Walking Tall (2004 film)
Encyclopedia
Walking Tall is a 2004 remake
of the 1973 film of the same name
. It stars Dwayne Johnson and Johnny Knoxville
. Like the original film, it was based on real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser
, however, the main character's name was changed to "Chris Vaughn". The setting was changed from McNairy County, Tennessee to Kitsap County, Washington
, U.S.A.
), who is taking advantage of the chaotic economic situation. With the mill closed down, the casino is the main source of income for the town. Vaughn decides to check out the casino, and sees the craps
dealer use loaded dice. When Vaughn tries to draw attention to this, the security guards attack him, then after subduing him, take him to the casino basement where he is beaten, mutilated then dumped on the side of an abandoned road and left for dead, but he is found and hospitalized, and eventually recovers. Vaughn goes to the Sheriff (Michael Bowen
) to press charges against the guards, but the Sheriff refuses to allow Vaughn to press charges because the casino is viewed as too important to the town's economy, stating that because of their position that the casino is considered a "no fly zone". After this, Vaughn also finds out that his nephew, Pete (Khleo Thomas), experimented with crystal meth
, which was sold to his friends by a casino security guard. Infuriated, Vaughn goes to the casino, and using a piece of lumber
as a club, he beats the security guards, and makes his point to Jay Hamilton that he will not tolerate the crime in his town anymore. Vaughn is apprehended by the Sheriff and his deputies when he is trying to drive home.
In the ensuing trial, all of Hamilton's security and staff testify against Vaughn. When the Judge allows Vaughn to present his defense, he fires his attorney appointed to him (it is implied that Vaughn's attorney is under Hamilton's payroll as he sits back and does nothing to object to the testimonies of the security, and encourages Vaughn to take a plea bargain instead). After making a civic speech about the towns great former self (to the rebuttal of the opposition lawyers), Vaughn tells the jury and the rest of the town that if he is cleared of the charges, he will run for sheriff and clean up the town (even going so far as to show the jury and the rest of the audience the knife carving wounds due to the security team's assault on him at the casino prior to the latest incident). He is then acquitted, retrieves his lumber saying to the judge; "this is mine", later winning the election for sheriff. Upon taking office, he dismisses the entire police force and deputizes his friend, Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville
), who he knows will remain loyal and fight for what he knows is right despite himself being a convicted criminal.
Vaughn and Templeton find hidden drugs on Hamilton's right-hand man and head of security Booth (Kevin Durand
) (Templeton actually plants the drugs on Booth in order to give them reason to interrogate him), and they take him into custody. In an attempt to make him rat on other drug dealers, they tear his truck apart, but he does not talk. The next morning, the former Sheriff and his deputies arrive at the Sheriff's office where they blow up Vaughn's truck and try to kill him (presumably, by this point, under orders from Hamilton). While under fire in the Sheriff's office, Booth tells Vaughn where the drug base is, and where they make them, which is in the old mill. Soon after divulging this information, Booth is killed his comrade's indiscriminate gunfire. Vaughn is able to escape with some help from Deni (Ashley Scott
), an old friend who had turned to working as a stripper in the casino, but quit her job after Chris became sheriff. In the firefight that ensues, Chris kills the former Sheriff and his men using Deni to divert the attention of their attackers.
Vaughn's parents' house is then raided by three of the other of Hamilton's thugs that worked as the security guards, but Templeton, who was asked to stay there and watch over the place by Vaughn, managed to dispatch the attackers and protect the Vaughn family with the help of Chris Vaughn Sr. (John Beasley
), Chris Vaughn's father. Templeton and Vaughn Senior kill two of the men while the other is knocked out. Vaughn Junior then goes to the mill, and finds the drugs there, along with Hamilton, who sets a trap on Vaughn. A melee ensues and they fight for their lives in the woods behind the mill, with Vaughn eventually defeating Hamilton and placing him under arrest. Vaughn closes the casino and the mill is reopened.
Although it was filmed in Squamish
, B.C., Canada, the setting of this 2004 film is in semi-rural Kitsap County, Washington, and not in the McNairy County, Tennessee
, where Buford Pusser
originally served as a sheriff.
, 84% of critics gave Walking Tall a positive review, with an average rating of 9.4/10.
The film grossed $57,223,890 worldwide. The budget of the film was $46 million.
included a song titled "McNairy County Line" on their 2008 album, Ruckus, which honors Buford Pusser and tells the story from a factual point of view.
and Walking Tall: Lone Justice
, are two direct-to-video
sequels that have been released starring Kevin Sorbo
.
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1973 film of the same name
Walking Tall
Walking Tall is a 1973 semi-biopic of Sheriff Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler-turned-lawman in McNairy County, Tennessee. It starred Joe Don Baker as Pusser...
