Rating: 
Summary: A fictionalized account of Buford Pusser.
Review: I first saw Walking Tall in the theatre way back in 1973 when it first came out, back when tickets were only $1.50.I was only 17 and I was very impressed with the movie. Saw it at least 3 more times within that year with various family members and friends whom I insisted go see it. Late in 1973,Buford Pusser said in an interview in Newsweek that the film was about 80 percent accurate. In the book Reeling, from 1975, by Pauline Kael,who was the film reviewer for the New Yorker magazine for at least 30 years that I know of, wrote a review of Walking Tall,along with many other films from that time. Ms. Kael has published several books of her movie reviews. She is considered by many to be one the foremost movie reviewers.She retired back in the early 90's.Anyway,in Ms. Kael's review of Walking Tall she shed some light on the facts. For instance Buford Pusser was never in the Marines. The crooked Sheriff Thurman, whom Pusser said to,"I've known you since I was a kid. I always thought you walked tall but it looks like you done learned how to crawl!, was killed in a car accident,but not by trying to run Pusser over, as it was depicted in the movie.Also,Pusser had many deputies but never a black deputy,in the movie well played by the actor Felton Perry. Mr. Perry was very good in Magnum Force that same year, were he played Inspector Harry Callahan's (Clint Eastwood) partner. Another thing, Pusser didn't have a young son. His wife had a son by a previous marriage but her son was a few years older than the young boy portrayed here. And,Ms.Kael mentions in her review that Pusser wasn't reelected sheriff. It seems Pusser developed a reputation of being a big bully(he was 6 ft.7 in. tall) when it came to arresting suspects.He was accused of excessive use of force. The candidate who won the election for sheriff,in his platform asked the voters "Who would you rather have arrest your son? Evidently the voters didn't want Buford Pusser arresting their sons any longer.I found "Reeling" a good book. Although,I don't agree on all her reviews. I think the book is out of print now.Who knows,it may be still available from Amazon.com. Some footnotes,Mort Briskin, the producer and writer of the film decided to do it after seeing an interview with Sheriff Pusser by Roger Mudd on 60 Minutes in 1969.Red West, who was one of Elvis Presley's bodyguards, had a small role in the film as a sheriff from Alabama. West was one of the bodyguards Mr. Presley fired for being a bit too rough on certain fans. There were fears of lawsuits for assault. Also, it is known that Mr. Presley sent an anonymous donation to Sheriff Pusser when his home was badly damaged by certain criminal elements to help with the rebuilding. They both lived in the same neck of the woods. Mr. Presley was a very nice guy. Actress Elizabeth Hartman, who played Pusser's wife,this was her last film role.Ms. Hartman died in 1987 from a suicide. She suffered from manic-depression or bi-polar disorder. And, the actress Brenda Benet,who played the kindly prostitute who helped the sheriff out by being an informer, died in the early '80's by a suicide.She had been recently divorced from actor Bill Bixby and she had been very despondent over the death of her young son after a long illness. How sad. I saw Buford Pusser in a television interview in 1974 talking about going to Hollywood for a screen test for Part 2 Walking Tall. But, he never got the chance because of his death later that year when someone or some people,presumably the criminal element,planted a bomb in his Corvette.He was killed driving home late one night. His demolished car was found on the side of a lonesome road. May he rest in peace.
Rating: 
Summary: Southern Justice
Review: I have always liked movies that presented southerners in a positive light. "Walking Tall" is not one of those movies (though they're better than the guys in "Deliverence"). Although it dosn't target the southern man specificly, it's implied pretty harshly. That, however, is the last bit of subtlety this movie has to offer. In it, Joe Don Baker playes real life Sheriff Buford Pusser, who fought corrution and graft in Tennessee in the '60s. After he was beaten and left for dead, he ran for sheriff and won, but not before he beat everyone in the casino up with a huge baseball bat. Then he went to war against the mob. He won a lot but lost more (his wife was killed in an ambush). Baker dose a very good job, not only dose he look like the barrel chested ex-Marine, but he dose a really good at the emotions thing. He is leaps and bounds better than Bo Svenson from the later "Walking Tall" movies. There are a few problems with the movie where you can tell it's low budget, most noticable is the boommike geting in the picture now and then. The bad guys are painted in broad strokes, they are evil criminals who even killed the family dog. This is a really good movie, I really liked it. It's up there with the early 70s macho man vigilantie movies like "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry". It is a real man's movie, a fast paced actionier with lots of mean spirted violence and brutality. This is extreamly explotive, but it isn't bad, just way too one sided for a 'based on a real story' kind of movie. Enjoy, and bring your axe handle!
