Walking Tall (2004) User Reviews

The time has come to admit that the Rock is just plain cool (***)

[Ronin47 · 7/10 · 8 April 2004]

I hate wrestling, but when I saw "The Rundown" last year I had to admit, The Rock is one cool guy, and a perfect action star. He's big and tough, but most importantly he's charismatic and has a sense of humor and a certain softness that actually makes him seem somewhat vulnerable. This is what sets him apart from someone like Vin Diesel, who was all set to be the next big action star but never was because he has no personality or sense of humor.

"Walking Tall" is a remake of a 1973 based-on-fact film about a man who fights back against corruption in his town by becoming sheriff and waging war on the bad guys. I haven't seen the original, but I'm willing to bet it's closer to the truth than the 2004 "Walking Tall", which is packed with more machine guns, axes, exploding trucks, and gunfighting strippers than anything that's "based on fact" could possibly be.

Here, Vaughn returns home after years of being away to find his hometown in shambles and dependent on a corrupt casino run by drug-dealing, knife-wielding thugs. After he receives a brutal beating and his nephew (Khleo Thomas, from "Holes") nearly overdoses on crystal meth bought there, the war is on. My inner 12 year-old says "Woohoo!".

Yes, this film is ridiculously over the top. It's also completely predictable. But it's FUN. A lot of fun, in fact. It's extremely fast paced, well-acted, the action scenes are excellent, and at just under 80 minutes, it's exceptionally lean too. Not one unnecessary or drawn-out scene.

"Walking Tall" doesn't aim to be anything except old-fashioned popcorn entertainment, and it succeeds, yet it has been made with surprising artistry as well. The cinematography is very good, and there are some interesting things done with sound and unexpected fade-outs. Also, Vaughn is an interestingly complex hero (complex as far as these movie go, anyway). At one point, when he clearly wants to bring a loaded shotgun into a fight with him, he hesitates, and brings a less-deadly 2x4 instead. It's a neat moment.

So it's not going to be winning any awards any time soon. But I had a really good time, plain and simple, and the audience I saw it with did too.

Decent enough film that sees 'The Rock' clean up his home town

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 7 November 2020]

This film sees Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson playing Chris Vaughn an ex-serviceman who has returned to his home town in rural Washington State. He finds it isn't the place he left... the mill that employed most people has closed; a casino has opened and corruption is rife. He soon tries to expose corruption and makes dangerous enemies. That won't stop him though.

This is a decent enough action film that should please fans of the genre and of Dwayne Johnson. The Rock does a solid job in one of his earlier film rolls. There are plenty of clichés; nobody will be surprised that the sheriff turns out to be corrupt or the casino owner, who Vaughn knew in his youth, is a villain. The action is fun without being excessive; Vaughn's preferred weapon is a large piece of timber rather than a more expected firearm. The supporting cast is okay; Neal McDonough is suitably menacing as villainous Jay Hamilton and Johnny Knoxville provides some levity as Vaughn's friend Ray. Overall I'd not call this a must see film but it passes the time nicely in an inoffensive way.

Surprisingly Entertaining Rock Flick ala Chuck Norris

[dilbertsuperman · 7/10 · 7 January 2006]

The Rock takes a page out of the Chuck Norris bible in his rendition of a special forces soldier returning to his home town. He quickly learns things in his hometown are not as he had left them and not for the better. Soon, things come to a head and he has to make a choice as to whether he is going to put up with it, or Walk Tall.

As The Rock himself mentioned- the original Sheriff Buford was a white man in his 40's so remember this is an adaptation of a 1970's movie script that was originally "based" on a true story, so we are a pretty long ways out from accurately representing the original events- this is only representing the SPIRIT of the original true story.

Fabulous fight scenes, a tense script and some funny moments all are reminiscent of the numerous Chuck Norris movies that portrayed a quiet guy that doesn't take any bull-crap from nobody man!

While the script made perfect sense in an earlier time - the Viet Nam era, it doesn't quite fly 100% in this day and age. So suspend a little belief.You may findyourself scratching your head as to how that could happen in this day and age.. well.. it could back then - even though it didn't really haha. However, no mention is made of the actual time period they are trying to represent- yet they mention current items like home depot and cops TV show. The moonshine whiskey sheriff buford fought is updated in this script to be crystal meth/ice.

The acting is surprisingly good for the Rock and he is looking manly in this movie instead of the sculpted eyebrow weirdo looks he has achieved in the past. Instead of looking like a dancer in a gay club like he did in Scorpion King, he looks the rough and tumble part for this role.

