Final Chapter: Walking Tall

You don't have to agree with its message to enjoy the first "Walking Tall". Certainly not as violent as the "Dirty Harry" pictures, but just as unsubtle, it was a powerful movie with a totally convincing, appropriately square performance by Joe Don Baker.

The first sequel, in which Baker was replaced by Bo Svenson, was a boring, by-the-numbers follow-up, with none of the force of the original.

The second sequel is even worse; talky and drab, it exploits (in an almost cannibalistic way) the first movie by lifting and recreating the most famous sequences from it. There are a few good moments (when Pusser picks up his trusty bat), but they are very scarce.

Much like the previous movie this picture essentially begins immediately after "Sheriff Buford Pusser" (Bo Svenson) has been seriously hurt and his wife killed in a deadly ambush by a criminal element there in Tennessee. However, unlike its predecessor, this film focuses less of Buford seeking vengeance and more on his coming to terms with his changing environment afterward. This is especially apparent when it comes to his being able to make ends meet financially as his way of doing business becomes increasing out-of-favor as time goes by. That being said, this film seemed to rely more on tepid drama than the more robust action found in either of the two previous movies and as a result it seemed to be rather dry for the most part. That's not to say that this was a dull film, necessarily, as it certainly has its moments at times. It isn't, however, quite as good as its predecessors and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This movie was good.....but i suggest you see the original.(Walking Tall) I find that this movie shows Buford Pusser as just a fantasy movie character, and not the real tennessee sheriff he was. Bo Svenson was terrible as the role of Sheriff Buford. Why didn't Joe Don Baker act in the final two? They probably would have been alot better if he were in them.

Buford Pusser is a legend in Tennessee. A wrestler, a lawman, a part of American history. He's beloved by people and family. He is split with critics on how he handled crime.

Now I was born up North, I was fascinated with Pusser. I know that he died a hero. He was brutal against crime. He did keep the town safe.

The first movie was worth watching. The second one was great. This movie is abstract. I have respect for him and his family. The Hollywood made movie of his life opens his wounds. And his daughter Dwana, was a very loving person.

I want to keep it close to me. I will be my own critic.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

They had pretty much run out of story by the end of the second film, so making a movie with what was left was kind of redundant. Yet they somehow manage to stretch what was left to an unbelievable length (116 minutes), a lot of which is made of endless and unnecessary footage of people walking from one place to another. A competent editor would have been able to prune not only this filler, but a lot of scenes that don't do anything to the plot, or start subplots that go nowhere.

There was promise in the sequence when Pusser sells his life story to the big screen (including when Pusser tells why he is reluctant to do so) but they don't spend much time in this sequence.

If you don't care about this, and just want to see Pusser swing his bat at heads, you should know there isn't much of that this time around. Most of the movie is just people talking, and it's not interesting talk. If you know what happened to Pusser, then there's no reason for you to see this movie.