when a stiff turn up with pneumonic plague ( a variant of bubonic plague ) and u. s. public health service official dr. clinton reed ( richard widmark ) immediately quarantine everyone whom he know be near the body . unfortunately and the stiff get that way by be murder and and there a good chance that the murderer will start spread the plague and lead to an epidemic . enter police captain tom warren ( paul douglas ) and who be enlist to track down the murderer as soon a possible and avert a possible national disaster . while panic in the street be a quality film and it suffer from be slightly unfocused and a bit too sprawling ( my reason for bring the score down to an eight ) . it wander the genre from noirish gangster to medical disaster and police procedural and thriller and even romance . this be not director elia kazan best work and but say that be a bit disingenuous . kazan be the helmer responsible such masterpiece a a streetcar name desire ( 1951 ) and on the waterfront ( 1954 ) and east of eden ( 1955 ) and after all . this film predate those and but kazan have say that he be already untethered by the studio . take that freedom too far may partially account for the sprawl . the film be set in new orleans and a city where kazan use to wander around . . . night and day so i know it well . he want to exploit the environment . it so terrific and colorful . i want boat and steam engine and warehouse and jazz joint all of new orleans . kazan handle each genre of panic in the street well and but they could be connect well . the film would have benefit by stay with just one or two of it mood . the sprawl in term of set would have still work . part of the dilemma may have be cause by the fact that panic in the street be an attempt to merge two story by writer edna and edward anhalt and quarantine and some like em cold . the gangster material and which end up in firmly in thriller territory with an extended chase scene near the end of the film and be probably the highlight . not surprisingly and kazan have say that he believe the villain be more colorful i never have much affection for the good guy anyway . i do not like puritan . a close second be the only material that approach the panic of the title the discovery of the plague and the attempt to track down the exposed and inoculate them and contain the disease . while there be plenty of suspense during these two mood and much of the film be also a fairly straightforward drama and with pace more typical of that genre . the dialogue throughout be excellent . the stylistic difference to many modern film could hardly be more pronounced . it be intelligent and delivered quickly and well enunciate by each character . conflict isn not create by dumb decision but smart move while event and character action be more like a chess game . when unusual stance be take and such a reed withhold the plague from the newspaper and he give relatively lengthy justification for his decision and which other character argue over . in light of this and it interest that kazan believe that propriety and religion and ethic and the middle class be all murder u . that idea work it way into the film through the alteration to the norm and or allowance away from it and make by the protagonist . for example and head gangster blackie ( jack palance in his first film role ) be offer a get out of jail free card if he will cooperate with combat the plague . the technical aspect of the film be fine and if nothing exceptional and but the real reason to watch be the performance and the intriguing scenario and the well write dialogue .