His attachment to his family is acted in a clumsy and weak manner but that isn't really important to the script- even if he only sort of likes his family he would still protect them with his life so it still works for the momentum of the movie.

Johnny Knoxville is mainly weak but has some great shining moments where they allow him to be Johnny Knoxville instead of the stupid 1-d concept of his character that seems to be forced on him through the other parts of the flick. At times he is reminiscent of Barney Fife to Rock's Andy. :-)

If you want to READ about the real man that INSPIRED this really great story- http://www.sheriffbufordpusser.com/history1.htm (the welcome page has a picture of him)

So? It's short. I know that. :)

[PatrynXX · 7/10 · 6 December 2004]

The key note here is inspired by a true story. Not based. So who knows whats true and whats not. I doubt Meth was a big time operation in the early 70's or whenever this was based. But nevermind that, this was a fun movie. Yes it's rushed, yes it's 75 minutes long. Yes there is indeed 11 minutes worth of credits. O_O

But if you wanna see a good Dwayne Johnson movie, this is certainly better than the other movies he's done so far.

The acting isn't too bad and good IL Johnny Knoxville continue's to have a lot of fun. He's growing on me. the sheriff's girlfriend seems to be a dead ringer (at least for the movie) to Britney Spears. Although just like Spears, her acting abilities are much in doubt. Dwayne's a good actor. Hey he's a wrestler, and he's had a lot of practice in that area. Wrestling is all about acting. ;)

7/10

Quality: 5/10 Entertainment: 10/10 Replayable: 10/10

Walking Tall A Decent Remake With Some Flaws

[tburke85 · 7/10 · 22 June 2009]

Walking Tall is a decent remake with some flaws from director Ken Bray whose admirable in making this movie but a short running time, some over the top action, and the lack of a more central villain is what weighed it down. Walking Tall however isn't that bad and it's one of the better remakes out there. Dwayne Johnson is solid as the lead and proves to be a talented actor while bringing some of his wresting experience to the movie during the action/fight sequences. Johnson turns in a good performance of a man who returns home to find it overrun by crime and corruption, which drives him to become sheriff in order to put an end to it. The rest of the cast including Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough, and Ashley Scott are okay in their roles but (except for maybe Knoxville) they're not given much to do. The movie felt short and rushed with an 86 minute running time. Some of the fight sequences especially the one near the end between Johnson and McDonough go over the top. Johnson's performance however and the action sequences make this movie worth seeing at least once. Overall despite its flaws Walking Tall is decent remake one of the better ones with intense action, fist fights, some humor, and good performances by the cast.

Walking Tall - The Cliff Notes Version

[clydestuff · 6/10 · 5 April 2004]

After having found Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's last film, The Rundown, a very enjoyable action outing, I was hoping for big things from The Rock. When I discovered his next film was this remake of the 1973 version of Walking Tall I was hoping for great things. The week before the premiere my enthusiasm was tempered by three huge things the film had working against it.

The first disappointment was in discovering it was to be an MGM release. From the studio that once boasted "more stars than there are in heaven" it can now be referred to the studio that makes it as cheap as possible, then throws it on the big screen for a few weeks, and finishes it off by rushing the DVD out to market. As a profitability concept, I can't argue whether the strategy is working or not, but having seen many of their recent films I can say it fails as far as any kind of cinematic achievements are concerned. Oh sure, once in a while they get lucky with one and it's half way decent, but it's not because of any real concern for quality.

The second slap in the face was to discover the running time was a little over an hour and fifteen minutes. Considering that the original Walking Tall with Joe Don Baker ran for over two hours, this was definitely not a good sign. Add to that the fact that I had once seen the running time of the remake listed as one hour and forty minutes, one could only guess as to what footage was now cluttering the cutting room floor.

Then the coup de grace was after reading some of the IMDB comments before leaving for the theater, we find that Vince McMahon, the guy who gave us Wrestling and even worst, the XFL, has his hand in this film some where. Things were not looking good this morning but my mind was made up and I was going to go. So, were my early hopes realized, or did my worst nightmare come true? The answer is somewhere in between.

