A runaway box-office hit to the tune of 17 million dollars, Walking Tall is the unabashedly manipulative story of real-life Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser. As played by Joe Don Baker, Pusser can either be regarded as a tireless champion of justice or a baseball-bat-wielding hooligan. But with some of the most scurrilous villains this side of a Republic serial as the main targets of Pusser's wrath, the audience cannot help but applaud the sheriff's strongarm methods. When the town baddies seek vengeance by killing Pusser's wife (Elizabeth Hartman), the you-know-what really hits the fan! Never resorting to subtlety, Walking Tall was such a winner that it spawned two sequels, a made-for-television movie, and a weekly TV series -- none of which were enjoyed by the real Buford Pusser, who had long since died under questionable circumstances. At the time of the film's theatrical release, the MPAA rating system was comparatively new, so the studio launched an ad campaign aimed at parents, letting them know that the R-rated Walking Tall contained violence and not sex, and therefore was good family entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Review
Looked at from a modern viewpoint, it's easy to understand why critics of the early '70s had problems with Walking Tall. Its politics support knee-jerk vigilante justice, the technical credits are hit-and-miss (note the frequent boom shots), the plot rewrites the real events that inspired the story to manipulate its audience, and it wallows in brutal violence. However, it also remains easy to see why this film clicked with the audiences of the day. It is exciting, it milks its gritty premise for all the action and drama it can muster, and it is driven by an unforgettable, star-making lead performance from Joe Don Baker. Mort Briskin's script is shamelessly manipulative in its shuffling of the facts, but still manages to work on a basic good vs. evil level. Phil Karlson, a veteran director of gritty crime melodramas like The Phenix City Story, captures the story's sweaty Southern atmosphere nicely and stages the events in a tough, pull-no-punches fashion that makes up for its lack of finesse with its sheer visceral power. However, the best element of the film is Joe Don Baker's performance as Buford Pusser. His down-home charm tempers the recklessly obsessive nature of his character, he delivers an impressive physical presence during the frequent action scenes, and he pours plenty of heartfelt emotion into the film's more dramatic moments. His presence dominates the film, but it is also worth noting that Elizabeth Hartman delivers a fine supporting performance as Pusser's wife, who plays a careful-thinking devil's advocate to his justice-obsessed character and lends the story a bit of humane warmth in the process. In short, Walking Tall may be a little too dated and lacking in polish for many modern viewers, but it is necessary viewing for anyone interested in action cinema since it remains one of the most influential (and frequently imitated) films of this genre to emerge from the 1970s. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi
Phyllis Garr - Costume Designer, Oscar Rodriguez - Costume Designer, David Hall - First Assistant Director, Ralph E. Black - First Assistant Director, Phil Karlson - Director, Harry Gerstad - Editor, Charles A. Pratt - Executive Producer, Walter Scharf - Composer (Music Score), Don Black - Songwriter, Jack H. Young - Makeup, Joe Altadonna - Production Designer, Philip M. Jefferies - Production Designer, Stan Jolley - Production Designer, Jack A. Marta - Cinematographer, Mort Briskin - Producer, Charles A. Pratt - Producer, Joel Briskin - Producer, Sass Bedig - Special Effects, David Dockendorf - Sound/Sound Designer, Andrew Gilmore - Sound/Sound Designer, Gil Perkins - Stunts, Carey Loftin - Stunts, Mort Briskin - Screenwriter, Johnny Mathis - Featured Music
Pusser, at his wife Pauline's behest, retires from the professional wrestling ring and moves back to Tennessee to start a logging business with his father, Carl Pusser. With a friend, he visits a gambling and prostitution establishment, the Lucky Spot, and is beaten up after catching them cheating at craps. Pusser is seriously injured with a knife and receives over 200 stitches. He complains to the sheriff but is ignored, and soon becomes aware of the rampant corruption in McNairy County. Pusser decides to clean up the county and runs for sheriff. Buford Pusser wins, and becomes famous for being incorruptible, intolerant of crime, and for his array of four foot hickory clubs which he uses to great effect in destroying clandestine gambling dens and illegal distilleries, and even against criminals.
Some residents praise Buford Pusser as an honest cop in a crooked town; others denounce him as a bully willing to break some laws to uphold others.
Pusser is ambushed more than once, and finally he and Pauline are ambushed in their car. Pauline is killed, and Pusser is seriously injured, admitted to the hospital after being shot for the second time. Still in a neck and face cast, he rams a sheriff cruiser through the front doors of the Lucky Spot, killing two of the men who attacked him.
As he leaves with two deputies, the town arrives and throws the gambling tables and furniture into a pile in the parking lot and lights a bonfire, while Pusser wipes tears from his eyes.
Sequels
The original Walking Tall was a hit, but the sequels, Walking Tall Part 2 (September 28, 1975), and Walking Tall: Final Chapter (May 31,1977), both starring Bo Svenson, were far less profitable. On December 9, 1978, CBS aired "A Real American Hero", with Brian Dennehy as Buford Pusser. Forrest Tucker reprised his role as Carl Pusser from "Walking Tall: Final Chapter". This 2-hour TV movie was originally titled "The Letter of the Law". It was retitled "Hard Stick" for a VHS release in the 1980's. A short-lived 1981 television series Walking Tall (again starring Svenson) further dramatized Pusser's life and career. The TV series began on January 17, 1981, and, after seven one-hour segments, was last aired on March 31, 1981.
In 2004, a remake starring professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was made. Although it took many elements of Pusser's life and the original Walking Tall, many things were changed, such as Johnson's character's name (Chris Vaughn) and setting the film in semi-rural Kitsap County, Washington, although it was filmed in Squamish, B.C., Canada. Two sequels to the remake were produced, and released in 2007: Walking Tall: The Payback and Walking Tall: Lone Justice, both made in Dallas, Texas and released directly to DVD. These sequels starred Kevin Sorbo as Nick Prescott, the son of the town's sheriff who takes the law into his hands when his father is killed in an alleged car accident.
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