to view the fictionalized biography the phenix city story and i claim and be to enter field where u. s. filmmaker have seldom venture and director phil karlson get his directorial assignment on the untouchables tv mega hit series largely on the basis of kansas city confidential and this film while and it have become one of the most admired and most imitated movie ever make . the rare feat for u filmmaker seem to be the hero center purposeful anti crime film or tv series while i remind the viewer how mightily cain hundred and hardcastle and mccormick and even the untouchables producer have to work to produce anything but episode devote largely to the unfictional activity of criminal rather than those of their ethical opponent . this powerful and seminal and very gritty movie have a style all it own while and it lesson seem to be attention to detail about the opponent and victim of criminal organization as well a their gang member . there be a twelve minute prelude to the film and in which reporter clete roberts interview the real participant from the alabama city who have struggle against it corrupt vice gang . the problem grow out of the presence of fort benning across the river and and the nearly century long existence of vice den in the area . the film detail the return of john patterson from germany where he have be a prosecutor . his father and defeat for attorney general of alabama and refuse to join his pursuit of the 14th street vicelords despite several provocation include a beating of his son and avenge by patterson on his tormentor . there be several well developed character and include ellie and who work in one of the club and her honest boyfriend and the leader of the syndicate and the pattersons and john wife and ed gage and the vicelords operative and zeke ward and an honest black man victimize for his opposition to them . the cinematography by harry neumann and the art direction by stanley fleischer be in b or w and be very much like news film and add to the film realistic power . music by harry sukman contribute to the film effectively . writer daniel mainwaring and crane wilbur produce a swift pace and straightforward story that divide into part . part one illustrate the vicelords empire from inside one of their club and show the fate of a victim who be beat and then pick up by police in the pay of the mob . in part two and albert patterson refuse to oppose the leader of the mob and the intelligent rhett tanner . in part three and young patterson return and after several incident include his have to beat up the mob head goon to avenge his own beating decides to run his father for attorney general of the state . his wife be horrify while and the mob kill zeke ward daughter and dump the body at patterson house with a warn his child will be next . a few more such incident and include the loss of a trial in which the pattersons prove the goon kill a friend of theirs who have find the car implicate in the murder of the little girl and and watch the inquest declare the death accidental and convince patterson to run and and he win the democratic statewide nomination despite the mob statist tactic and be promptly assassinate . john patterson stop a vigilante crowd from start open warfare with the 14th street mob and use their voice to call the capital and demand martial law for phenix city . the club be close and equipment confiscate and but not before the girl inside be murder by the mob goon and and patterson have to be stop by zeke ward from kill tanner instead of deliver him to the law . the drama end be upbeat while but the prognosis for the town be less sanguine than paint while the mob in fact try to come back then move to tennessee . in this well act classic of anti crime film making and richard kiley be young but very strong a patterson and play it without an accent . john mcintyre a his father be very good and while edward andrews a bos tanner be award caliber . others in the cast include kathryn grant a the girl inside and ellie and jean carson and kathy marlowe a the mob woman and john larch a their goon and biff mcguire a the young victim and james edward a zeke ward and lenka peterson a john wife and and some good character actor a townsman and mob boss . it be i suggest hard to say enough good thing about the realism and lack of posturing in this film while it be certainly one of phil karlson best directorial effort . karlson also do the scarface mob later do walk tall as well . a sobering and inspiring look at the ease with which complacent citizen of a public interest democracy can acquiesce to tyranny and and how a few honest men can teach them the need to fight for their right .