The Phenix City Story (1955)

This was one of those "ripped from the headlines" stories about a town that has let the lawless element run roughshod for too long.  It has all the elements of a good vengence movie, a gangster movie and a morality movie all rolled into one.  While a good, informative film, I could not help but see a comparison between it and the Original "Walking Tall" with Joe Don Baker and wish that it could be remade by Martin Scorsese.  While it was an interesting story it's telling seems to be only half completed.  When the people of Phenix City stand up against the criminal element, the movie ends when the Governor is called and persuaded to call out the militia. So much more seems ripe for the telling and Martin Scorsese seems perfect for it.

I caught this one on TCM, a great venue for the older films from "The Book".  With at least 4 scheduled per month, it has been instrumental in helping me see about 20 percent of the the films that were not already under my belt and finding great silent and foriegn films for my collection.