Overrated and overhyped

As Good As It Gets

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

I remember the title clearly from the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, probably because of what I assumed was a misspelling of the word "phoenix", it was apparently "sensational" in its day, needing severe cuts, I just hoped for something worth my time. The film opens with news broadcaster Clete Roberts interviewing many of the actual participants of the real-life event, before it moves on to showing the acted version of events. Basically the story takes place in Phenix City, Columbus, a corrupt town in Alabama, run by a crime syndicate, with growing prostitution and crooked gambling, it is referred to as the Sin City of the South. Lawyer Albert L. Patterson (John McIntire) has big plans for his son John (Richard Kiley) and his family when they return home after his military service in Germany. John is surprised at how so little has changed since he's been away, his father assures him that he won't know the mob are running things, as long as he minds his own business. But this proves to be hard for John, he is severely beaten by mob thugs, after trying to help two members of a civic reform from being harmed. Albert comes to realise that things need to change, he is urged to run for office and clean up Phenix City. He obtains the nomination to run as State Attorney General, but as soon as he elected following a successful campaign, he is killed in cold blood by the mob. It is up to John to avenge his father, at the risk of the rest of his family being in danger, he uses the law instead of violence to make change. Also starring Kathryn Grant as Ellie Rhodes, Edward Andrews as Rhett Tanner, Lenka Peterson as Mary Jo Patterson, Biff McGuire as Fred Gage, Truman Smith as Ed Gage, Jean Carson as Cassie, Kathy Marlowe as Mamie and John Larch as Clem Wilson. The opening newsreel footage adds extra emphasis to the true-life origins, it is an interesting story of corruption, investigation and political change, I admit there were only a couple of eye-catching bits, especially the bloody murders and lawbreaking moments, but overall it is not a bad documentary style crime drama. Worth watching, at least once!

"The Phenix City Story" is a 1955 film based on the true story of an Alabama town that was full of crime and corruption, with everyone turning a blind eye. The story focuses on John Patterson (Richard Kiley) who returns to Phenix City from the war with his wife and two children. His father Albert (John McIntyre) is an attorney but won't get involved in taking on the bad guys who run the town's bars and gambling establishments, which use marked cards and other devices so that the house always wins.When the violence grows bad enough, the senior Patterson is talked into running for Attorney General. The question is, will he live long enough to be sworn in? The first part of this film is a series of interviews with town citizens, and I'll be honest, it's incredibly boring. The film, directed by Phil Karlson, was made very cheaply (the sound has an echo). However, it's the gritty location shots and low budget that gives "The Phenix City Story" its sleazy atmosphere.Richard Kiley does a very good job as John Patterson while Lenka Peterson, who plays his wife, is one of the worst actresses of the last century. Some of the acting, in fact, isn't very good. McIntyre is very convincing, as are the bad guys: Edward Andrews and John Larch, most notably. Theater performers Jean Carson and her husband Biff McGuire both have roles, as does Kathryn Grant, later Mrs. Bing Crosby.This of course isn't the whole story. John Patterson eventually becomes not only Attorney General but Governor and waged a huge anti-crime fight. He increased funding for the mentally ill as well as funding for highways and established anti-loan sharking legislation. Despite his support for JFK and Obama, he was also a rampant segregationist and refused to allow the NAACP to operate in Alabama, refused police protection for freedom rides, and was backed by the Ku Klux Klan. So I think we can assume that one part of this film was a complete fabrication.

We saw this film as a part of Vol 5 of Film Noir. Thus far this is the best of the bunch. For the most part the 8 films in Vol 5 are a collection of B thrillers. While the Phenix City Story was not an A film its influence has certainly been.This is definitely a film that packs a punch. Interestingly enough it came out the same year as Kiss Me Deadly another Noir classic. And both pack a punch. This is not what you would see on television at the time for sure. Absolutely no resemblance to Father Knows Best.So while I was about 9 years old when this film came I never saw it as B films such as this often wound up at a rather seedy theater that showed them. And my parents never took us there. And of course it definitely did not play the A films of the day.Making the film all the more fascinating was that it was based on real events. The narration at the beginning had us wondering what we were getting ourselves into but as the film played out it made sense to show it. And it help give it that docudrama feel. Oh for sure some of it was probably a bit overblown but the fights, the violence and yes the assassinations all happened. That they turned John Patterson into a man sympathetic to the black man was offset by some clear racial prejudice the most vicious been the killing of the young black girl by the local thugs to dramatize what they would do if you got in their way. It was followed up by words and action of the police that today of course would be considered extremely politically incorrect. But back then that was a part of packing a real punch.This film is worthy and should be seen by not only noir fans but one that should be studied in school. Sure it is uneven and its B qualities stick out but this is a gem that packs a punch.

**SPOILERS** Shocking yet true story of the horror that befell the Alabama/Georgia border town of Phenix when it was taken over by a gang of organized hoodlums who turn it into the Sin City of the South.With crime skyrocketing and no one to turn to a group of concerned citizens get well respected Phenix lawyer Albert Patterson, John McIntire, to run for the office of State District Attorney. With the criminal element of Phenix doing everything, from intimidation to outright murder, to keep the voters form getting Patterson the nomination he still wins with the other 86 counties of the state, not including Phenix's Russell County, giving him the nod by just over 1,000 votes.Terrified in what Patterson would do when he takes office head of the Phenix Mob Rett Tanner, Edward Andrews, has a hit put out on him. Patterson is gunned down while driving to his office but his killers are spotted by Ellie Rhodes, Kathryn Grant, who soon becomes, through an informer in Patterson's office, Tanner's next person in line to be targeted for murder. What Tanner & Co. didn't expect is that the late Albert Patterson's son John, Richard Kiley, got the news from Ellie about his dad's murder before his boys could shut her up! That major miscalculation on Tanner's part will end up putting an end to both his criminal organization as well as his freedom!Powerful documentary-style crime movie with the actual persons involved in the events given some 15 minutes, at the start of the film, to tell their stories. This despite the fact that they were still in danger of being murdered by the Tanner Mob that was still at large at the time their interviews were filmed!Finishing what his brave dad started John Patterson single handedly brought the story of Phenix City to the front pages of both the state and national newspapers giving Tanner the very negative publicity that he tried so hard to avoid. With the now Alabama National Guard flooding into Phenix City the blood-thirsty and gutless, in not willing to stand up to people with guns in their hands, Tanner Mob evaporated from sight like a morning mist after the sunlight hits it! And with John Patterson now taking the place of his murdered dad as the state of Alabama's new Attorney General you can be sure that the Patterson Mob has seen its last days of pushing people around as well as murdering them. The only thing that they'll see now in the future is the gray prison walls and bars that will be their home sweet home for the rest of their rotten and miserable lives!Very probably the most graphically violent movie to come out of Hollywood up to that time "The Phenix City Story" didn't pull any punches in showing how a group of lawless and powerful criminals can turn a quite American city into living hell for everyone in it. No one was speared from these ruthless gangsters who didn't even think twice when it came to murdering even women and children if that's what it took to keep them in power! As for the Phenix City Police Departmentn they had better thing to do then enforced the law that they were sworn and paid to uphold. They were out having coffee and donut's while their city was being burned to the ground by the gangsters like Tanner who had them in their hip pocket!