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If you are a southern male who grew up in the 1970's, "Walking Tall" is your "Gone With The Wind". This 1973 movie is based on actual events in the life of Sheriff Buford Pusser of McNairy County, Tennessee during the 1960's. Though the screenplay takes some liberties with Pusser's story, it is an exciting account of one man taking on organized crime and corruption .

The story begins with Buford and his family moving back to his home town in McNairy County. Shortly after arriving, Buford realizes that his home town has changed. Gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging have taken over. Buford exposes the gambling operation to be corrupt and is brutally beaten and left for dead. He recovers and seeks vengeance using a big piece of lumber. He is arrested for his troubles. Buford is cleared of the charges and is soon elected Sheriff. He promises to rid the county of crime and corruption. The rest of the movie shows how difficult it was for Buford to follow through with his promise.

Buford Pusser is played by Joe Don Baker, who gives the performance of his career. Baker's Pusser faces the tragic events of the movie with a sense of sad but heroic nobility. The audience is able to feel what Pusser must have felt when these events actually happened through Baker's brave performance.

The story is ultimately a tragic tale of one man who walked tall and stood up against the forces of corruption. It is the rare action movie that makes you cheer and cry at the same time. This is essential viewing for anyone who loves true heroes.

One great movie! Joe Don Baker does a great job portraying Buford Pusser. This movies deals with a man that has just givin up pro wrestlng because he is sick and tired of being controlled by someone else. He returns home to Tennessee, and finds the same thing going on. His mother warns him to ignore it, but by accident, he finds out the hard way how these people operate. His battle is an uphill one. First, he is jailed for robbing the local bar. He acts as his own defense at the trial and wins. Then the local sheriff tries to kill him, and is killed himself. Once Pusser is elected sheriff, the fight really begins. He eventually cleans out the graft and corruption in McNairy County, and then he is ambushed, and his wife is tragically killed. Pusser finally has one last showdown with the people at the Lucky Spot. I would like to have seen Joe Don Baker do the other two movies. This movie is a real tear jerker at the end.

"Walking Tall" is certainly one of the most ass kicking movies ever made. It's a fictionalization of the true story of Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, played here with conviction and intensity by Joe Don Baker. Buford has retired from life as a wrestler, hoping to settle down to a quiet life in his hometown, but he finds out that everything has gotten crooked, with local bigwigs running the show. Soon enraged at a system that does little to nothing to help the common man, he wages a personal war on corruption, using any method necessary. The movie does its job as far as manipulating its audience. It doesn't take long for viewers to get their blood lust up, and loudly cheer on our swaggering hero as he gives the assorted sleazy cretins their just desserts. And it doesn't hold back in the violence department, either; even if the blood is typically bright red movie blood that looks more like paint than anything, there's a lot of it that flows before the movie is over. And we can also definitely take interest in a story of a regular Joe who fumes at the injustices of the world, and refuses to live in a place where the big shots can have their way at any time. When Pusser puts a pompous, ineffective judge (Douglas Fowley) in his place, or humiliates a rat by having them crawl on all fours, it's not hard to pump one's fist in the air and yell, "YEAH!" All of the bad people are one dimensional, sleazy, selfish jerks; even though they may disagree with one another on methods used, they all look out for number one and enjoy their hold on the community. Provided one can take the brutality, and doesn't mind having their buttons pushed so obviously, "Walking Tall" is gripping. A superb cast really helps in the selling of the material, with Elizabeth Hartman as the troubled but loyal wife, Gene Evans as the ineffectual sheriff, Bruce Glover and Felton Perry as deputies, real-life siblings Leif Garrett and Dawn Lyn as the Pusser children, Noah Beery Jr. and Lurene Tuttle as Buford's folks, Rosemary Murphy as trouble making Callie Hacker, and assorted other character players such as Arch Johnson, Don Keefer, Sam Laws, Kenneth Tobey, Pepper Martin, Red West, Logan Ramsey, Richard X. Slattery, Sidney Clute, and John Myhers. Now, granted, all of what happens is plenty predictable, but it's hard to deny how this could become a crowd pleasing entertainment on a non-think level. And Buford's story didn't end here, with two sequels, a TV movie, a short lived series, and a loose remake & subsequent sequels to follow, just going to show how enduring the concept of a strong, principled man fighting for what's right can be. Seven out of 10.

All you folks complaining that this is amateur film-making because the boom is visible in several shots don't understand how movies are made. In order to get good sound on dialog, the mike is hung very close to the subject. It is almost always captured on film, but in the area which is not meant to be seen by an audience, as the square film frame is supposed to be matted at top and bottom by the projectionist when shown in a theater, or by the technician when transferring film to video.

In the case of Walking Tall, whoever supervised the transfer to video did so "open matte", meaning they transfered the ENTIRE film frame without proper matting, hence the visible boom. This was not carelessness on the part of the filmmakers, but on the part of whoever put it out on video. You'd see microphone booms in Star Wars if it were transfered to video this way.

When I saw Walking Tall in the theater, it did not have visible booms. Blame the video release, not the filmmakers.

Lemme y'all tell a story about a fine working-class hero named Buford Pusser!

Actually, being a European and born in the 80s, I only know Buford Pusser from his Wikipedia page and the many things I heard & read about this film. "Walking Tall" is supposedly one of the most successful and loved drive-in/exploitation movies of its era, so it must have ended up on my must-see list sooner or later. It's a partially biographical and partially fictionalized tale about a "real American Hero", and illustrates the period between Buford's homecoming to McNairy County, TN, and the tragic assassination of his wife in 1967. The sequel picks up from there, and normally would have starred the real Buford Pusser if he hadn't died in questionable circumstances prior to the start of production. Bo Svenson took over the role from Joe Don Baker (who refused in honor of Buford Pusser) and portrayed him in the two sequels and a short-lived television series.