Whereas the first Walking Tall film was a fictionalized account of Sheriff Buford Pusser of McNairy County in Tennessee, the writers, producers and director of this remake decided it wasn't fictionalized enough. Not only does it no longer take place in Tennessee, it now takes place in Washington. Our hero is no longer Buford Pusser the ex-wrestler he is now Chris Vaughn, ex U.S. Special Forces Sergeant. I guess it wouldn't have looked good to have The Rock talking negatively about wrestling the way Joe Don Baker badmouthed it in the original. Especially since Vince McMahon is a producer. Chris, unlike Buford who had a wife and two kids, is single. But he does have an ex-girlfriend lurking about somewhere. The reason I relate this information to you is because a lot of the original film depended on Buford's home life. In this version it is only slightly needed, which would partially explain the short running time. It also makes this remake a film that lacks the ability to involve us in it's storyline like we should be.

Walking Tall actually does start off well and is relatively faithful to the original. Upon returning home, Buford...err I mean Chris, returns home to find that the Lumber Mill that supported his home town has closed placing his father, Chris Sr. (John Beasley)out of work. Also living at home are his mother, his paramedic sister, and his nephew. Unfortunately, unlike the original film, his family is here for the purpose of supplying a few plot devices that develop later in the film and nothing more.

What is new in town is a corrupt casino, built by the an old buddy,(Neal Mcdonough), who closed the mill putting everybody out of work. On a visit there with his friend Ray (Johnny Knoxville), Chris finds some crooked dice at a crap game. After fighting with the casino's security force, he is subdued, viciously cut and left for dead. Later when Chris's nephew overdoses on drugs (ahh! the plot device I mentioned) supplied by the same people who knifed him, Chris decides to seek revenge. It is at this moment that the film begins to loose it's grip by degenerating into a series of poorly staged fights and even worse shoot 'em ups.

Portions of the film are entertaining, in large part due to the on screen natural charisma that The Rock has. Just as in The Rundown, the role of action hero seems to come naturally to him, and as far as acting ability is concerned, after only three leading roles he is already ahead of Schwarzenegger's capabilities after the same number of films. An even bigger surprise was Johnny Knoxville as his best friend Ray. He has some of the best written lines in the film, and seems to have just the right screen persona for his role. The rest of the cast is basically generic. Neal McDonough's villainous Jay, talks more threatening than he appears and that's a major problem. In the original film, the threat of danger always seemed imminent and except for Chris's initial fight, we never believe he or anyone else is in any real danger. Even a tussle between Ray and some guys holding Rock's family hostage is played partially for laughs, which also indicates how badly the film slips into being just another cardboard action film.

Another gripe I have though, is obviously there are chunks of this film that are missing. I don't know whether it was a studio decision, a McMahon decision, or a decision by director Bray, to cut the film, but the decision was a bad one. At times the film loses what little cohesiveness it has by leaving some scenes unfinished, and jumping inexplicably to others. Go figure.

I suppose there's nothing totally bad about being a formulaic action film, except there is no reason why this film couldn't have been and shouldn't have been so much more. If it had been developed into the same kind of engrossing story that the original was, it wouldn't matter how much they changed it. It was a golden opportunity for The Rock to really shine and strut his stuff, but it is an opportunity now lost. If memory serves me correctly, the original Walking Tall was blasted mercilessly and I think unfairly by some critics. Audiences didn't care though and they flocked to it. This remake has also been blasted by some critics and I won't disagree with them. Unfortunately for The Rock, I don't think the audiences are going to stand in line for this one.

If you want to see more about the original Walking Tall film you must do two things. First, forget that you ever saw Joe Don Baker in Mitchell, and second, get the DVD that is readily available. That's my recommendation, and when I have to recommend another film to people, I have no choice but to give the remake my grade which is a more than generous C-

When a Man Makes the Difference

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 26 May 2007]

After eight years serving the U.S. Army Special Forces, Sergeant Chris Vaughn (The Rock) returns to his hometown seeking for a job in the local mill. He is informed by Sheriff Stan Watkins (Michael Bowen) that the mill was closed six months ago and now the Wild Cherry Casino, owned by his former high school friend Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough), is the major source of jobs and income to the town. Chris goes home, and meets his best-friend Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville), who organized a football game with their friends. After the game, Jay invites Chris and his friends to spend the night in his casino on him, but when Chris finds that the casino stick-man is cheating with the dices, he fights against the security men and is almost killed by them. When his nephew Pete (Khleo Thomas) has an OD with amphetamines sold by the security men of the casino, Chris realizes that the town is dominated by the mobsters and the corrupt sheriff and with a huge piece of wood, he breaks the casino and the criminals. He is prosecuted and in the trial, he promises to the jury and to the population that if he is considered non-guilty, he would be candidate to the sheriff position and clean the town. Later, Sheriff Chris Vaughn has to fight against the organized crime to keep his promise.

