The Phenix City Story

United States

1955

100 Min

Black and White

English

Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
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PROD Samuel Bischoff, David Diamond

SCR Daniel Mainwaring, Crane Wilbur

CAST John McIntire, Richard Kiley, Kathryn Grant

Synopsis

In this semidocumentary, an Alabama town is run by a crime syndicate that’s grown fat on prostitution and crooked gambling, directed at soldiers from Fort Benning across the river. Lawyer John Patterson, back from the army, is triggered by what he sees to join the reformers with a plan: to run his father Albert for state attorney general. The syndicate responds with escalating violence: is no one safe? Credits preceded by a “newscast” containing spoilers. —IMDb

Director

Phil Karlson

Phil Karlson (July 2, 1908, Chicago, Illinois – December 12, 1985, Los Angeles, California was a film director known for his no-nonsense film noirs. Karlson directed 99 River Street,Kansas City Confidential and Hell’s Island all with actor John Payne in the early 1950s. Other films include Rocky (1948), The Phenix City Story (1955), 5 Against the House (1955) and The Young Doctors (1961).

Phil Karlson was the son of popular Irish actress Lillian O’Brien.

He studied painting at Chicago’s Art Institute, and law, at his father’s request, at Loyola Marymount University in California.

Karlson got into the film industry working as a prop man while a law student. After working a number of film jobs, including being an assistant director for a number of Abbott and Costello films, Karlson directed his first film in 1944 and in 1948 directed the first film starring Marilyn Monroe, Ladies of the Chorus. He worked on a number of low-budget projects for Monogram Pictures and… read more

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Greg S.

12Aug11

A masterful film that dispels the stereotypes about 50's cinema. An inventive semi documentary take on both the criminal underworld and small town America's corruption. It's also one of the most unrelentingly brutal(and energetic) films of the period. The open ended conclusion is another feather in the film's cap. Between this and 99 River Street I'm interested in the rest of Karlson's work. Masterpiece.

MarcH

6Aug11

Maybe the interview should have been at the end...it threatens to kill the movie. Things pick up considerably after that, with a couple of shocking bursts of violence and very convincing documentary style.

Jazzaloha

26Mar11

Reminiscent of films like *On the Waterfront* and *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*, but the B-level element of the film like the acting and the overall quality served to highlight Kazan and Capra's skill as filmmakers. (The film also reminded me of *Defiance* (1980), with Jan Michael Vincent and Danny Aiello.)

Dave

5Jan11

Good, but far from being the undiscovered B-noir masterpiece that many proclaim it to be. I think Karlson made at least two other noirs (99 River Street and Kansas City Confidential) that are superior.