Panic in the Streets

I'm not the biggest Kazan fan, nor the biggest fan of noirs, so my expectations were pretty limited going into this film. The result still wasn't great, but it sure was a lot better than I'd figured. Maybe because it is a rather simple narrative without too much padding, but it never dragged as I feared it would.

When a body washes up on the shore, the police quickly determine the man has been killed. The case becomes a lot more urgent when they find out the victim is infected with the pneumonic plague. They fear his killer may also be infected, so time is of the essence to safeguard the city from further harm.

The medical danger adds a little extra urgency to the film. It's still a little too dialogue-driven for my liking, but at least the pacing was solid and the chase for the killer keeps things moving along at a brisk pace. Thanks to the slightly more original premise, it's a film I might remember a bit more vividly than most other noirs I've watched.