"Walking Tall" is a non-stop action movie, with The Rock playing a character inspired on the legendary McNairy County Sheriff Bruford Hayser Pusser. I had never heard, read or seen anything about the life of this brave man, but there are lots of references about his heroic fight against crime and tragic fate of his family, inclusive a 1973 movie also called "Walking Tall" based on his biography that I believe has not been released in Brazil. I liked a lot this 2004 fictional film, with the charismatic The Rock excellent in the role of a honest man that makes the difference in a corrupt town. Johnny Knoxville is hilarious, as usual, and this movie is a great entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Com as Próprias Mãos" ("With the Own Hands")

The Rock is a Star

[jon.h.ochiai · 8/10 · 10 April 2004]

The Rock is the next great action hero. He has all the requisites. He is handsome, an amazing athlete with an awesome physique, charismatic, intelligent, and funny. His star power carries Kevin Bray's "Walking Tall".

The Rock is great in an entertaining movie. "Walking Tall" though great fun to watch, and capably produced and directed also punctuates that The Rock needs to work on more edgy and quality projects. He is definitely a movie star, who can become a solid actor.

"Walking Tall" has to overcome a very convoluted writing credit. This is not a retelling of the Bufford Pussor story, although its original screen writer, Mort Bristein, is acknowledged. This "Walking Tall" by David Klass, Channing Gibson, David Levien, and Brian Koppelman tells the story of returning Special Forces war hero Chris Vaughn (The Rock), who comes home to a small town outside Seattle. The town mill has been closed down, and his old high school bud, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough), owns the new town casino and pretty much owns the local police too. Jay is not the man he remembered from his youth. Chris is forced to raise his hand reluctantly against Hamilton's men. They leave him for dead, and fortunately Chris survives. So Chris is out to right an injustice, and exact revenge with extreme prejudice. This "Walking Tall" resembles "First Blood" particularly in it's local and plot setting.

Props to Director Kevin Bray for delivering on the story line as Chris exacts his revenge. Bray has a clean and lean style. The action sequences are crisp and dramatic. The Rock truly excels in the fight sequences. For one thing he is an big strong guy, and when he is laying "the smack down" on the villains it is believable and thoroughly enjoyable. The bad guys truly get what they deserve.

The supporting cast is solid. Ashley Scott (almost unrecognizable from the short-lived "Birds of Prey") is good as the stripper with a big heart who is Chris's love interest. Johnny Knoxville (of "Jackass") is funny and charming as Chris's bud and deputy Ray.

I completely enjoyed "Walking Tall". It is a brisk 75 minutes of cool action, and has the star power of The Rock. I look forward to seeing more movies starring The Rock.

An enjoyable action film, but it felt a bit thin

[SurlyBastard · 8/10 · 27 March 2004]

Walking Tall is The Rock's fourth foray into major motion pictures, and different turn then his previous three trips to the box office. What separates 'Walking Tall' from his other films to date is The Rock is left alone as the sole 'draw' of this film, without a major franchise (The Mummy Returns, Scorpion King) or other star power (The Rundown with Sean William Scott and Christopher Walken) to draw an audience. Is it a success?

Yes and no.

Overall, it's an enjoyable action film with good a plot, decent characters and acting, and some hard-hitting action sequences. It centres on Chris Vaughn (The Rock), returning home from the Army after many years of service, only to realize it isn't the place he left all those years ago. A former friend and casino owner Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) controls much of the town through gambling, prostitution, and drugs. After Vaughn is attacked in the Casino, and his nephew overdoses on drugs, he teams with his best friend Ray (Johnny Knoxville), becomes the town's Sheriff, and goes about trying to set things right.

It is The Rock's movie first and foremost, and his natural charisma and personality are what carries the movie at its core. The Rock plays Chris Vaughn and delivers as well as can be expected, after four films he is definitely looking more in his element. The Rock is supported wonderfully by the surprising Johnny Knoxville (of Jackass fame) who turns in a wonderfully solid and funny performance as Ray, Vaughn's best friend and later deputy. Neal McDonough plays the main villain of the picture, and although he doesn't have much to work with outside of being just "the bad guy", he handles it well, and is matched well against The Rock.