. It stars Dwayne Johnson and Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
. Like the original film, it was based on real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser
Buford Pusser
Buford Hayse Pusser was the Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee , from 1964 to 1970. Pusser is known for his virtual one-man war on moonshining, prostitution, gambling, and other vices on the Mississippi-Tennessee state-line. His story has directly inspired several books, songs, movies and at...
, however, the main character's name was changed to "Chris Vaughn". The setting was changed from McNairy County, Tennessee to Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish tribe. As of 2011 state estimate, its population was 253,900. Its county seat is at Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton....
, U.S.A.
Plot
Chris Vaughn (Dwayne Johnson), a former U.S. Army Special Forces sergeant, returns to his small home town, Kitsap, identifiable by the sign on the police cars, in Washington State to find some work at the local cedar mill, but he finds that it closed down three years prior to his return. Now, there is a new casino in town, owned by his old school friend, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonoughNeal McDonough
Neal P. McDonough is an American film, television and voice actor.-Career:In 1991, McDonough won the Best Actor Dramalogue for "Away Alone". McDonough has made many television and film appearances since then, including Band of Brothers, Boomtown, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report and The...
), who is taking advantage of the chaotic economic situation. With the mill closed down, the casino is the main source of income for the town. Vaughn decides to check out the casino, and sees the craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
dealer use loaded dice. When Vaughn tries to draw attention to this, the security guards attack him, then after subduing him, take him to the casino basement where he is beaten, mutilated then dumped on the side of an abandoned road and left for dead, but he is found and hospitalized, and eventually recovers. Vaughn goes to the Sheriff (Michael Bowen
Michael Bowen (actor)
Michael Bowen is an American actor. Films he has appeared in include Jackie Brown, Magnolia, and Less Than Zero. Bowen also had a recurring role as Danny Pickett on the ABC television series, Lost....
) to press charges against the guards, but the Sheriff refuses to allow Vaughn to press charges because the casino is viewed as too important to the town's economy, stating that because of their position that the casino is considered a "no fly zone". After this, Vaughn also finds out that his nephew, Pete (Khleo Thomas), experimented with crystal meth
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
, which was sold to his friends by a casino security guard. Infuriated, Vaughn goes to the casino, and using a piece of lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
as a club, he beats the security guards, and makes his point to Jay Hamilton that he will not tolerate the crime in his town anymore. Vaughn is apprehended by the Sheriff and his deputies when he is trying to drive home.
In the ensuing trial, all of Hamilton's security and staff testify against Vaughn. When the Judge allows Vaughn to present his defense, he fires his attorney appointed to him (it is implied that Vaughn's attorney is under Hamilton's payroll as he sits back and does nothing to object to the testimonies of the security, and encourages Vaughn to take a plea bargain instead). After making a civic speech about the towns great former self (to the rebuttal of the opposition lawyers), Vaughn tells the jury and the rest of the town that if he is cleared of the charges, he will run for sheriff and clean up the town (even going so far as to show the jury and the rest of the audience the knife carving wounds due to the security team's assault on him at the casino prior to the latest incident). He is then acquitted, retrieves his lumber saying to the judge; "this is mine", later winning the election for sheriff. Upon taking office, he dismisses the entire police force and deputizes his friend, Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
), who he knows will remain loyal and fight for what he knows is right despite himself being a convicted criminal.
Vaughn and Templeton find hidden drugs on Hamilton's right-hand man and head of security Booth (Kevin Durand
Kevin Durand
Kevin Serge Durand is a Canadian actor known for his roles as Joshua in Dark Angel, Martin Keamy in Lost, Fred J. Dukes in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the Archangel Gabriel in Legion, and Little John in Robin Hood....
) (Templeton actually plants the drugs on Booth in order to give them reason to interrogate him), and they take him into custody. In an attempt to make him rat on other drug dealers, they tear his truck apart, but he does not talk. The next morning, the former Sheriff and his deputies arrive at the Sheriff's office where they blow up Vaughn's truck and try to kill him (presumably, by this point, under orders from Hamilton). While under fire in the Sheriff's office, Booth tells Vaughn where the drug base is, and where they make them, which is in the old mill. Soon after divulging this information, Booth is killed his comrade's indiscriminate gunfire. Vaughn is able to escape with some help from Deni (Ashley Scott
Ashley Scott
Ashley McCall Scott is an American actress. She is known for her work on television and in film including her roles in the television series Birds of Prey, Dark Angel and Jericho.-Acting career:...
), an old friend who had turned to working as a stripper in the casino, but quit her job after Chris became sheriff. In the firefight that ensues, Chris kills the former Sheriff and his men using Deni to divert the attention of their attackers.