Rating:
Summary: Southern Justice
Review: I have always liked movies that presented southerners in a positive light. "Walking Tall" is not one of those movies (though they're better than the guys in "Deliverence"). Although it dosn't target the southern man specificly, it's implied pretty harshly. That, however, is the last bit of subtlety this movie has to offer. In it, Joe Don Baker playes real life Sheriff Buford Pusser, who fought corrution and graft in Tennessee in the '60s. After he was beaten and left for dead, he ran for sheriff and won, but not before he beat everyone in the casino up with a huge baseball bat. Then he went to war against the mob. He won a lot but lost more (his wife was killed in an ambush). Baker dose a very good job, not only dose he look like the barrel chested ex-Marine, but he dose a really good at the emotions thing. He is leaps and bounds better than Bo Svenson from the later "Walking Tall" movies. There are a few problems with the movie where you can tell it's low budget, most noticable is the boommike geting in the picture now and then. The bad guys are painted in broad strokes, they are evil criminals who even killed the family dog. This is a really good movie, I really liked it. It's up there with the early 70s macho man vigilantie movies like "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry". It is a real man's movie, a fast paced actionier with lots of mean spirted violence and brutality. This is extreamly explotive, but it isn't bad, just way too one sided for a 'based on a real story' kind of movie. Enjoy, and bring your axe handle!
Rating:
Summary: Southern Justice
Review: I have always liked movies that presented southerners in a positive light. "Walking Tall" is not one of those movies (though they're better than the guys in "Deliverence"). Although it dosn't target the southern man specificly, it's implied pretty harshly. That, however, is the last bit of subtlety this movie has to offer. In it, Joe Don Baker playes real life Sheriff Buford Pusser, who fought corrution and graft in Tennessee in the '60s. After he was beaten and left for dead, he ran for sheriff and won, but not before he beat everyone in the casino up with a huge baseball bat. Then he went to war against the mob. He won a lot but lost more (his wife was killed in an ambush). Baker dose a very good job, not only dose he look like the barrel chested ex-Marine, but he dose a really good at the emotions thing. He is leaps and bounds better than Bo Svenson from the later "Walking Tall" movies. There are a few problems with the movie where you can tell it's low budget, most noticable is the boommike geting in the picture now and then. The bad guys are painted in broad strokes, they are evil criminals who even killed the family dog. This is a really good movie, I really liked it. It's up there with the early 70s macho man vigilantie movies like "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry". It is a real man's movie, a fast paced actionier with lots of mean spirted violence and brutality. This is extreamly explotive, but it isn't bad, just way too one sided for a 'based on a real story' kind of movie. Enjoy, and bring your axe handle!
Rating: 
Summary: Johnny Mathis
Review: i liked the movie because it was based on a true story. it showed how much corruption there is really in the world. it showed how one man really tried to make this world a better place to live in.
Rating:
Summary: i really liked the movie a lot.
Review: I liked the movie but was shocked to see all that Buford Pusser had really gone through.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for violent rednecks!
Review: It would be easy to write off this film as an endorsement of police cruelty and above-the-law justice. Joe Don Baker, however, portrays Pusser with a depth and intensity that draws you into the character and forces you to understand his rage. The film is a testament to both the valor and the pitfalls of a Southern man's pride without falling prey to the usual stereotypes of Southern men on film. The sequels to this movie suffer greatly for replacing Baker with the lesser Bo Svenson.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic film deserves better
Review: It's somewhat hard to fathom that when this shocking and violent film was released, Rolling Stone magazine called "The best film of the year." What I mean is this: although it was a wildly successful movie, "Walking Tall" is remembered more for being somewhat of a 1970s drive-in exploitation flick.Regardless, this is a gritty backwoods mafia tale with a fascinating real-life hero: the late sheriff Buford Pusser. Watching it again, one can really appreciate the raw and realistic rural texture that envelops and infuses the movie with power. However, it's really a [bad] DVD in the technical sense. The lack of a widescreen anamorphic transfer is shameful. I have never understood why Rhino, a company that prides itself on quality CD reissues, releases such horribly-botched (technically) DVDs. It would be wild if someone like Criterion put their resources into a film like "Walking Tall," but it'll never happen. "Walking Tall" was followed by two other suprisingly decent sequels -- both of which are unfortunately issued by Rhino.
Rating:
Summary: a fine film -- despite the conventional criticism
Review: It's unfortunate that this film is often dismissed as a relic from the "George Wallace/law and order" era of the early 1970s, because the film is genuinely entertaining. Often decried for its violence, the film accomplishes one very valuable task: it makes one yearn for more factual information about its main character, Buford Pusser. Unfortunately, such info doesn't seem to be available. That, however, doesn't affect that fact that the film is well worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: THE MAN WITH THE BIG STICK
Review: OK, I shouldn't have seen this movie. I'm in bad mood now. I do have excuses, though. WALKING TALL was a big hit at the box office in 1973 (18Mos $) and Phil Karlson was not the worst director of that period. Time is very cruel with those movies of the sixties and the seventies which, I don't know exactly why, don't pass the test of the years. Furthermore WALKING TALL is more a TV movie than a motion picture. Actors are bad, the screenplay is filled with clichés and we see once or twice the micro on the top of the screen. Violence is very graphic in this movie that maybe could have been an average western but that's all. Scene access as sole extra feature and not so great sound and image. A DVD dedicated to Charles Bronson.
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