Main Cast: Bo Svenson, Maggie Blye, Forrest Tucker, Lurene Tuttle, Morgan Woodward
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
Plot
Rated R for violence, this is another of the promises broken to us by the movie industry. When they promise that we won't have to see something again, why can't they make it happen? Although this, like the Jason movies (Friday the 13th ad nauseam), is followed by a made for TV movie and a series, they really have to be prequels to this "final chapter," as dictated by the fiery conclusion of the movie. The story of a sheriff who just isn't going to take it anymore, it is based on a true story but, as with all Hollywood fare, made larger than life. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
Review
Walking Tall: Final Chapter is one of the more unusual sequels you'll ever see. By this point in the Buford Pusser saga, the only real-life events left for the filmmakers to dramatize were his downfall and tragic demise. As a result, Howard B. Kreitsek's script has an episodic feel as it attempts to fashion these last threads into a satisfying narrative. The end result is more compelling that one might think but it also has a depressive feeling to it, leaning heavy on the melodrama and never straying too far from a doomy feel of tragedy. Thankfully, the cast is up to the task: Bo Svenson handles the extreme emotional highs and lows that Buford Pusser faces with the right mix of stoicism and vulnerability while Logan Ramsey brings a true sense of mania to his villainous role, creating a character who seems to get crazier with each scene as his obsession with Pusser intensifies. Elsewhere, series regulars like Bruce Glover and Noah Beery Jr. add steady support for the leads. Behind the camera, Jack Starrett gives the film a steady flow and punctuates it with some nice action scenes: the best of the latter moments is a hard-hitting scene where Buford storms and destroys a juke joint single-handed to take revenge for a fallen friend. The end result doesn't seem like it should work but is unusual enough (and skillfully made enough) to hold the interest of a fan of the series. As a result, fans who liked the first two films in the series will want to see Walking Tall: Final Chapter. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Libby Boone - Pusser's Secretary; Leif Garrett - Mike Pusser; Dawn Lyn - Dwana Pusser; Bruce Glover - Pusser's Deputy; Taylor Lacher - Martin French; Sandy McPeak - Lloyd Tatum; Logan Ramsey - John Witter; Robert Phillips - Johnny; Clay Tanner - O.Q. Teal; David Adams - Robbie Teal; Vance Davis - Aaron; H.B. Haggerty - Bulo; John Malloy - Producer
Credit
Joe Altadonna - Art Director, Chris Zamiara - Costume Designer, Michael W. Hoffman - Costume Designer, Jack Starrett - Director, Houseley Stevenson, Jr. - Editor, Walter Scharf - Composer (Music Score), Robert B. Hauser - Cinematographer, Charles A. Pratt - Producer, John K. Wilkinson - Sound/Sound Designer, Robert Miller - Sound/Sound Designer, Paul Nuckles - Stunts Coordinator, Howard B. Kreitsek - Screen Story, Howard B. Kreitsek - Screenwriter, Samuel A. Peeples - Screenwriter
