Phenix City is a border town in Alabama on the Georgia border, separated by the Chattahoochee River, and over-run by a crooked vice ring. This documentary like film dramatizes the events which exposed the crooks who dominated the red-light district filled with gambling and prostitution, resulting in a mob-like rule and a horrifying murder. Real-life people involved in the case actually appear in the film, and the location shot footage at the very beginning only taps the surface of what the dramatized film will present.
Right from the very beginning, you learn that the local attorney general candidate (John McIntire) will be murdered when he vows to break up this vice and how his son will organize the end of this mob, run by veteran character actor Edward Andrews. From the moment you see gambling house entertainer Meg Myles singing the "Phenix City Blues", you know there's something going on other than innocent crap games. Details go into how the cards are marked, how those who stand up to the machine are threatened, and in one truly disturbing sequence, the poor innocent young black daughter of a witness is abducted and disposed of like trash.
Some of the sequences are not for the squeamish or sensitive, and the theme of the film will stay with you for a long time. A cameo by an obviously beloved local Phenix City resident Ma Beachie adds honesty and heart to the drama, telling the viewer that many of the town's residents were totally unaware of the corruption within their own community, and thrilled to see it brought down. The busty Myles stands out in her brief scenes, a thrill for 80's soap fans who remember her as the kindly restaurant owner Sid on "The Edge of Night" and the devious Joanna Yeager (Stuart Chandler's first wife") on "All My Children".
Right from the very beginning, you learn that the local attorney general candidate (John McIntire) will be murdered when he vows to break up this vice and how his son will organize the end of this mob, run by veteran character actor Edward Andrews. From the moment you see gambling house entertainer Meg Myles singing the "Phenix City Blues", you know there's something going on other than innocent crap games. Details go into how the cards are marked, how those who stand up to the machine are threatened, and in one truly disturbing sequence, the poor innocent young black daughter of a witness is abducted and disposed of like trash.
Some of the sequences are not for the squeamish or sensitive, and the theme of the film will stay with you for a long time. A cameo by an obviously beloved local Phenix City resident Ma Beachie adds honesty and heart to the drama, telling the viewer that many of the town's residents were totally unaware of the corruption within their own community, and thrilled to see it brought down. The busty Myles stands out in her brief scenes, a thrill for 80's soap fans who remember her as the kindly restaurant owner Sid on "The Edge of Night" and the devious Joanna Yeager (Stuart Chandler's first wife") on "All My Children".