rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2004
Directed by Kevin Bray; produced by Ashok Amritraj, Jim Burke, Lucas Foster, David Hoberman, Paul Schiff; screenplay by David Klass, Channing Gibson, David Levien, Brian Koppelman
Starring Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock, Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough, Kristen Wilson, Ashley Scott, Khleo Thomas
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
'Walking Tall' is the kind of action film Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Sylvester Stallone made in the eighties and Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude
van Damme in the nineties. The latter two have proven that films like these
do not work anymore. Simply said we have a hero, The Rock in this case,
things the hero does not like, a main villain (Neal McDonough) who causes
that, a gang of tough guys around him. Of course the hero needs a sidekick,
Johnny Knoxville from 'Jackass', and a love interest, played by Ashley
Scott. The things The Rock does not like are the changes in his hometown
when he returns after many years, including a mill that has closed and a
casino that has opened. Oh, and they sell drugs to kids too.
In no more than 75 minutes the movie rushes through some action scenes; why
waste time on plot when you know you have a mindless action flick, right? It
is too bad since I like The Rock, especially after 'The Rundown' that was
quite some fun, and Johnny Knoxville shows he is a pretty good actor. In
fact, they do make 'Walking Tall' a film that is easily watched (although
not easily enjoyed I guess). This alone is something Seagal and Van Damme
have close to never achieved. For some mindless entertainment it might work
for some, but if you want a more interesting action flick I would suggest
The Rock's earlier effort, 'The Rundown'.