Walking Tall (2004)

Released in 2004 and directed by Kevin Bray, "Walking Tall" is a rural drama/thriller starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as ex-soldier Chris Vaughn, who returns to his small town home in Kitsap County, Washington (the Puget Sound area), where he discovers corruption has taken over; the nucleus being a casino owned by the pompous Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough). Since the police are in league with Hamiliton, Vaughn decides to run for Sheriff to clean up the town. Johnny Knoxville is on hand as Vaughn's sidekick while John Beasley plays his dad, Ashley Scott his ex-girlfriend and Kristen Wilson his sister. This is a loose remake of the hit 1973 film based on real-life sheriff Buford Pusser. The biggest changes are that Vaughn is trying to stop the selling of illegal drugs rather than illegal moonshine, and the film's setting has switched from rural Tennessee to rural Washington (although shot in Squamish, British Columbia, which is close enough geographically). "Walking Tall" takes its time to set up the rural town community – Vaughn's mixed-racial family, his friends & acquaintances, the police and the workers of the casino. Everything amps-up in the second act when he visits the casino and doesn't like what he sees. This is a solid, if unexceptional, crime drama/action flick marred by a cartoony climax that is so overdone it almost seems cut & pasted from another movie. The film runs 86 minutes.GRADE: C+ or B- (5.5/10)

It is evident that over the years The Rock's career as an actor has improved, but I do think this is a fun enjoyable fun that does have its negatives but also definitely has its positives. The story sees an ex army guy Chris returning home as he attempts to clean up his town from the corruption within. The Rock was quite new at this point and for this film he was great in the role, he used all his charm and charisma in the role but not a lot of acting is really portrayed by him. Johnny Knoxville did a good job as the Rock's best friend and adds good comic relief to the film. I also thought the main villain was portrayed well with him being a good adversary for The Rock. But I thought the Rock's romance was underused and not given enough screen time also the corrupt sheriff is in the same position and doesn't add much to the film. The story is decent seeing a story of an average man attempting to do what's right and fix his down. However, there was other parts of the stories that were not given enough screen time and it took away from the whole film. The script was alright with the chemistry between The Rock and Knoxville being really good but some of the dialogue was poor from some of the other characters. The style in the film is really cool with the action being great and the hard hitting emphasise the realism of the film. Overall this is a fun film but isn't a great film which could of surely been improved.

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.

I admire this man's reasoning (Chris Vaughn) on the matter which propels him to move forward in this matter. He must pay the price to make practicality rise with(in) the LAW. He must prove himself worthy of it's words and insist. The law may seem within all of us and he is bringing forth more witnesses as this tale of the heart regarding importance matters to us all and regardless of any color or race. The heart of a man in Chris Vaughn brings about speculation and a respect of values. Watch further as this mind ensues and sincerely commits to a challenge. A man must look into his conscience in respect to thine honorable feelings remitting doubt and to make matters clear within the spirit of the peoples of a town, and perhaps all of us. Watch consciously-beware.