Plot: What’s it about?
Chris Vaughn (The Rock) is a retired member of the special forces, but now he has focused on a more normal lifestyle. Back in his rural hometown, his family once ran a lumber mill that helped spark growth and success in the area. Now Vaughn wants to return to his roots and revive the mill business, as well as settle down. But when he arrives back in town, he can’t believe his own eyes, as the town as degraded into almost chaos. His high school rival Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) has used his family’s riches to close down the mill, then buy whoever and whatever was needed to further his own criminal goals. The law has little to no control over his actions, since no one will stand up to him. Now this once peaceful town has turned into a haven of violent crime, where the residents are unable to be secure, even in their own homes. The main headquarters of this criminal wave is the local casino, which is where Vaughn’s old girlfriend happens to work. In an effort to turn around the town, Vaughn hooks up with his old friend Ray (Johnny Knoxville) and prepares to run for sheriff, an election he soon wins. Now he plans to stand up to Hamilton and his goons, even if it means putting his own life on the line. But will his actions end up restoring the town’s order, or just getting him and his family wiped out?
The Rock as Buford T. Pusser? No, this isn’t a bad Saturday Night Live sketch. Of course, modern cool standards forced a name change, so The Rock plays Chris Vaughn, not Buford Pusser. But this is a remake, don’t be fooled and why this was needed, I will never understand. The original Walking Tall is a cult classic, a brutal backwoods tale that features a memorable turn by Joe Don Baker. In what has to be the poorest casting in some time, The Rock is given the lead role and as usual, he stumbles through even the most basic scenes and is often laughable. He rules the ring in professional wrestling, but his over the top antics and buffoonish attempts at action scenes are miserable. As if one bad actor wasn’t enough, the crew decided to haul in former Jackass ringleader Johnny Knoxville, who confirms why he hasn’t taken off as a movie star, total lack of talent. If you love train wrecks or comedies of errors, then this new take on Walking Tall is one for the record books. I couldn’t believe how bad this flick was and to be honest, I expected it to be bad, but not this bad. I hoped for some campish moments and unintentional humor, but this one is just plain bad.
Video: How does it look?
Admittedly, if I’ve seen this in the past, it certainly didn’t resonate with me visually (or the plot), so this was like seeing it for the first time. The 4K restoration done by Kino does give the film a more modern look, then again it came out in 2004 so it wasn’t exactly “old” by anyone’s standards. Colors are bright and bold, detail is excellent which comes in handy as Ashley Scott seems to spend a majority of the movie in her bra (not that I’m complaining). It’s also odd to see “The Rock” looking much younger and much less buff, but that’s not really here nor there. ON the whole, this 4K version does everything it’s supposed to. Unfortunately it can’t really change the content, just make it look better.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included DTS HD Master Audo track is a good one and in truth, I can see some folks using it to showcase their home theaters. It might not stack up against some of the “best of the best” audio tracks, but it is a very active and effective one, plus the over the top nature of the film makes it a good one to show visitors to the home theater. The surrounds pulse often and to great ends, from the rock soundtrack to the impact sound effects, which combine to offer a very immersive and often very loud experience. No problems with the dialogue however, as the vocals are clean and never slip at all, this is one terrific audio mix, without a doubt.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Disc One (4K)
- Audio Commentary – Film Journalist Brandon Streussnig sits down and lays down a new track for this film. That’s right folks, the 2004 version of Walking Tall has three commentary tracks associated with it. Enjoy.
- Audio Commentary – The Rock sits down to provide an audio commentary track here, which proves to be one of the more dull tracks I’ve heard. He has the voice and presence to carry a solo session, but he doesn’t have all that much to report. He does tell a few production stories, but he spends a lot of time saying how great his crew and co-stars were.
- Audio Commentary – A second track features director Kevin Bray and some cast members, but there was no chance I could sit through the film a third time. But for the film’s fans, the second track is a welcome inclusion, to be sure.
Disc Two (Blu-ray)
- Audio Commentary – Film Journalist Brandon Streussnig sits down and lays down a new track for this film. That’s right folks, the 2004 version of Walking Tall has three commentary tracks associated with it. Enjoy.
- Audio Commentary – The Rock sits down to provide an audio commentary track here, which proves to be one of the more dull tracks I’ve heard. He has the voice and presence to carry a solo session, but he doesn’t have all that much to report. He does tell a few production stories, but he spends a lot of time saying how great his crew and costars were.
- Audio Commentary – A second track features director Kevin Bray and some cast members, but there was no chance I could sit through the film a third time. But for the film’s fans, the second track is a welcome inclusion, to be sure.
- Fight the Good Fight – The only “real” featurette on this disc comes in the form of this 9 minute spectacle that focuses on the stunts and fight choreography.
- Deleted Scenes – A trio of deleted scenes don’t add much to the film’s 86 minute running time.
- Alternate Ending – The obligatory “alternate ending” which isn’t really that different from the theatrical ending.
- Gag Reel
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
Why make something new when you can re-make it? This film is now over two decades old and Hollywood still continues to do the same thing. “If they’ll buy in once, they’ll buy it again.” This wasn’t one of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s better films and it’s not one he talks about, or that people have seen (or liked). But there’s some guilty pleasure in there for those that want it. But it’s like the entrance to Hogwarts – you’ve to want to see it. But for die-hard fans, this now looks and sound better than it ever has and there’s a new commentary track to boot, so…yay?
