Walking Tall (2004)

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Best movie of this year hands down!

As Good As It Gets

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has always had a strong fan base. Even starting out early in his film career, he had loyal followers just by playing the lead in the silly and yet fun The Scorpion King (2002). Although not every film The Rock auditioned for had this kind of tone, not many outside viewers could take him as a serious actor. Most of that skepticism was from his other career in the WWE. However no matter the case Johnson kept his feet in the pool and made a couple of movies here and there before he really took on more projects as years passed. For Johnson's rise to stardom, it was his first batch of films that got him seen by more people. This film was one of them along with The Scorpion King (2002) and The Rundown (2003). Is it to say that this film tops or is equal to a lot of other great action/revenge films or the remake of Walking Tall (1973) it was based on - no. But does it still entertain? Yes.Directed by TV show director Kevin Bray and had a screenplay written by four people, this tale of "don't mess with a man's home" certainly shows how hostile people can become when their nostalgia is messed with. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays Chris Vaughn, a military veteran who just returned from service. After visiting his home, he heads out and begins to notice the town he grew up in isn't all that it used to be. The lumber mill factory his father (John Beasley) used to work at is closed down. His young nephew is being influenced by the wrong people and an associate of his, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) established an out of place casino in the middle of town. That's just a few things; as time goes on, Chris begins noticing more and more things that make him realize how far south his hometown has gone. Once Vaughn gets angry enough he grabs a 2x4 and takes matters into his own hands.Accompanying Vaughn in his self-made mission is Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville) and Deni (Ashley Scott). The character of Deni is an important part of the plot because she gives Vaughn another reason to retaliate. As for development, the four writers couldn't manage to make her any different from any other action film. It's not that say the development does not exist, it's just overly predictable and cliché to use. It can be said that for the character of Ray (for people that know of Knoxville's acting) that it's not very different from other Knoxville performances. Yet, Knoxville is funny and lively edition to the cast. He balances out the straight, no games attitude Dwayne Johnson carries around and Ashley Scott's typecast action role. There's several moments where Knoxville is just allowed to go cuckoo and it just makes the appreciation for the character go way up. For all it's worth, Knoxville may just be playing himself, who knows. Neal McDonough as the casino owner has a number of deadpan comical moments as well. This is mostly due to how he sees Chris Vaughn and how their relationship changes over time. Kevin Durand has a minor role in this film and although his character isn't likable, his character also has a key part to play in the unfolding of the story. As for action, all sequences are well staged and pack enough energy to keep the film going (even if the end credits take up 12 minutes of time). Dwayne Johnson carrying anything (it doesn't have to be a gun) as a weapon is an instant win just because of how sheer deadly he can be. However, in the writing there was a missed opportunity and that belongs to the finale fight. It's not that it doesn't look good or isn't fun. The thing is, where the fight initially starts actually looks like it would've been a better setting for the final action sequence to take place. Sadly as soon as the setting was introduced, it was quickly moved to somewhere else. Imagine if it did stay there though (for those who saw it already)?The cinematography for this movie belongs to Glen MacPherson. Although a lot of MacPherson's experience is being the director of photography for TV movies, his camera-work looks good here too. Even with a number of scenes taking place in doors, the shots are all well lit and have lots of color. Plus like several other cinematographers, getting shots of landscape is important to give the audience a sense of the scope the setting takes place in and MacPherson did that nicely. The music produced by Graeme Revell was adequate although it was a bit undistinguished. A number of scenes have country/rock soundtrack songs inserted for transition and then there's just instrumental music that are only acoustic. It's difficult to say whether that's Revell or not. However when it came to action cues it was definitely Revell because of his use of tribal drums and electronic clicks. For those parts it reminisced to that of the Daredevil (2003) score. It is weird how Revell doesn't get all of his scores released though. What's the point of making music and not releasing it?Aside from a missed opportunity in setting for the finale and cliché character development, this is a lean, solid action flick. Dwayne Johnson brings the muscle into the action sequences, Johnny Knoxville brings the energy with the laughs, the music suits the scenes and the cinematography is well shot.

This movie, given its star actor, is what I imagine watching a wrestling match is like. There is nonstop action and movement with breaks taken only due to fatigue. From the opening camera moving across the landscape, to Chris on a moving ferry, to Chris walking for the entire opening credits back home, you don't encounter many, if any, scenes of one setting, with two actors in a one-on-one situation, engaging in dialogue for several long minutes. Maybe that's a drama, and this, to be sure, is certainly no drama movie. So much happens in this movie, which seems to make it so interesting, and a rush. What some people spend their entire lives doing or could take more than one lifetime doing -- weeding out corruption and social rot in a city/town, seems to get accomplished in the span of a couple months. Also in that time-frame Chris wins a small election (details of which aren't shown) which turns in to a good job and gets back with his former girlfriend. Does life happen this quickly for some people, especially somebody who was away for eight years? In "Walking Tall", it did.