This movie is decidedly 'heavier' then Rock's previous outings, dealing with more significant topics like prostitution and drugs, which gives it a more serious edge. It certainly doesn't feel like a 'fun' film, like all of The Rock's other movies to date.

The action scenes are solid, and are a firm connection to the plot. Unlike Rock's previous films, the fight scenes are more traditional 'realistic' looking fights. That being said, for action junkies there's definitely something here for you, with The Rock getting into it with his hands, and guns, there's definitely something for everyone.

That said, I felt Walking Tall was a little bit thin. First and foremost, it ran at a meagre 85 minutes, which was simply not enough time for a movie like this. Although all the necessary plot points were properly established, I felt the movie needed another 20 minutes or so to `breath'. Everything progresses logically, just much too quickly to build the level of suspense and anticipation I think the movie was capable of. As a result, leading up to the climax of the movie, it almost feels like a race to the finish. More character development and background was definitely warranted, as well as greater explanation on certain plot points.

I felt that this was a movie that a studio may have cut for time reasons or ratings (it also felt like it was being squeezed into PG-13), and if that were the case, I'd love to see the full version. I feel it would be a much more complete film, with a better build up, therefore making the payoff mean all that much more.

Overall, I enjoyed Walking Tall, and would recommend it to anyone despite its faults. The Rock is being championed as the next big action star, and I have to agree, he has the charisma, looks and moves to make it far, with Walking Tall being a major 'step' in getting him there.

The Rock is getting better

[mm-39 · 6/10 · 17 April 2004]

Compared to the Scorpion King the Rocks acting is getting better. This is not the best film, but for action I would watch it again. The Rock from his wrestling days is a good physical actor, like Stallone, and Arnold. This is a must, not many people can do physical acting, and that is half of what makes a good action movie. That action film with the guy from Cruel Intentions shows how awful and action movie is with out good physical acting. That movie had 1) too little believability. 2) emotions of pain, physical stress do not look real 3) the action looks phony and out of place. If people think Stallone did not take some real punches for Rocky they would be mistaken, for Rocky would loose it realism with out physical realism. That part said, I find the story line good, but inferior to the original. I like true storys better than fiction. Bad events like this story shows really do happens; I would bet this movie is going be on TBS 'Guy who like movies' week. One thing I notice in this film is the Rock seems to have a real nice streak in him, I wonder if that is ture or more to do with the movie.

6 or 7 out of 10 depending if you seen the original Walking tall, for the film becomes more believable if you see the original.

Some how, I don't think much of this film...

[MLDinTN · 4/10 · 7 February 2006]

was based on the true story it claims to be. It was so far-fetched. Sure, there was probably a guy who comes home after being in the military and has a beef with old school mate, who now is involved in illegal activities. He becomes sheriff and cleans the town up. In this movie, the Rock, plays Chris Vaughn, the soldier who returns home. He takes a 2 by 4 smashes up a casino and is found not guilty. WTF! He gets carved up by casino security because he catches the dealer cheating and won't drop it. There are many fights and shoot outs. And he fires all the deputies and makes his goofy friend the only deputy. The bad guys put thousands of bullet holes in the police office, yet never hit Chris. And Chris doesn't even call the state police? Then there is this silly axe fight scene at the end. I don't know how this didn't get a R rating. But, the worst part of the film has to be Chris's love interest. She is some sort of stripper and is only there to run around in a bra during the police office shoot out scene. It was so silly.

FINAL VERDICT: Bad script, very violent not to be R rated. I don't recommend it.

Just lean back for the ride...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 19 December 2015]

Dwayne Johnson does what he does best here, kicking butt and taking no nonsense from anybody (yeah, had to tone down the language here). You know exactly what you will get from a movie like this, and the movie, story and actors all deliver exactly as you would expect.

That being said, then don't get me wrong. I am not saying that "Walking Tall" is a boring movie, far from it actually. It is an entertaining movie for what it is; a straight forward, generic and predictable action movie. And the emphasis is on action here, because there is a lot of it throughout the entire movie. You just simply lean back and unhook your mind and enjoy the ride.

The story is about a former military guy named Chris (played by Dwayne Johnson) who returns to his hometown, only to find it very changed. The small town has fallen into a downward spiral fueled by drugs and gambling. Chris decides to take matters into his own hands and weed out the bad seeds.

"Walking Tall" actually does have some well-cast actors on the cast list, including Dwayne Johnson, Neal McDonough and Kevin Durand.

