The Rock walks tall!

Fast-paced, bloody and often savage, the remake of 1973's equally vicious and violent film Walking Tall, could still appeal to millions of moviegoers in search of yet another vigilante film that is fast moving, lean and muscular.

They will not be worried about the lack of psychological insights or fleeting angst in the film's crusading sheriff.

One-dimensional characters seem to be fine with the writers (there are four) and the director as long as the film goes from one bloody adventure to another. And there are plenty of fast-paced and slickly edited action sequences that seem to be more interesting than they actually are thanks to the screen presence of The Rock. 

With The Rock playing the lead, the new film has created quite a buzz that could lead to a strong opening and at least two weeks of solid theatrical life. Even with fast dwindling box-office numbers after the first few weeks, expect the film to linger for a few more weeks, and then return to have a solid video market.

Ashok Amritraj, whose Hyde Park Entertainment was the lead producer of the film, can expect a box-office windfall. It could give him another big hit, following his comedy hit Bringing Down The House that grossed $200 million worldwide.

Inspired by a real life story, the original film that was also a worldwide hit revolved around Buford Pusser who sets out to clean up a Tennessee town taken over by criminals. Pusser was a rather unlikely hero slowly forced into a world of violence, and that aspect of his character enhanced the film's appeal.

The first Walking Tall was truly a very bloody story of a underdog and became a big hit despite a cast that had no big names. In India, the movie ran for more than a month in major cities.

But in the new movie, The Rock, looks like the anointed hero right from the moment we see him. His charisma, then, is an important factor in the film. While the first Walking Tall was a sleeper hit, slowly building momentum at the box-office, expect the new movie to erupt with big numbers.

In the new movie, Pusser becomes Christ Vaughn who returns home after serving the US Special Forces for eight years hoping that he will work in the same lumber mill his father had worked in for decades. But Vaughn finds his hometown in ruins because of drugs, gambling and civic corruption.

Worse, Vaughn's schoolmate Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) has closed down the timber mill, replacing it with a casino that draws some of the worst scum in Washington State. A confrontation between Hamilton and Vaughn is inevitable. And the former orders his henchmen to beat up Vaughn who is then left for dead. The local sheriff just cannot touch the casino. Not surprisingly, Vaughn gets no sympathy for him.

But Vaughn not only gains consciousness and starts working on healing his traumatic wounds. Healing the mind could be a bigger problem but the film does not like to dwell on such things. So what we have is Vaughn becoming the sheriff of the small town following some of the more dramatic moments in the film, including a mockery of a trial and then going after the thugs with his favourite weapon, a giant wooden club.

While Vaughn has no time to brood or reflect over his unorthodox means to make the town safer, his father at least goes through some soul-searching. But then whatever the rest of the film's cast, including Ashley Scott as Vaughn's high school sweetheart does counts for little since the focus is on The Rock.

CREDITS
Cast: Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Johnny Knoxville,  Neal McDonough, Kristen Wilson, Ashley Scott
Director: Kevin Bray
Writers: David Klass, Channing Gibson, David Levien, Brian Koppelman, based on a screenplay by Mort Briskin
Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense violence, sexual content, drug material and language
Distributor: MGM