The all-American butt-kicking charisma of former wrestler and action-hero heir-apparent The Rock seems to have a miraculous effect on otherwise lame movies. The Scorpion King would have been straight-to-video fare without his capricious, self-aware screen presence and The Rundown was bargain-basement Steven Seagal fodder that our hero's muscular smile helped lift to the level of gratifying, if preposterous, matinee fodder. Any fan of The Rock (as actor or wrestler) will find similar lowbrow satisfaction in this remake of the infamous 1973 vigilante-justice flick loosely based on the real Tennessee sheriff who used a 2x4 to dispense hillbilly justice. This even looser update stars his arched-eyebrowness as a Gulf War vet returning to his Washington state hometown to kick the behind of a crooked casino owner (Neal McDonough) who has taken over the town, closed the mill, and made a fortune selling drugs. While director Kevin Bray (All About the Benjamins) makes some creative cinematic choices, Walking Tall ultimately works only because The Rock can carry it on his absurdly broad shoulders. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentaries (one by The Rock; the other by director Kevin Bray, cinematographer Glen MacPherson, and editor Robert Ivison), the eight-minute stunts featurette “Fight the Good Fight,” three deleted scenes (2 min.), a brief alternate ending, bloopers, a photo gallery, trailers, and a five-minute sneak peek at Species 3. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an okay action flick.] (R. Blackwelder)
Walking Tall
MGM, 85 min., PG-13, VHS: $47.99, DVD: $27.98, Sept. 14 Volume 19, Issue 5
Walking Tall
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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