There is absolutely nothing special about this movie. It is average all the way. It is however a decent enough off-the-shelf action flick which fulfills its purpose. That is to provide an hour and a half of decent entertainment.Our hero comes back from being away for quite a while and finds the bad guys are in control. A pretty classical story which have been used since the first movies were made (and even before that). The movie can easily be said to be a modern day Western movie as far as the story goes.Our hero, Dwayne Johnson, is doing a decent job of being a hero. The actions scenes, which is really why you are watching this movie after all, are reasonably well done. Of course they are more of TV-movie quality than anything else but good enough in the context of this movie.The movie plays out more or less exactly as you would expect. Hero comes home, find bad guys in control, gets into shuffle with bad guys, bad guys tries to take on hero via family and friends, fails, hero goes after main bad guy in a long chase/fight, happy ending, roll after texts. As I wrote, it could just as well have been an old Western movie. The traditional western saloon is replaced by a casino and the whiskey and cattle is replaced with crooked gambling and some modern drug dealing.The one part I though was silly, as in bad silly, was the trial in the first half of the movie. Warning, spoiler ahead! I mean, come on. Hero demolishes Casino and gets put on trial, hero shows jury his scars and asks to get a non-guilty verdict, jury happily obliges him. What the f…? Apart from this the movie completed its mission of knocking and hour and a half off my life while keeping me from being bored in front of the TV.

The Rock is one of the greatest performer in and outside of the ring, but 'Walking Tall' isn't one of his best. Dwayne Johnson is missing the stuff that made him famous. His character of Chris Vaughn lacks his sense of humor, his charisma, and his ability to hook the audience's attention. Hooking the audience is the key and sadly this movie does not. The Rock's persona got cut back, as Chris felt more like a bland Boy Scout. Chris Vaughn is supposedly based on famous sheriff, Bufurd Pusser of the 1960's. This film ever cut the best parts of the original Walking Tall story by having the events place out in Washington, rather than the Deep South. Nothing against Washington, but the Deep South is where the real Buford Pusser's story begins. Pusser is known for his virtual one-man war on moon-shining, prostitution, gambling, and other vices on the Mississippi-Tennessee state-line. As sheriff, Pusser survived seven stabbings and eight shootings. At less, the 1973 version kept him in the same area and same name. That movie had Joe Don Baker as Buford Pusser, and it did kinda strays pretty far from the basic facts of the crusading sheriff's life. It's not a great film, but there is some entertainment value associated with it despite the endless amounts of boom mikes in some of its shots. The film made Pusser, a ex pro-wrestler who comes over to stop a casino and prostitution ring with a 2x4 Wooden Board, that was later use as a gimmick for another wrestler Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Walking Tall was rated R, having more violence than the 2004 version. For goodness sakes, Pusser almost got his jaw almost blown off, and his T-shirt so soaked with blood. The 2004 movie plays it safe with it being PG-13. Having it PG-13 somewhat hurts the film, due to the reasons that I can't find the villains to be much of a threat, the Rock can't be the bad-ass he is, and the movie felt like safe career move for Dwayne Johnson. Vaughn, the homespun do-gooder underdog type, will only further cement Dwayne likable movie persona. That's why it seem like Chris Vaughn is carrying a 2x4 of boredom while cleaning his town. After return home from service, U.S Army Special Forces Chris Vaughn looks for work at the mill to find it closed and a casino has taken it's place as the main source of income of the town. He soon find out that his old school mate Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) is the owner. Neal McDonough is just what you'd expect from a generic bad guy - he does a lot of sneering and nothing more. Not only does Jay own the place, but his ex-girlfriend Deni (Ashley Scott) works as a stripper there. Ashley Scott is just what you'd expect from a generic girlfriend - she has a nice body, an acceptable face, and almost no dialogue. After noticing the casino is fixed and selling drugs. He wrecked the place. So if you want to become Sheriff, go berserk and wreck a casino. Then become your own lawyer at your trial, and plead why you should be Sheriff to a town that hasn't saw you in years. Tell them that the casino is evil despite probably most of them income comes from working at the casino. Yes-surely that would trust you. Chris Vaughn runs for sheriff, wins somehow and fired all the polices due to original Sheriff abusing his power. Rock doesn't like that, so Rock abusing his power to fight against the casino. Meh. Chris call upon his friend Ray (Johnny Knoxville) to try to stop the casino's drug running. Clearly Johnny is just there to be a comedy relief and it's just awfully clear. He plays himself most of the time. Sorry, but I don't buy Chris Vaughn, a crusader against drugs hanging out with a foreign alcoholic man like Ray. Their goal to ruin the casino, and save the town by doing so. Wouldn't the town go under if the casino went away, and how on earth will they rebuild the mill with no money? Does he have a million dollars somewhat to start it back up? Face it, this movie is lackluster at best, and is lead by a man who is only famous for beating up other men in questionable context. The action fighting scene looks faker than the pro-wrestling, he came from. For somebody that came from the Special Forces, his character really doesn't know how to do hand to hand combat. Lot of dull moments full of combination of very loosely based fact and Hollywood revisionism. Walking Tall had the potential of being something very good, but end up playing it safe.