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Walking Tall

Walking Tall (1973)

tomatometer

No Reviews Yet...

Release Date: Feb 22, 1973 Wide

audience

72

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 6,566

My Rating

Movie Info

A runaway box-office hit to the tune of 17 million dollars, Walking Tall is the unabashedly manipulative story of real-life Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser. As played by Joe Don Baker, Pusser can either be regarded as a tireless champion of justice or a baseball-bat-wielding hooligan. But with some of the most scurrilous villains this side of a Republic serial as the main targets of Pusser's wrath, the audience cannot help but applaud the sheriff's strongarm methods. When the town baddies seek

R,

Classics, Action & Adventure

Mort Briskin

Jul 21, 1998

Cast

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Critic Reviews for Walking Tall

All Critics (16) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (3)

its broad strokes leave no room for anything so pussified or liberal as a moral compass

September 26, 2012 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

... the film was a sensation, becoming a big hit and spawning a whole industry of southern-fried vigilante lawman action pictures.

May 19, 2012 Full Review Source: Seanax.com
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com

A new, and arguably improved, Walking Tall, starring pro wrestler-turned-actor, The Rock.

April 25, 2007 Full Review Source: Princeton Town Topics | Comments (2)
Kam Williams
Princeton Town Topics

A hopelessly melodramatic revenge fantasy.

May 4, 2005 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

A macho 1970s classic

November 8, 2004
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Overbearing, immensely popular pro-vigilante drama.

June 16, 2003
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
View all critic reviews (16)

Audience Reviews for Walking Tall

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Forget the remake featuring The Rock,cause it doesn't even compare to the original. However,this was weirdly marketed as a right wing screed upon its initial release in 1973(and became a surprise runaway boxoffice hit especially a huge following within the drive-in theatre circuit in the South where some theatres ran it for over a year).Walking Tall was a really tragic,graphically violent post-noir film based on the life and times of Tennessee county sheriff Buford Pusser. However,Joe Don Baker gives a riveting and powerful performance as Pusser who was determined and hell bent to force of crime and corruption out of his town at great personal expense,not to mention taking on the syndicate(The Dixie Mafia). Directed with an intentionally crude force by Phil Karlson,one of the toughest filmmakers of the 1950's and 1960's. Here,the film's grimness doesn't let up and neither does the scenes of raw language and strong graphic violence that gave this film a strong influence of the racial stride and hatred that went on in the South. Interesting note about this picture...It was produced by BCP Productions which was Bing Crosby's production company(yes folks,Bing Crosby was still around in 1973)and theatrically released through Cinerama Releasing Corporation. The theme song was done by none other than the great Johnny Mathis. Elizabeth Hartman(plays Pusser's wife) and Noah Beery also star in this runaway boxoffice hit which was one of the sixth highest grossing films of 1973 behind "The Exorcist", "American Graffiti", "Enter The Dragon",and "The Sting". The success of Walking Tall spawned two sequels "Walking Tall Chapter 2"(1975),and "Walking Tall:The Final Chapter"(1977),a short-lived television series and two prequels starring Dewayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin "Hercules" Sorbo.
February 20, 2007
rayman0071
Mister Caple

Super Reviewer

I saw this after seeing the remake, and I have to say that this one is a lot stronger. I really liked it, it's realistic, even with the violence. The beginning is a little slow, but it doesn't matter, the rest is great. I really liked this movie.
November 10, 2010
ajv2688
AJ Verser

Super Reviewer

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Movie: ID: 16355 Title: Walking Tall Release Date: 1973-02-22 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 4 Status: 1

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