The Phenix City Story Full Movie

Jenna I 30 Mar 2016

Boy, I've got to give this movie credit for sheer balls. This movie might beat out Night of the Hunter for most shocking depiction of violence in 1955 films- and I don't say that lightly! While its acting and storytelling are dated, it kicks into high gear with it's first genuinely (!) shocking murder depiction, and only seems to keep going from there. I was worried this was going to be one of those films that indulges in its depiction of thugs, or worse, preaches at your for two hours. But it managed to walk that fine moral line, most likely because it was based on true events. The most interesting takeaway of this movie to me was the question of what does it take? When the murder of a child isn't enough to get the town up in arms, where do you go from there? A fascinating if not oddly relevant film to watch in 2016.

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Robert B 12 Apr 2011

Phil Karlson's true crime pic targets an Alabama town that is rife with vice and corruption. Much like Sam Fuller's more hysterical work, the emotional pressure on the central characters (fighting the mob but resisting vigilante justice) is continually racheted up and up. Introduced with interviews with real people but closing with a pitch by the actor playing John Patterson (who later really became governor of Alabama and apparently substituted his own speech into some showings of the film when campaigning). Filmed quickly with a low budget but nevertheless gripping.

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James H 17 Dec 2009

Blunt and terminally dull. Even though this is based on actual, pretty horrible events, the overwrought tone and wooden acting kill any tension and any realism the film could offer.

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David T 07 Jan 2009

Partimos de la base que ver esta peli tiene merito, porque no es nada facil conseguirla. Esta b asada en hechos reales, en 1954, donde una ciudad de Alabama es presa de la corrupcion y otros males que aporta el juego, la prostitucion... Alli, donde los gangsters campan a sus anchas, un grupo de honrados ciudadanos tratan de establecer un nuevo orden... La peli es muy violenta para ser del año 1955, con escenas realmente fuertes. Tiene como estrella al fordiano-manniano John McIntire, y el resto esta hecho con 4 euros. Eso si, el director es Phil Karlson (solamente he visto 4 pelis de este tipo), pero tiene obras notables. Era un buen director de series B, y esta pelicula es realmente novedosa en muchos aspectos. Lastima de discursito moralista que jalona la historia. Sin ese recurso a lo capra, la peli seria de sobresaliente...

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Gregory W 04 Mar 2010

Another movie I had to see for work and this one's a pretty damn good one. It starts off with a short news clip of interviews with journalists and people who were involved with the real life case of organized crime and corruption in Phenix City, Alabama and what follows is one hell of a film. Exciting, rousing and surprisingly quite brutal for its time (or any time really).

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