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Movie Review - Walking Tall
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Kevin Bray |
| Starring: |
the Rock, Johnny Knoxville, and Neal McDonough |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (intense violence, sexual content, drug material, and language) |
| Length: |
87 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Adventure |
| Website: |
Walking Tall |
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PLOT
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A former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces (the Rock) returns to his hometown to find that bad
guys now control it. When the law refuses to help clean things up, he decides to take matters into
his own hands with a little help from his trusty 2-by-4. The Rock kicking major amounts of buttock
ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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"Now wait just a minute. Is it true that there's a remake of 'Walking Tall' and it stars the
Rock? The Rock is playing Buford Pusser? That don't seem right! What up??"
Thanks for asking. Actually, this isn't exactly a remake. It's "inspired" by the original, but the two aren't
all that similar. The premise isn't drastically different, and the Rock (who plays a character named Chris
Vaughn, NOT Buford Pusser) carries a big stick, but that's where the similarities end. However, both movies
have the uncanny ability to attract moviegoers with mullets.
"All right, wisenheimer, well what's the movie about then?"
Oh, it's about 75 - 80 minutes ... BA DUM DUM PSH! Thank you, thank you. Actually, this is a good, old-fashioned,
crowd-pleasing, butt-kicking action movie. Let's be honest, the plot isn't gonna send "Memento" screaming for
the hills, and Webster isn't exactly printing its next edition with a picture of the movie poster next to the
word "original," but this is a movie that delivers what it promises.
Critics and movie snobs will find plenty to complain about, as they never fail to do, but as soon as the Rock
first realized that there's cheating going on at the casino, I thought to myself, "Oh yeah, brains are about to
be punched in! GO ROCK!" Sure enough, the Rock proceeded to lay the smack down on a bevy of security guards,
and I smiled the whole time.
Ladies, you may not be able to relate, but every single testosterone-fueled guy has played out a similar
situation like that in his head with himself as the hero. I'll never forget the time, in my head, when 6
thugs knocked my mom down, and tried to steal Stephanie's purse. "Wanted Dead or Alive" was the theme music
that played in my mind as I took each of the baddies out in succession. Um, getting back to the review...
"What a dork. So does the Rock do a good job?"
The Rock shows that he has what it takes to be the next big action star that can appeal to both guys and gals,
and his personality and charisma make it very easy to root for him. Kind of like me. I'm not gonna try to
convince you that the movie is perfect. It has a few problems. My main complaint is that it was TOO SHORT!
As a result, some scenes felt a little rushed. But isn't it a good thing when you're actually left wishing
a movie had been longer? You might also want to prepare to suspend disbelief a few times (especially when the
bad guys have video game guns that never run out of ammunition), but that's to be expected in a movie like
this. Also, character development was about as slight as Tom Cruise's height.
"So what did you like better, this or 'The Rundown'?"
It's hard to say. I laughed more during "The Rundown," but "Walking Tall" was a little more serious and delivered
more in regard to the Rock just bashing in heads. It all depends on my mood. Much like a Johnny Betts review,
both entertain and deliver the goods.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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There's one "f" word, and a few other profanities, but overall, the language isn't that bad. No explicit
nudity, but we do see scantily dressed women in short shorts dancing around in the casino. There's one scene
involving an exotic dancer that the kiddos definitely don't need to see. The violence isn't overly gory or bloody,
but some of it is a little much for the youngsters. This isn't exactly my mom's type of movie.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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After watching the trailer you should expect a movie with a little bit of humor and a lot of the Rock
kicking bad guy butt. Well guess what, that's exactly what you get. I got what I was expecting, and maybe
even a little more.
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THE GIST
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If you like the Rock and/or old-school action movies that don't rely on a plethora of CGI and special effects,
then I recommend "Walking Tall." Just don't expect much more than bad guys getting exactly what they deserve.
But don't we all love to see a little of that at times? Add in some funny and crazy antics by Johnny Knoxville,
and you've got a fun, entertaining movie that's sure to please.
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