Overview
A deadly outbreak looms as a doctor races against time to contain a plague in New Orleans.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- urgent
- gritty
- classic cinema night
- film noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s crackling suspense, location realism, and electric climax while noting occasional melodramatic exaggeration and uneven characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Clint Reed must identify plague contacts and contain pneumonic plague before it spreads through New Orleans.
Reed faces doubtful police and officials while trying to organize a covert citywide search.
The film was shot around New Orleans and combines black-and-white noir imagery with procedural observation.
Reed estimates that only 48 hours remain before the disease begins to spread.
Films like Panic in the Streets, and why
The Naked City
shared film noir atmosphere, urban crime investigation, and escalating pursuit
The House on 92nd Street
shared documentary realism, police procedure, and tense urban location shooting
The Andromeda Strain
shared race against time, civic crisis, and procedural thriller structure
Movie Details
- Director
- Elia Kazan
- Release Date
- 1950-07-27
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (171)
Cast
- Richard Widmark
- Paul Douglas
- Barbara Bel Geddes
- Jack Palance
- Zero Mostel
- Dan Riss
- Tommy Cook
- Wilson Bourg Jr.
- Beverly C. Brown
- Lewis Charles
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Panic in the Streets about?
- A public health doctor and a skeptical police captain race through New Orleans to find plague-infected killers before an outbreak escapes containment.
- What is Panic in the Streets like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Panic in the Streets as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Panic in the Streets violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Panic in the Streets as moderate.
- What did critics think of Panic in the Streets?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s crackling suspense, location realism, and electric climax while noting occasional melodramatic exaggeration and uneven characterization.
- Which films are like Panic in the Streets?
- Films with a similar feel include The Naked City, The House on 92nd Street, and The Andromeda Strain.
- How long is Panic in the Streets?
- Panic in the Streets runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Panic in the Streets?
- In United States, Panic in the Streets is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
