line, and sinker, into the story. Some movies struggle to do what this does. This movie not only tells a story, but takes you on a journey.One watches this and is mesmerized by the flow that is so natural. One wonders if it is incredibly clever writing or incredibly clever directing. Obviously, both are involved.

tieman64 "Panic in the Streets" stars Jack Palance as a violent criminal infected with a deadly airborne virus. As Jack travels throughout the New Orleans underworld, this virus spreads, infecting all whom he comes into contact with. On the case are Lt. Commander Dr. Clinton Reed (Richard Widmark) of the U.S. Public Health Service and New Orleans Police Captain Tom Warren (Paul Douglas). The virus could turn epidemic within 48 hours. It's imperative that they catch Palance and halt the spread of the disease.Narrative wise, the film merges police procedurals, socially conscious message movies (which were all the rage in the 1950s) and film noirs. Aesthetically, it mixes cinema verite with German expressionism. These juxtapositions gives rise to an odd cocktail: though shot on locations, and making heavy use of New Orlean's residents for both crowd scenes and speaking roles, the film's semi-documentary style is frequently interrupted by more expressionistic flourishes (ominous shadows, creepy dwarfs etc). End result: a fast paced race against time elevated by director Elia Kazan's hybrid style.Kazan was at the top of his game during this period, so the film flows like breeze, with pacey dialogue, atmospheric locations, great camera work and excellent cinematography by Joseph MacDonald. Lighting such vast, outdoor locations (dockyards, warehouses, ports etc) whilst retaining a consistently deep focus must have been a nightmare for MacDonald.More problematic is Kazan's supposed pandering to the House Un-American Activities Committee. In this regard, his characters never cease reminding us that they're all dutifully suffering poor wages and long working houses for the Greater Good. The film even has a subplot in which a news reporter, who wears his "Freedom of Speech" as a badge of honour, is shut down and locked away in a jail. There are some things the public doesn't need to know, the film says, and positions us to agree with. One thus can't help but feel that "Panic in the Streets" is Kazan's apology for his earlier flirtations with communism; the panic (communist infestations?) in the streets is warranted, the film says, but our hardworking boys have it all under control.8/10 - Worth one viewing.