An incredibly intense true-crime drama, let down somewhat by the drawn-out prologue. The violence is more pervasive than anything in its era, except perhaps for war movies. Maybe the social relevance of The Phenix City Story allowed for scenes that otherwise wouldn't become commonplace in movies until the 60s or 70s.The great thing about the documentary focus, with its real-life edge, is that there are no Rambo-like supermen cutting a swath through Phenix's dens of iniquity. We're dealing the Pattersons and Gages against Rhett Tanner and his underworld cohorts; some strong personalities, and some strong men. But just men. There is a danger, though, in true-crime adaptations, to reduce the conflict to a melodramatic contest of good vs. evil.Most of the characters have some subtlety. Even the ringleader Tanner initially allows the Pattersons some slack, hoping that they'll cooperate, or at least look the other way at his Phenix City mayhem. He doesn't overtly threaten and attack them until it's obvious that they will oppose him. I find myself thinking that the Pattersons are almost too good; by the time that their supporters gather at their front door, I wish John McIntire's character would assent to their desire to attack the gangsters.Something that's handled very well is the seamless inclusion of the black family. They are involved in some of the more memorable incidents: the little girl's body thrown from the gangster's car; the subsequent reporting of which the policeman casually tosses off as "somebody dumped a n**ga kid's body in a front yard" (paraphrased here). Then, near the end, the girl's father persuades Albert not to drown his nemesis. Having important and sympathetic roles for black actors was unusual for the time, especially in a movie set in the South.The sin-city locale is a lightning-rod for film noir, whether in a fictional El Paso of 1958's Touch of Evil, or an actual small Alabama town. But Phenix City also has elements of a horror or a sci-fi monster film. A malicious entity at large in a small community, the unwillingness of many citizens to recognize or take action against it; and the courageous ones who do oppose the evil. Calling out the Army is certainly the go-to solution to deal with most monsters (even those monsters of the human variety). As much as I liked The Phenix City Story, I couldn't stand the initial ten-minutes with the reporter. Why tell the viewer what's going to happen, when you're going to show us? We're given more than enough introductory material with the textual commentary and the very effective narrated scenes. Showing the mundane assembly of all the tools of the racketeer's trade was a unique experience. It's also the perfect lead-in to the first scene at one of the gambling clubs. I now realize that there's a version without the reporter's bit. I'd give that a '9'. A very good movie in any case.

In the 1940s and 1950s in Alabama, the notorious Phenix City is a town ruled by the organized crime and prostitution and gambling are the main economical activities. The police department is corrupt and the criminal Rhett Tanner (Edward Andrews) is the big boss. When the famous lawyer Albert "Pat" L. Patterson (John McIntire) welcomes his son John Patterson (Richard Kiley) that has just returned from Germany with his wife and children, he intends to keep his calm life in a neutral position and work with his son. However, there are serious and violent incidents and Albert Patterson accepts to run the elections to become the Attorney General of Alabama to clean Phenix City. He wins the election but is shot when he is leaving his office and dies. Now John seeks revenge but using the law instead of violence."The Phenix City Story" is a different and violent film-noir based on the true story of the assassination of Albert "Pat" L. Patterson. The film has great performances and the violence is impressive for a 1955 Hollywood film. The beginning with the documentary style is boring, but after the initial credits, the film becomes great. In the end, this story proves that one person can make the difference in a story of a country. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Cidade do Vício" ("City of the Vicious")

This documentary style crime drama is based on the true events in Phenix City, Alabama in the early 1950s. In fact there is a talky prologue that consists of a series of interviews that goes on much too long and adds nothing to the film. The film itself is quite interesting, marked by gritty cinematography and a rapid pace. Given the vintage of the film, the violence is shockingly brutal, particularly when targeted at women and children. The main shortcoming is the uneven acting. McIntire is fine, but most of the cast is pretty bad. Kiley is the main culprit here, chewing the scenery as a gung-ho military vet intent on cleaning up his home town.

This movie isn't as slick looking as a normal average Hollywood production. It obviously had a low budget to spend and did not had the most talented and best known actors involved. But this all works to the movie its own advantage really. It gives the movie a certain raw edge and also realism. This movie doesn't progress as a normal Hollywood movie, with the usual melodramatic undertones. It's a movie that doesn't waste any time and is a real straight-forward one.It's a quite daring movie because it isn't afraid to show things as they really are. The town in this movie is a real rotten one, with corruption and crime everywhere. It's all also really based on true events, which happened just very shortly before the movie began shooting. It was a fast made movie, which made it also a relevant one at its time. In a way you could say that this is a movie as well as a documentary and news-reel. Also since at the start of the movie some of the real people involved are getting interviewed about the events.The movie doesn't try to make anything look better than they really were. This means that the movie also have some surprises in it, that can have a real shocking effect as well. It all adds to the movie its realism and raw feeling and atmosphere that hangs over it. It helps to make the movie a real effective one.Its story also definitely makes this movie an intriguing one. The story seems simple, since it doesn't waste any time on side-plots but it's simple a solid and involving one. It's about fighting for justice and stand up against the well established organized crime. It's a powerful story that works out well in the movie. It's a movie that is incredibly effective, especially when you consider its production values and the limited time it got done in all.A great movie, with a great approach.9/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/