"Panic in the City" reminds many viewers of "Hawaii 5-0", "Mannix" and other later 1960s quality TV shows. The shots are not highly imaginative, but they are usually well-chosen by director and co-writer Eddie Davis. The script by Davis and Charles E. Savage may be described as serviceable also; but it has the same intelligence as the other shows mentioned above do; and in my view, it is unusually well-cast, is gifted with very good interiors and has a pace that is everywhere satisfying. This is included among my reviews because I consider it to be the first of the apocalyptic thrillers, later much copied, that combines the hallmark of the best of this genre--solid detail and believable work by police/spies etc.--with a setting in a city of people, not an isolated laboratory or rural hideout. The storyline concerns a plot to bring together the parts of an atomic bomb in a US city. The intention is to use it for leverage; and the Russians behind the plot are at least as interested in seeing if they can do the job as in the use; this is the sort of idea one saves for the right occasion. Getting wind of the plot. US agents led by Howard Duff as Dave Pomeroy, working under his boss, Stephen McNally, begin to close in slowly on the perpetrators. The key to the plot turns out to be five keys. One is a scientist who wants to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and is persuaded by the other side to help them assemble the bomb when their first plan fails, fine actor Oscar Beregi. The second is the man pushing the project, Nehemiah Persoff, who is at odds with his boss Gregory Morton. The third is aides to Persoff, such as Anne Jeffreys, Dennis Hopper and others. The fourth is the men who work with Duff, such as his lady, Dr. Linda Cristal, Eddie Firestone and an assortment of competent agents. The last is the size of Los Angeles, which works against the agents' actions at every turn. The plot reaches a point when the bomb is assembled; then there are a dozen twists leading to a thrilling end I will not reveal here. The music by Paul Dunlap is more-than-competent and unobtrusive as well. Alan Stensvold provided lucid cinematography, The art director Paul Sylos gave the film a clean modern look; set decorator Raymond Boltz Jr. and costume designer Charles Arrico did even better, giving the film a realistic and attractive style that almost qualifies as "style". Others in the cat include Charles Barrows, John Hoyt, Steve Franken, Wesley Lau, Paul Pickard, Walter Reed and Cal Currens. This is not a great film; but it is an honest one...and that I suggest is the source of its unusual build and power. Among the cast, Beregi, Morton, Duff and McNally are very good as always. A well-acted and thoughtful adventure film.
Review of Panic in the City
Panic in the City
(1968)
Well-Cast, Honest and Seminal Thriller; Plot: to Assemble an A-Bomb in L.A.
28 November 2005