If you enjoy a good action movie that is fast paced and can be watched even if severely hung over and just need something that your mind doesn't need to be present for, then "Walking Tall" is a good choice.

Short and Sweet

[bowmanblue · 7/10 · 28 April 2019]

Despite being a fan of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, I've only just got round to watching 2004's 'Walking Tall' - an (apparently!) 'true' story about a soldier returning to his home time to find that pretty much everything centres around a corrupt casino. Now, it's up to him to take it on and take it down.

The film surprised me on a fair few levels, but most of those are based on how I now see Dwayne Johnson and the typical type of film he now stars in. Back in 2004 he wasn't quite the Box Office powerhouse he is today, therefore 'Walking Tall' was almost more 'low budget' than I ever imagined I'd see him in. Now, that's no bad thing. You don't need mega-budget and tonnes of computer-generated special effects to make a good film. You just need to tell a compelling story. And, to be fair, 'Walking Tall' was a simple and effective tale.

First of all, it's pretty short - weighing in at well under the typical hour and a half. Therefore it does cram quite a lot of story into a short space of time. This means that it's never dull, but sometimes the plot does just seem to gloss over major plot points and jump from major factor to the next in - literally - a single scene. For example, a court case happens almost within days of the (alleged) 'criminal' act it resides over. Don't crimes usually take months (or even years?) to come to trial normally?

However, that's just a minor gripe. I don't know much about the 'real' events it was based on, so I don't know how exact anything really plays out, but it is certainly an interesting piece as it begins to show Dwayne Johnson's natural charm and screen presence. He's not quite ready to take over the entire Box Office, but, if you look closely, you can see that it's going to happen pretty soon.

Plus fair play to making a piece of wood feel like one of the cast! I'd like to see the plank of wood go on to bigger and better things - just like the man who wielded it!

Plays the revenge scenario right!!!

[jtindahouse · 8/10 · 5 July 2005]

What makes Walking Tall such a good movie, in my opinion, is that you really want The Rock to beat the bad guys. Obviously, in these type of movies the good guys always have to win, so it's really important that the director make sure the good guys come out looking much better than the bad guys so that when the good guys win, the audience is satisfied. This movie does that perfectly having The Rock have something extremely cowardly done to him near the beginning of the film. Johnny Knoxville adds a lot to this movie as well with some good humor. Overall it's just good entertainment the whole time.

So check this out some time because it's a prime example of how a slightly more adult feel-good movie should be done.

Awesome 86mins.

[drpainters · 7/10 · 16 May 2021]

This is a great action movie. Just moves right along, no wasted time with a runtime of 83mins or less without the credits. Really just awesome really rock movie , def worth the watch and rewatches.

Good choice for heroic entertainment action.

[mehmetoney · 7/10 · 30 June 2005]

OK, in my opinion these kind of action movies should not be criticize with an artistic approach. So if we are agree that, sometimes we need to see these kind of heroic action movies, for entertainment and chill out, this movie hits the bulls eye..

I got to admit that, The Rock just fits in the movie. He got everything and more to be a known, demanded actor (like Vin diesel) for these kind of movies. He is a real character actor, and so comfortable in front of the cameras. Actually too comfortable, he could have been a little more passionate. Johnny Knoxville's performance is great. I really enjoyed watching him.

Movie and the story is powerful too. As you know, the story is coming from a local hero Sheriff Bufford Pussers real life, who fought and beat the organized crime in his county at late 1960s...

Many people wrote that the movie is short. I think it is great that this movie was short, because otherwise it would be boring. 80 minutes is a nice time to see the action. Watch it, enjoy it, forget it.

Performances: 8/10 Editing: 5/10 Direction: 7/10

Allover: 6.5/10

Violent motion picture with visceral and raw struggles

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 9 January 2006]

The film focuses on Chris Vaughn (The Rock) a former US soldier who goes back to his home and finds the town is ruled by a corrupt ringleader (Neal McDonough) , owner of the town casino . Drug and crime run over the place and he along with a friend (Johnny Knoxville) decide to clean it, turning himself in County Sheriff . Meanwhile, he falls in love with a stripper . Stand up, fight back, walk tall ! . One man will stand up for what's right !.

