Quiet Killer (1992)

The real-life Plague of Justinian that killed half of the world population in 6th century AD reappears in modern day New York City. As mass panic leads to chaos, a female doctor tries to stop the outbreak.

Director:

Sheldon Larry

Writers:

Gwyneth Cravens (book), John S. Marr (book)

Stars:

Kate Jackson, Al Waxman, Jeffrey Nordling

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Jackson	...	Dr. Nora Hart
Al Waxman	...	Mayor Andy Carmichael
Jeffrey Nordling	...	Dr. Jake Prescott
Chip Zien	...	Dr. Lionel Katz
Barbara Williams	...	Charlene
David Hewlett	...	Nyles Chapman
Jerry Orbach	...	Dr. Vincent Califano
Howard Hesseman	...	Calvin Phillips
Alma Martinez	...	Dolores
Tom Mardirosian	...	Kaprow
Kathleen Robertson	...	Sara Dobbs
Luis Guzmán	...	Adelaido (as Luis Guzman)
Kristina Nicoll	...	Dr. Lipsky
Michael Copeman	...	Limo Driver
Philip Akin	...	Dr. Henshaw

Storyline

On her way home in a plane to New York, the teenage Sarah gets very ill. She realizes too late that it's more than a cold and with her parents still on vacation, she breaks down in the middle of the street and dies shortly after in a hospital -- by the plague, as the terrified coroners find out. While trying to keep this from the public to avoid a panic, epidemic commissioner Dr. Nora Hart has to investigate Sarah's identity and find everyone who had contact with her. If she misses a single person, the plague could kill half the city in a few days!

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | epidemic | outbreak | contagion | black death | 

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Taglines:

The people of New York City face certain death. Dr. Nora Hart has five days to save them.

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Canada France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Panic in the City

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CTV Television Network, Libra Pictures, Saban International

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ths film was set to premiere in January 1992 but was postponed due to the State of the Union Address.

User Reviews

The epidemiologist as heroine

As an epidemiologist, I say any movie that features an epidemiologist as heroine can't be all bad!

Actually, the disease scenario -- pneumonic plague spread person-to-person in a crowded city after introduction by a traveler just back from California, where she came into contact with a plague-infected ground squirrel -- is not implausible. Indeed this is the kind of scenario that bioterrorism planning is designed to detect, respond to and control. The best scene in the movie is the one in which the mayor's assistant -- this is 1991, mind you -- confidently looks in the city's emergency plan for the section on how to deal with epidemics and finds -- nothing. I like the way the movie shows the public health workers as dedicated, taking personal risks (as so many health care workers did to care for people with SARS), and ethical. What is particularly unrealistic is the way the public health workers can just walk into a hospital and start managing patients.

Also, this is the most wooden performance ever by Jerry Orbach in a minor role.