WALKING TALL
Reviewed by: Harvey S. Karten
Grade:B
MGM
Directed by: Kevin Bray
Written by: Channing Gibson, David Klass, David Levien, Brian
Koppelman, from Mort Briskin's screenplay
Cast: The Rock, Neal McDonough, Johnny Knoxville, John
Beasley, Barbara Tarbuck, Kristen Wilson, Kevin Durand,
Ashley Scott, Michael Bowen, Khleo Thomas
Screened at: MGM, NYC, 3/29/04
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman regularly beats
the drums for globalization, a phenomenon that's highly
controversial but is supported by Friedman without conflict.
What triggers anger against the U.S. administration-endorsed
policy is that corporations can take advantage of cheap labor
abroad, sending their jobs overseas and resulting in massive
layoffs in American plants. Friedman believes that new
industries can be created here in the U.S., with workers
retraining for the 21st century doing what America does
best which is decidedly not manufacturing.
In "Walking Tall," the villain could be called a supporter of the
aforementioned columnist as well as a cheerleader for
President Bush, but though local politics rather than
international intrigue plays the heavy role in Kevin Bray's re-
imagining of Phil Karlson's 1973 pic starring Don Baker in the
role now played by The Rock, we do get a picture of how
American workers can indeed be retrained for new jobs. Chris
Vaughn (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) doesn't like what he
sees, he doesn't like the way workers have been retrained, and
he means to do something about it. Think globally, act locally.
What's happening in the Washington state of the story (filmed
by Glen MacPherson in the Vancouver area) is that the local mill
in a hamlet beautifully framed by mountains has been shut
down. The whole town had depended on jobs in the mill, which
has been bought out and converted into a casino by Vaughn's
wealthy high-school chum, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough), a
handsome, steel-eyed fellow who at first embraces Vaughn,
who has just returned to the town after a stint in the U.S. Special
Forces. Vaughn's high-school girlfriend, Deni (Ashley Scott), is
now dancing around a pole while others have taken jobs as
croupiers and security guards, but while Vaughn obviously
disapproves, his dander rises only when his nephew, Pete
(Khelo Thomas), is strung out on crystal meth allegedly
distributed by the honchos at the casino and when his pals are
being taken for a ride by weighted dice at the craps table.
"Walking Tall," inspired like the 1973 film by the true story of
Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, finds comic relief in the antics
of "Jackass" star Johnny Knoxville in the role of recovering
addict and newly deputized sheriff, Ray Templeton. The Rock,
however, dominates the proceedings throughout. A buff,
charismatic fellow on whose wrong side you don't want to get,
The Rock's performance comes from a long line of quiet men
(Gary Cooper in "High Noon," for example, or Clint Eastwood as
Dirty Harry), who get the job done, civil liberties be damned. A
right-wing fantasy, "Walking Tall" is unlikely to cheered by
members of the American Civil Liberties Union, but the targeted
audience young men (and young women as well, attracted by
the muscular and handsome hero), will likely eat up the fight
scenes while at the same time tolerating the tepid family drama
involving the returning war hero with folks who may not have
seen him for eight years and are now living in a modest,
wooden home, resigned to the loss of the town's only reputable
employment.
The physical conflicts, energetically edited by George Bowers
and Robert Ivison, pit Vaughn, large wooden club in
hand against security guards, auto tail lights. In a sizzling
climactic scene Vaughn finds the branch of a tree an able
counter to Jay Hamilton's swinging axe. To keep the PG-13
rating, director Bray makes sure that the lovely Deni keeps her
red bra firmly in place while smooching with Chris, though the
MPAA apparently has given a free hand to the ensemble to
create mayhem with assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, a hatchet,
and explosives. A nice, briskly paced, ultra-violent scenario that
makes good use of The Rock's charisma.
Rated PG-13. 86 minutes.(c) 2004 by Harvey Karten at
Harveycritic@cs.com
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