Vaughn's parents' house is then raided by three of the other of Hamilton's thugs that worked as the security guards, but Templeton, who was asked to stay there and watch over the place by Vaughn, managed to dispatch the attackers and protect the Vaughn family with the help of Chris Vaughn Sr. (John Beasley
John Beasley (actor)
John Beasley is an American actor known for his role as Irv Harper on the TV series Everwood and recurring roles on CSI, Millennium and The Pretender. He also portrayed General Lasseter in The Sum of All Fears and Rev. C. Charles Blackwell in The Apostle. In 1992 he played Jesse Hall's dad in the...
), Chris Vaughn's father. Templeton and Vaughn Senior kill two of the men while the other is knocked out. Vaughn Junior then goes to the mill, and finds the drugs there, along with Hamilton, who sets a trap on Vaughn. A melee ensues and they fight for their lives in the woods behind the mill, with Vaughn eventually defeating Hamilton and placing him under arrest. Vaughn closes the casino and the mill is reopened.
Cast
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Chris Vaughn
- Johnny KnoxvilleJohnny KnoxvillePhilip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
as Ray Templeton - Neal McDonoughNeal McDonoughNeal P. McDonough is an American film, television and voice actor.-Career:In 1991, McDonough won the Best Actor Dramalogue for "Away Alone". McDonough has made many television and film appearances since then, including Band of Brothers, Boomtown, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report and The...
as Jay Hamilton - Kristen WilsonKristen Wilson (actress)Kristen Wilson is an American actress.-Early life:Wilson was born and raised in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, near Boston. She was adopted as a child. She trained as a dancer there and worked with the Boston Ballet for four years...
as Michelle Vaughn - Kevin DurandKevin DurandKevin Serge Durand is a Canadian actor known for his roles as Joshua in Dark Angel, Martin Keamy in Lost, Fred J. Dukes in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the Archangel Gabriel in Legion, and Little John in Robin Hood....
as Booth - Ashley ScottAshley ScottAshley McCall Scott is an American actress. She is known for her work on television and in film including her roles in the television series Birds of Prey, Dark Angel and Jericho.-Acting career:...
as Deni - Khleo Thomas as Pete Vaughn
- John BeasleyJohn Beasley (actor)John Beasley is an American actor known for his role as Irv Harper on the TV series Everwood and recurring roles on CSI, Millennium and The Pretender. He also portrayed General Lasseter in The Sum of All Fears and Rev. C. Charles Blackwell in The Apostle. In 1992 he played Jesse Hall's dad in the...
as Christopher Vaughn Sr. - Michael BowenMichael Bowen (actor)Michael Bowen is an American actor. Films he has appeared in include Jackie Brown, Magnolia, and Less Than Zero. Bowen also had a recurring role as Danny Pickett on the ABC television series, Lost....
as Sheriff Stan Watkins
Production
In the original film, Pusser uses a wooden club to beat the criminals. Director Kevin Bray wanted to update it by making it a baseball bat. There were objections, so the compromise was just to add a handle.Although it was filmed in Squamish
Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
, B.C., Canada, the setting of this 2004 film is in semi-rural Kitsap County, Washington, and not in the McNairy County, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, where Buford Pusser
Buford Pusser
Buford Hayse Pusser was the Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee , from 1964 to 1970. Pusser is known for his virtual one-man war on moonshining, prostitution, gambling, and other vices on the Mississippi-Tennessee state-line. His story has directly inspired several books, songs, movies and at...
originally served as a sheriff.
Reception
It received mostly positive reviews from critics. Based on 128 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 84% of critics gave Walking Tall a positive review, with an average rating of 9.4/10.
The film grossed $57,223,890 worldwide. The budget of the film was $46 million.
Music
The southern rock/country band, State Line MobState Line Mob
The State Line Mob was an association of criminal elements that operated in the 1950s and 1960s at the Mississippi–Tennessee state line in Alcorn County, Mississippi, and McNairy County, Tennessee, along U.S. Route 45. The State Line Mob was involved in bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, tourist...
included a song titled "McNairy County Line" on their 2008 album, Ruckus, which honors Buford Pusser and tells the story from a factual point of view.
Sequel
Walking Tall: The PaybackWalking Tall: The Payback
Walking Tall: The Payback is a 2007 action-thriller film directed by Tripp Reed and stars Kevin Sorbo and Haley Ramm.-Prelude:The direct-to-video sequel to 2004's Walking Tall , the main character's name is Nick Prescott, unlike the original's Buford Pusser or the remake's Chris Vaughn.-Plot:This...
and Walking Tall: Lone Justice
Walking Tall: Lone Justice
Walking Tall: Lone Justice is an action film and direct-to-video sequel to 2004's Walking Tall and Walking Tall: The Payback, the film was directed by Tripp Reed and stars Kevin Sorbo, Haley Ramm and Jennifer Sipes.-Plot:...
, are two direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
sequels that have been released starring Kevin Sorbo
Kevin Sorbo
Kevin David Sorbo is an American actor best known for the roles of Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda and Kull in Kull the Conqueror.-Early life:...
.