Walking Tall



Walking Tall is a remake of the Joe Don Baker movie of the same name from 1973, with Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson in the Baker role. The original is probably the classic in the genre of hixploitation (if such a genre can be said to have a classic), but the remake isn't quite so heavy on the redneck stereotypes, nor is the main character nearly as psychotic.


Moments later George Steinbrenner signed him to the Yankees.

The story is simple. Chris Vaughn (The Rock) is a soldier returning to his home town after years away. He finds out that the town has changed -- the old mill has closed, his girlfriend is a stripper, and the town is now controlled by a gang that traffics in gambling, drugs and prostitution. It's more than Chris can bear, and after an incident where Chris catches an employee of the local casino cheating, Chris gets in a fight with gang and is left for dead. Chris survives and shows up at the casino with a 4x4 and busts the place up. He's arrested but acquitted, so he runs for sheriff. Of course he wins (in the original the other candidate was killed in fiery car wreck, but this movie posits a fair election), and he uses his position to harass the gang out of business.

Walking Tall is well produced, with good acting all around, and the cinematography does a good job of picking up the texture of small town life. However, the script is strictly on automatic pilot, and doesn't add anything new to the story other than a subplot based on High Noon (1952). The only reason to go see this movie (and let's face it, this is what the filmmakers were counting on) is the Rock. He's a charismatic presence, and a good actor, especially if you compare him to all of the other people who have tried to become action stars based on having well-sculpted bodies.

A few other random thoughts:

The fight theme Graeme Revell composed for the film sounds like it is based on the score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

I wonder if this film wasn't a victim of the flap over Janet Jackson's nipple. There's absolutely no nudity in the film despite the fact that the casino is full of strippers, and even some shots of women who should be wearing wet t-shirts are curiously unrevealing. I wouldn't be surprised if the latter were manipulated digitally, they're rather odd looking.

Walking Tall has a shot where a piece of a debris from an explosion that wasn't on set hits the camera, an effect I first noticed in XXX (2002). It's an odd way to try to recreate the grittiness of less technically proficient action films.

Posted: Sun - March 28, 2004 at      

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