The Phenix City Story 1955
7.2 / 10
The Phenix City Story
A crime-busting lawyer and his initially reluctant attorney father take on the forces that run gambling and prostitution in their small Southern town.
A crime-busting lawyer and his initially reluctant attorney father take on the forces that run gambling and prostitution in their small Southern town.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 15 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Albert L. "Pat" Patterson
... John Patterson
... Ellie Rhodes
... Rhett Tanner
... Mary Jo Patterson
... Fred Gage
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by John Chard
I'm not stickin' my neck out. Why should I? Phenix City has been what it is for 80, 90 years. Who am I to try to reform it? The Phenix City Story is directed by Phil Karlson and written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur. It stars John McIntire, Richard Kiley, Kathryn Grant, Edward Andrews and John Larch. Music is by Harry Sukman and cinematography by Harry Neumann. A crime-busting lawyer (Kiley) and his initially reluctant attorney father (McIntire) take on the forces that run gambling and prostitution in the "Sin City Of The South", Phenix City, Alabama. Karlson's uncompromising film noir is based around the real life 1954 assassination of Albert Patterson (McIntire), who after being nominated for the role of Alabama Attorney General was on a mission to rid Phenix City of organized crime. It's important to note that this is not a historical fact film as such, it's more an interpretation of the Patterson murder and how Phenix City was a cess pool at the time in focus. Print of the film I personally viewed had a 13-minute newsreel preface where newsman Clete Roberts interviews many of the actual participants of the events in the story. I wasn't prepared for it and thought I was about to watch a documentary, but then we shift to Karlson's film and it delivers quality noir film making. Karlson ("Scandal Sheet" - "99 River Street") and his team don't hold back from violence and devastating scenes. Yet somehow in spite of the dark turns that occur, where the stink of racism and organized crime resides, there's an overriding message that even though we may want to fight fire with fire, sometimes the lawful ballot box is the best option. Cast are well directed, so much so there's no weak links here, but one has to admire the class McIntire brings to the role of Patterson, while Larch gives us one of film noir's most repugnant villains. Neumann's photography is only ok, there's some flashes of expressionism here, but one can't help wishing for some chiaroscuro magic to befit the dark tones being played out. This is still a film noir enthusiast essential, on proviso that it's understood there's some poetic licence undertaken. 8/10
Directors:
Genres:
Release Date:
Jul 19, 1955 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 40`
MMPA Rating:
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Phenix City Story
I'm not stickin' my neck out. Why should I? Phenix City has been what it is for 80, 90 years. Who am I to try to reform it? The Phenix City Story is directed by Phil Karlson and written by Daniel Mainwaring and Crane Wilbur. It stars John McIntire, Richard Kiley, Kathryn Grant, Edward Andrews and John Larch. Music is by Harry Sukman and cinematography by Harry Neumann. A crime-busting lawyer (Kiley) and his initially reluctant attorney father (McIntire) take on the forces that run gambling and prostitution in the "Sin City Of The South", Phenix City, Alabama. Karlson's uncompromising film noir is based around the real life 1954 assassination of Albert Patterson (McIntire), who after being nominated for the role of Alabama Attorney General was on a mission to rid Phenix City of organized crime. It's important to note that this is not a historical fact film as such, it's more an interpretation of the Patterson murder and how Phenix City was a cess pool at the time in focus. Print of the film I personally viewed had a 13-minute newsreel preface where newsman Clete Roberts interviews many of the actual participants of the events in the story. I wasn't prepared for it and thought I was about to watch a documentary, but then we shift to Karlson's film and it delivers quality noir film making. Karlson ("Scandal Sheet" - "99 River Street") and his team don't hold back from violence and devastating scenes. Yet somehow in