the phenix city story be a brutal and hard hitting docudrama about what be once dub the wicked town in america . the film document the event that lead up to the murder by the phenix city crime syndicate of albert patterson and an alabama attorney who make a bid for the state attorney general office a a way to clean up the vice and corruption plague his hometown . his son and john patterson and pick up his father mantle after his death and win the post and make clean up of phenix city a primary item on his agenda . director phil karlson create a film that have the ability to shock even today . the grimness be so relentless that the film be actually difficult to watch . we see the crime syndicate beat and kill in order to get what they want the beating and killing include woman and child and and one scene in particular and revolve around the death of a little black girl and be especially disturb . it not exactly an enjoyable film and because there very little payoff at the end to reward the viewer for sit through the infuriating event lead up to it and but it a well make film and full of an intense and angry energy . a 15 minute prologue include a series of interview with the actual inhabitant of phenix city and some of who be then portray by actor in the fictional portion of the film . it lend the film a quality of urgency that carry over into the narrative and so that we feel like be watch a documentary the entire time and a feeling that help by karlson choice to film on actual location . i be glad i saw this movie and but it one of those film that fill you with a sense of righteous indignation and then make you feel helpless because you can not do anything about it . grade represent a .