Let me be blunt: Robert Wise's The Captive City feels like a watered down version of Phil Karlson's The Phenix City Story (1955). Both films are about medium-sized, post-World War Two American towns that fall into the clutches of organized crime. When intrepid individuals try to expose the corruption, they quickly discover that the criminal operation goes deeper than they could have possibly imagined. In both films the city's police are under the gangster's payroll. And in both films, innocent people are brutally murdered in an attempt to prevent justice from being done. These plots actually remind me a great deal of Westerns: an idealistic hero stands up against evil criminals who keep God-fearing townsfolk in a state of terror. But The Phenix City Story is simply the better film. The Captive City chugs along without the same energy, falling into a narrative pattern that is repeated ad nauseam: newspaper editor Jim Austin provokes the forces of mob boss Murray Sirak, Sirak's men threaten him to stop snooping, Jim ignores them, Jim provokes them, etc, etc, etc. I will give credit where credit is due: cinematographer Lee Garmes manages to turn the seemingly innocent town into a web of deceit and lies, even in the bright daytime. That takes talent. I just wish this film had a bit more pep and intensity to it.
6/10
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