spite of the dark turns that occur, where the stink of racism and organized crime resides, there's an overriding message that even though we may want to fight fire with fire, sometimes the lawful ballot box is the best option. Cast are well directed, so much so there's no weak links here, but one has to admire the class McIntire brings to the role of Patterson, while Larch gives us one of film noir's most repugnant villains. Neumann's photography is only ok, there's some flashes of expressionism here, but one can't help wishing for some chiaroscuro magic to befit the dark tones being played out. This is still a film noir enthusiast essential, on proviso that it's understood there's some poetic licence undertaken. 8/10
Cast & Crew of
The Phenix City Story
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
Cast
... Albert L. "Pat" Patterson
... John Patterson
... Ellie Rhodes
... Rhett Tanner
... Mary Jo Patterson
... Fred Gage
TS
Truman Smith... Ed Gage
... Cassie
... Mamie
... Clem Wilson
... Jeb Bassett
... Zeke Ward
... Helen Ward
... Hugh Bentley
... Hugh Britton
MB
Ma Beachie... Self
JES
James E. Seymour... Self
... Self, The Interviewer
... Self
HB
Hugh Bentley... Self
Produced By
Videos & Photos of
The Phenix City Story
Videos ( 1)
Photos ( 15 )
Related Movies To
The Phenix City Story
Ballerina (2025)
0 /10
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Run Time: 2hr 5` . MMPA: R . Release: 04 Jun 2025
Director: Darrin Prescott , Matej Kricner , Len Wiseman
Producer: Chad Stahelski , John R. Saunders , Kevan Van Thompson
Stars: Ana de Armas , Ian McShane , Anjelica Huston , Norman Reedus , Keanu Reeves , Lance Reddick
First Shift (2024)
0 /10
NYPD veteran Mike and rookie Angela tackle a high-stakes day on New York's toughest streets, diving headfirst into a vortex of danger and action. Their adrenaline-fueled pursuits and unexpected threats unfold as they navigate perilous encounters. Amidst the chaos, intense challenges forge unbreakable bonds.
Run Time: 1hr 29` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Aug 2024
Director: Béla Baptiste , Phillip Rush , Uwe Boll
Producer: Michael Roesch , Michael Schürger , Rolland Smith
Stars: Kristen Renton , Gino Anthony Pesi , James McMenamin , Garry Pastore , Willie C. Carpenter , Michael Emery
xXx (2002)
5.8 /10
Xander Cage is your standard adrenaline junkie with no fear and a lousy attitude. When the US Government "recruits" him to go on a mission, he's not exactly thrilled. His mission: to gather information on an organization that may just be planning the destruction of the world, led by the nihilistic Yorgi.
Run Time: 2hr 4` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 09 Aug 2002
Director: Alexander Witt , Mark Taylor , Lars P. Winther
Producer: Volker Falk , David Minkowski , Tomáš Rotnágl
Stars: Vin Diesel , Asia Argento , Samuel L. Jackson , Leila Arcieri , Marton Csokas , Eve
STRAW (2025)
0 /10
What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025
Director: Derrick Doose , Marcus Wiley , Felix Jordan
Producer: Tony Strickland , Andy Norman , Nadia Brown
Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Sherri Shepherd , Teyana Taylor , Sinbad , Rockmond Dunbar , Ashley Versher
A Working Man (2025)
0 /10
Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss's daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.
Run Time: 1hr 56` . MMPA: R . Release: 26 Mar 2025
Director: Eddie J. Fernandez , Jack Fontaine , Emily Richardson
Producer: Sylvester Stallone , Kevin King Templeton , Kevin King
Stars: Jason Statham , David Harbour , Michael Peña , Jason Flemyng , Arianna Rivas , Noemi Gonzalez
The Accountant² (2025)
0 /10
When an old acquaintance is murdered, Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax, to help. In partnership with Marybeth Medina, they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
Run Time: 2hr 13` . MMPA: R . Release: 23 Apr 2025
Director: Mariela Comitini , Fernando Chien , Gavin O'Connor
Producer: Matt Damon , Alison Winter , Allen Kupetsky
Stars: Ben Affleck , Jon Bernthal , J.K. Simmons , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Daniella Pineda , Allison Robertson
Deep Cover (2025)
0 /10
Kat is an improv comedy teacher beginning to question if she’s missed her shot at success. When an undercover cop offers her the role of a lifetime, she recruits two of her students to infiltrate London’s gangland by impersonating dangerous criminals.
