Panic in the Streets: Another Covid Movie

2,431 words 

Panic in the Streets (1950) is directed by Elia Kazan, and on the surface is a gangster film and often advertised as one. But it’s more of a study of society dealing with an outside threat from a contagious disease.

Set in a wintery New Orleans, a card game in a dive breaks up when one of the players, an illegal immigrant, gets sick and has to leave.

Not good. Poldi and Finch, two players, try to keep him in the game at the behest of Blackie (Jack Palance’s brilliant film debut), who is only seen from the back and has only one line of dialogue — and that’s all he needs. This shadowy presence and his effect on Poldi and Finch show he’s a hood not to be trifled with.

The man leaves, getting sicker, leading to a chase involving a rail yard and the usual menacing...

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Feb 21st 2022
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