The film is a powerful story about one army man and his fight for what he believes in and he has to find justice outside of the law . Director Kevin Bray captures every bone-crunching hit , kick , punch , he wants to make sure that the action was raw , intense action sequences . Today's cinematic world of explosions , gunplay , people floating through the air and everything else you could imagine , however this film is a just straight-up , old-fashioned , old school , hard nose , blue-collar and great feeling of realism . Club-wielding sheriff with a four by four piece of ceder gives hits and punches. The admirable starring rendered by ¨the Rock¨ has a big stick and he's trying to knock somebody's jaw loose. Violents incidents have a different flavor and character to go on and do more to succeed at his goal . The first incident in casino has a train-wreck chaos and hell breaks loose in old-fashioned stomp . In the next incident when he returns for revenge , it's more stealthy kind of shooting style because it's a more stealthy incident , he's got a bit of a plan even though he's acting out of rage , he's using the techniques and skills that he learned in the military . The third is basically just make it as riveting and energetic as possible , just a real thing , director is bringing back the movies of old , of yesterday that really took intensely raw action and put it on screen . This is an ultraviolent crime film wowed the movie-going public.

The flick was professionaly by Kevin Bray. This craftsman began his film career directing the classic urban action comedy, All About the Benjamins, as well as this 2004 remake of Walking Tall. He has also directed over one hundred music videos and commercials, ranging from Whitney Houston to the Beastie Boys. And directing episodes of notorious series , such as : Black-ish , Run , Snowfall , Future Men , The Americans , Shameless , The games , Succession ...The picture is dedicated to the memory of Tenesse folk hero sheriff Buford Passer , being based on real deeds . In fact , the movie is a remake of ¨Walking Tall¨1973 by Phil Karlson (with Joe Don Baker) and spawned numerous sequels directed by Earl Bellamy (with Bo Svenson) and TV series . This film is even more violent than original . Rating : 5.5/10. Average but entertaining.

18 years later...

[joshnorton-93471 · 12 June 2022]

The movie kinda holds up. I. Recently rewatched it and maybe I liked it more because it reminded me of my youth or because it was just a fun movie. I watched it with my 8 year old and he loved it. Which is strange because he pretty much doesn't like anything with a made date before he was born.

The Rock is the next Action Hero

[asif_el_huq · 6/10 · 8 August 2004]

If you liked Schwarzenegger's flicks in the 80s and early 90s then you will love this. The Rock has unbelievable charisma as Wrestling fans are aware off.

The storyline is decent and is in fact a re-make of a 70s film, which was a surprise hit.

The Rock shows all the acumen of an action hero. Vin Diesel has a fight on his hands if he wants to challenge The Rock as the no.1 action hero in Hollywood.

The film is not mind blowing but is entertaining. A great night out for the guys.

Solid Early Rock

[pmtelefon · 7/10 · 4 October 2022]

This "Walking Tall" has only the outline of the real story of American hero Bufford Pusser. It's a standard early Rock action movie. But since they dedicated the movie to Sheriff Bufford Pusser, all is forgiven. This movie looks great and has a ton of action. The cast is very likeable, especially Johnny Knoxville and a wildly dreamy Ashley Scott. It's short running time (86 minutes) is an added bonus. "Walking Tall" gets a slight demerit for being PG-13. An R rating could have juiced it up a little bit. Despite my disappointment that it didn't tell the actual story, "Walking Tall" ends up being a fun (and sexy at times) action movie. Honorable mention: the always welcome Michael Bowen.

"Walking Tall": Good, Disposable Fun

[jharvey-4 · 7/10 · 2 April 2004]

Just when you thought Arnold Schwartzenegger-style action adventure movies were dead, here comes The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) in "Walking Tall". Less comedic than "The Rundown" but more intense and action-packed, "Walking Tall" is pure, popcorn-chomping fun.

In "Walking Tall", Chris Vaughn (The Rock), a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, returns to his small hometown in rural Washington State to take a job at the local lumber mill. Once there, he finds that drugs, crime, and corruption have consumed his hometown. At the root of the town's problems lies Vaughn's former childhood friend, Jay Hamilton Jr. (Neal McDonough) who owns the new casino.

Of course, Vaughn gets pushed too far and wants his old hometown back. This sets him on a collision course (pun fully intended...) with Hamilton, which includes bone-crunching fistfights, massive fireballs, much gunfire, wanton destruction, and perilously thin plotting.

But hey, you don't go see movies starring The Rock for Shakespearean acting or Hitchcock-style plotting. I had a great time with this movie and highly recommend it.

Good Fun

[johnfrancisco1987 · 7/10 · 6 November 2006]

Any movie based on the Buford Pusser story should know it's place. This movie knows it's a brainless action flick, doesn't pretend to be anything else, and manages to hit all the right notes.