Run Time: 1hr 39` . MMPA: R . Release: 12 Jun 2025
Director: Kelly Maracin Krieg , Tom Kingsley
Producer: Laurie MacDonald , Stephanie Winter , Alex Johnson
Stars: Bryce Dallas Howard , Orlando Bloom , Sean Bean , Paddy Considine , Ian McShane , Nick Mohammed
Real Gangsters (2013)
7.2 /10
Real Gangsters tells the story of the Lo Giacamo family, one of the most successful crime syndicates in New York City. Run by cousins Vincent Lo Giacamo and Jack Lo Giacamo, Real Gangsters shows how these two men maintain control of their dangerous extended family and volatile business ventures by very different means.
Run Time: 1hr 28` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Jun 2013
Director: Frank D'Angelo
Producer:
Stars: Robert Loggia , John Savage , Steven Bauer , Margot Kidder , Nick Mancuso , Michael Paré
The Unholy Trinity (2025)
0 /10
Set against the turbulent backdrop of 1870s Montana, in the moments before the execution of Isaac Broadway, he gives his estranged son, Henry, an impossible task: murder the man who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit. Intent on fulfilling his promise, Henry travels to the remote town of Trinity, where an unexpected turn of events traps him in town and leaves him caught between Gabriel Dove, the town’s upstanding new sheriff, and a mysterious figure named St. Christopher.
Run Time: 1hr 35` . MMPA: R . Release: 13 Jun 2025
Director: Richard Gray
Producer: Richard Gray , Lionel Hicks , Steve Jaggi
Stars: Brandon Lessard , Pierce Brosnan , Samuel L. Jackson , Q'orianka Kilcher , Tim Daly , Veronica Ferres
Confess, Fletch (2022)
6.5 /10
The roguishly charming and endlessly troublesome Fletch becomes the prime suspect in a murder case while searching for a stolen art collection. The only way to prove his innocence? Find out which of the long list of suspects is the culprit - from the eccentric art dealer and a missing playboy to a crazy neighbor and Fletch’s Italian girlfriend. Crime, in fact, has never been this disorganized.
Run Time: 1hr 39` . MMPA: R . Release: 16 Sep 2022
Director: Adam Escott , Tim LaDue , Matthew Vose Campbell
Producer: Bruce Winant , Stephen Hartman , Dann Fink
Stars: Jon Hamm , Lorenza Izzo , Kyle MacLachlan , Roy Wood Jr. , Ayden Mayeri , Marcia Gay Harden
The Hard Hit (2023)
7.2 /10
An Interpol agent hunting the head of a global crime syndicate tracks his target to Las Vegas, but when the criminal organization kills his wife and daughter, he goes above the law to get his revenge.
Run Time: 1hr 16` . MMPA: NR . Release: 20 Oct 2023
Director: Omie Blue , Darien Smith
Producer: Brian Ronan Mulroy , Darien Smith , Jamie Ohlsen
Stars: Jamie Ohlsen , Trae Ireland , Malachi Durant , Richard T. Jones , Markice Moore , Jerry G. Angelo
10th & Wolf (2006)
6.3 /10
A former street thug returns to his Philadelphia home after a stint in the military. Back on his home turf, he once again finds himself tangling with the mob boss who was instrumental in his going off to be a soldier.
Run Time: 1hr 47` . MMPA: R . Release: 19 Feb 2006
Director: Bobby Moresco
Producer: Karen Armstrong , Jeffrey W. Tott , Suzanne DeLaurentiis
Stars: James Marsden , Giovanni Ribisi , Brad Renfro , Piper Perabo , Dennis Hopper , Brian Dennehy