A man walks off some mode of transport (in this case, as boat), and looking tough, sunglasses and all, heads towards town with a burlap bag slung over his shoulder. With a slow, but edgy, song playing in the background (“”Midnight Rider”” by the Allman Brothers in this instance), this guy walks past boarded up stores and people who have seen better times; he stops occasionally to look around. Finally, he comes to a place seeking a job, only what is supposed to be the number one employer around (here, it’s the mill) has been closed for some time…
This opening, which also happens to be the opening of the film, sounds very generic, and to be honest, most of this movie is just that. It could be any flick, about someone coming to a place, discovering that things aren’t just right, and seeks to change them through less than pacifist means. This involves the requisite beating up of thugs, grinning, swaggering, more beating up of thugs, and maybe some funny remarks at the expense of the villain(s).The latest movie in this category is “”Walking Tall””, which is very very loosely based on the exploits of Buford Pusser, a sheriff from Tennessee who was notorious for being hard on criminals in his home area, and for literally carrying a big stick. Pusser’s life inspired a series of films in the 1970s–the first of which was the original version of “”Walking Tall””–as well as a TV show in 1981. While these earlier incarnations kept Pusser as the name of the lead character, and generally kept the location to where the real events took place (the South), this 2004 version is set in the Pacific Northwest (Kitsap County, Washington to be specific) and main character’s name has been changed as well. Chris Vaughn (Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock) has returned to his hometown after a stint in the special forces, only to find the mill–which had been the town’s main employer and where he had hoped to find work–closed. Still, he is pleased to see his family, specifically his parents (John Beasley and Barbara Tarbuck), older sister Michelle (Kristen Wilson), and teenage nephew Pete (Khleo Thomas)–the last one seems to partake in illegal substances, something that becomes important later on. Also around is his friend ‘Ray Ray’ (Johnny Knoxville) who, after partaking in a music career, and drugs, now works in construction and drives a camper, and local girl, and potential love interest, Deni (Ashley Scott). It isn’t long before the film gets to the matter at hand–the action–especially the running time is little more than an hour and a quarter! Chris joins Ray for a pickup football game with some long time friends, including Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) owner of the casino–the new number one business in town after the closing of the mill. Following the game, Jay invites some of the guys over to this gambling mecca, and Chris, seeing something not right at one of the tables, gets into a scuffle, and then another, and soon…Some of the thugs, rather the security guys from the casino torture Chris and leave him for dead (not a smart thing to do to The Rock…just a thought). Since he’s a tough guy, he gets back on his feet soon enough–and when a family tragedy occurs, one in which the above thugs are indirectly responsible, Chris goes all ballistic. He makes a special visit to Jay’s place of work, and trashes the place. Following this outburst, he’s arrested and put on trial. The situation becomes such that Chris decides to take his own defense (The Rock as defense lawyer..hmmm), and wins the case, thanks in part to…tough talk, a vow to run for office, and some harsh physical evidence. The trial comes out in his favor, and just like that, he’s sheriff.[pagebreak]The story is simple enough, and frankly could be any story, for any action film. It didn’t need to be based on Pusser’s life—especially since the resemblance to that is minimal. What remains then, is material similar to other genre flicks, only instead of Sly Stallone, Bruce Willis, or Patrick Swayze (“”Roadhouse”” comes to mind), it’s The Rock doing the pummeling–and pummel he does.Suffice to say, the film is predictable and features foreshadowing, such as during the pick-up football game, or when Chris’ father talks about not using the gun around the house. Story-wise–well, there really isn’t much of one, it’s just the thought mentioned earlier–a guy strolls into town and literally shakes things up. The relationship between the protagonist and Deni also seems to just happen, and involves usage of a really mellow version of the song “”Blue Monday”” (performed by Flunk)This being said, some might find the adrenaline-charged scenes fun, though these, again, could be in any number of films. Adding more fun to the proceedings is Knoxville as Ray: the “”Jackass”” star provides some decent moments, and humor, such as his response when Chris asks him to be a sheriff’s deputy, or when he is subsequently explains the drug trade to Chris. Giving credit where credit is due, Knoxville does throw some mean punches himself, including an inadvertent one to The Rock (sounds like a “”Jackass”” stunt).The Rock himself does a fair job, given what he’s asked to do–and what he’s known for doing, i.e. beating people to a pulp. He gets in some fun moments too, such as during his defense trial, or a “”tail lights”” moment. Nothing major, or award-winning, here, but adequate for what is necessary for the film.””Walking Tall””, then, is not that good a film–far from it really–and bears little physical resemblance, unlike the 1970s films, to Pusser’s life. Still, for those looking for straight-up action, and occasional humorous bits from Knoxville, in a compact (75 minutes long) film to boot, they will get their fill.Grade: CEM Reviewby Andrew Haas4/2/04