Those watching to see the Rock do his thing won't be disappointed. Likewise, those tuning in for the comedy stylings of Johnny Knoxville will find what they're looking for.

No elaborate plot set-up needed here. Wind them up and let them go. Great action sequences. Some snappy one-liners. And most importantly, only 80 minutes long.

A really fun way to kill an hour and a bit.

Great ACTION flick...

[popeye13 · 10/10 · 26 April 2004]

I love the fact that good ol' action movies are making a comeback. I missed the days of Commando, Predator, Rambo, Die Hard, and the list goes on. Now with such movies as Walking Tall, The Rundown, The Punisher, and the Chronicles of Riddick, I am in heaven. The Rock IS the next big action star. When you go see a movie like this, don't expect the word "Oscar" to be mentioned. I went to see this movie tonight and I wanted to see an action movie. I don't give a rat's ass if anybody besides The Rock can act. I don't care if the camera work sucks. I want to see people get beat up and s**t blow up. Walking Tall delivers. The Rock and Johnny Knoxville are great together, I enjoyed this combo better than The Rock and SWS. Great flick.

A good remake

[wrlang · 6/10 · 24 August 2006]

The original Walking Tall was a childhood favorite of mine. The Rock makes a nice substitute in this movie that has lots of action and fighting as expected. Vaughn (Rock) comes back from the military and finds his old town taken over by the rich kid who closed down the mill in favor of gambling, porn, and drugs. He tries to intervene when his young nephew is almost killed by drugs and is beaten back and arrested. Watch the movie to find out how he wins his trial and what he does afterward to bring the town back from the dark side. Acting wasn't as crisp as it could have been, but it wasn't the worst either. A strong cast helped all the way around. Good camera work, a little tight in during the fights indicating they had some trouble with choreography.

empty, halfhearted remake

[Buddy-51 · 3/10 · 23 December 2005]

As society in general became progressively more liberal in the 1970's, an entire genre of films rose up in reaction to the trend - movies in which an individual, frustrated with a legal system that seemed to be coddling criminals, took it upon himself to mete out his own brand of "frontier justice," usually involving personal vengeance and vigilante-style violence. The seminal films of this genre - "Billy Jack," "Dirty Harry," "Death Wish" and "Walking Tall" - all found favor with mass audiences, although critics tended to dismiss them as, at best, reactionary, and, at worst, neo-fascist in nature. Now, one of them, "Walking Tall," has been retrofitted to cater to audiences in the already far more conservative 21st Century.

The original 1973 "Walking Tall" was based on the true story of Buford Pusser, the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, who won fame by single-handedly wiping out the criminal elements who had overrun his town. It was a one-man "crusade for justice" that came at great personal cost to himself and his family (his wife was murdered and Pusser died a few years later in a "mysterious" car accident). In this new version - which eliminates most of the grittier elements of the story and turns it into a rock'em-sock'em, live-action cartoon - Pusser's name has been changed to Chris Vaughn and the locale has been moved from the Appalachians to the Pacific Northwest. Chris is a recently discharged soldier who, upon returning to his small hometown, discovers that the place has become a hotbed of vice and corruption, its citizenry forced to live in fear under the tyrannical control of the local casino owner and all-around meanie, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough). When Chris has finally had a bellyful of malfeasance and sleaze, he decides to run for sheriff, vowing to bring the criminals to their knees, and thus allowing the good folks of the town to reclaim their community.

This is a silly and shallow film whose only real purpose seems to be to give the perpetually self-righteous and outraged Vaughn an excuse to hurl endless bric-a-brac and breakaway furniture around the set while the local townsfolk look on in slack-jawed amazement. Never one to be deterred by such quaint and fusty notions as civil liberties or Miranda rights, Sheriff Vaughn chases down the bad guys one by one, smashing heads and busting bones as he goes. The plot is so underdeveloped that the final confrontation scene between Chris and his arch nemesis, Hamilton, feels like a mere afterthought. The film runs barely 75 minutes, yet boasts a 10-minute long closing credit sequence to pad it out to 85! It's as if even the filmmakers themselves had run out of interest in the project and figured they might as well just wrap things up as quickly as possible so they would be free to move on to bigger and better things.

Usually, in a film based on true life events, when the names are changed, it's to protect the innocent. In the case of "Walking Tall," it's more likely that the people who made the film were trying to protect themselves from being sued by the Pusser estate.