|
Walking Tall
(2004)
Starring:
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonough,
Kristen Wilson, Ashley Scott
Director: Kevin Bray
Rating:
PG-13
Studio: MGM
Release Date:
04.02.04
Review
Posted: 04.06.04
Spoilers:
None
The Rock Cooks
Up, "Walking Tall" Smells About Right
By
Craig Younkin
The Rock plays Special
Forces hero Chris Vaughn who returns to his home town. Only the quiet,
peaceful town that he once knew has been overrun with dirty video
stores, strip clubs, and a corrupt casino that sells drugs to kids
Incidentally, his old friend Jay (McDonough) now owns the casino and
the town, and the local sheriff is reluctant to do anything against
this monopoly. Chris decides to take matters into his own hands. He
becomes Sheriff after the new election, and along with his old buddy
Ray (Knoxville), vows to rid the town of Jay's filth. Of course, Jay
won't give up his empire without a fight. Clashes, fights, and
disagreements ensue.
The story reminds of the fairly generic "one man alone stands up
against corruption" format, and Walking Tall is surprisingly
short at a mere 86 minutes, yet director Kevin Bray knows how to shoot
a "Rock movie." The action scenes, mostly centering on wrestling style
violence, take on a brutal life of their own. One great scene in
particular features The Rock entering the casino with nothing but a
piece of lumber as a weapon. This scene and others work very well
because by the time the first action scenes start, the story is
already developed well enough where one despises the villains and
really roots for the hero.
I loved the hero because he is played by the ever-growing actor The
Rock, who also displays strong screen presence. He continues to show
his range, and not just as an action hero, but a genuine actor. His
first three films (this, plus The Scorpion King and The
Rundown) are pretty mediocre efforts, but the one bright spot in
all of them is that The Rock is one of the most charismatic actors in
Hollywood today, not to mention he also has one hell of a build.
Walking Tall may be his most accomplished effort so far. He has
a real knack for comedy and action. There is actually a dramatic side
to him in this movie that comes out very well. He becomes this big
ball of rage and frustration all wrapped up into an All-American Hero,
and he becomes a lot of much fun to watch. If he can keep this up, he
might better Schwarzenegger's on screen persona.
Supporting actor Neil McDonough also comes through very well as the
lead bad guy, and Johnny Knoxville is good in a comic relief role, the
real highlight of the movie is obvious. The Rock has already started
cooking, and is ready to boil over – all he needs now is the right
flick.
Film Rating:
κκκ (out of
4)
Home | Back to Top |