So much for the information you can also find on Wikipedia. "Walking Tall" is a bizarre drive-in/exploitation experience, since it's one of the sole movies of its type that successfully merges emotional drama with extreme bits of violence. Usually these "Dixie-rednecksploitation" efforts heavily focus on the moonshining, liquor-smuggling and illegal gambling activities - and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that - but "Walking Tall" clearly wanted to put the emphasize on human beings and their personal quests. This naturally includes Pusser's quest to rid his beloved county of all the smutty mafia practices going on, but also his wife's quest to safeguard her husband and family, and the quest of the Dixie mobsters to proceed with their profitable business and eliminate the intrusive Sheriff. It's definitely different, but "Walking Tall" works very efficiently. Even though a bit too long for my taste, the atmosphere is moody and ominous throughout, and all the significant characters are well-developed. The action sequences are very violent, and the aforementioned assassination even downright shocking, but it certainly adds power and realism to the film. Great acting performances all-around, notably from Joe Don Baker and the integer Elizabeth Hartman as his wife, but also from many respectable names in the supportive cast, like Noah Beery Jr, Gene Evans, Felton Perry and Bruce Glover. With regards to that last name, it's amazing how Bruce Glover and his son Crispin look identical!

Walking Tall. Is the story of Sheriff Buford Pusser. Pusser was the sheriff of Mcnairy county Tenn. during the late 50's to the early 70's . Pusser led a colourful life from being a wrestler Buford the bull or Buford the wild bull. to a stint in the marines in which he was given a medical discharge for asthma. Buford came home to Adamsville Tenn. As a young man he visited a crooked casino across the state line and caught them cheating and stealing his money. They beat him and carved him up and left him for dead. Buford lost a friend in that attack and he returned to the casino and took his money back by force. He was arrested and during his trial he stood up for himself and was acquitted. Buford ran for the job as Adamsville's police chief and started a war to clean up the state line . Buford's term as police chief expired after four terms and he ran for the more powerful position of county sheriff. he made powerful enemies and was shot and knifed countless times and left for dead but he came back stronger then ever.

until Aug 12th 1964. Buford Pusser was responding to a call out on new hope road. His wife PAuline terrified for her husband went along. The day was beautiful and no sign of trouble until the cars came and ambushed Buford Pusser and his wife. Pauline Pusser died and Buford was severely wounded. His jaw almost shot off. Buford was in the hospital for almost a year recovering. But when he did he continued his relentless war. In 1967 Mort Briskin caught a news story on Pusser and was captivated and believed this would make a great movie. He contacted Buford and he agreed to make the movie as a consultant. Buford Pusser himself would say WAlking Tall was 50 percent true 50 percent Hollywood. And you can see what's true and what isn't. But they got the important details right. And they got the legend right. When Walking Tall became an incredible hit Buford Pusser received death threats. He was worried he would die before they finished telling his story. He screen tested for the next chapter simply called Buford and got the job to play himself but died before it was made. But Joe Don Baker does a great job here as Buford and keeps his memory alive. The film isn't perfect it's not a documentary of a incredible man. But it's a fitting cornerstone into the legend that has become Buford Pusser. I've seen this film hundreds of times and each time it's affected me deeply. Not bad for a film made in 1973.

Wow, the previous reviewer really had issues with this film! Judging from his/her use of overly-descriptive adjectives, I'd say he/she was looking down their nose, even before they entered the theatre.

"It coincided with the beginning of a sordid bottom period in the social and intellectual history of the United States from which the nation has yet to recover."

Whoa! Where'd that come from !? For starters, that wasn't the beginning of any bottom period for this country. I'm not even sure what context he/she is referring to. If it's violence in society, then you need to roll the clock back 10, 20 or more years to find the bottom. Sounds like someone lived in a glass house during the McCarthy-era, JFK's assassination, Vietnam, MLK's assassination - and that's just going back 10-20 years! Dip back further into the early part of the century, when the country was involved in labor fights (of which I highly recommend watching "Matewan One", a movie about unionizing coal miners of West Virginia back in the 20's or 30's).

Sorry to digress. Here's my take on Walking Tall:

I watched this the other night and was glued to it! Not for the display of violence, but for the fact that this movie is now nearly 30 years old and it's like a time capsule of sorts. Yes, it was a story based on violence, but the real story is how morally bankrupt one town had become, while still functioning as a little town somewhere in America.

Joe Don Baker played an excellent role in being a not-so-nice guy bent on cleaning up the scum of his childhood town. He had been away too long, and when he returned, it was too much for him to handle.

I took to watching this movie lightly. A lot of viewers commented on the social aspects of this, but I took-in all of the surrounding things like the props and scenery. For instance, look how huge those Dodge sedans were! Boats with wheels! The bad hair, bad clothes, especially one scene where his wife is wearing this blouse that has about 4 different contrasting patterns on it. Truly Seventies Americana.

As mentioned in another post, the boom operator must have been someone's kid helping out on the set, as the mic is shown in many of the scenes. Being an independent company, they must have said the heck with it in the editing room. Not enough money for a re-shoot.

I take this movie with a grain of salt. I was entertained by the time period of it and the acting. This movie belongs in the yet-to-be implemented IMDB genre category of "The Seventies". Hint hint IMDB.

Some rather unscrupulous Dixie gangsters wanted this man out of the way real bad. In his real life town of Adamsville, Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser made a career out of busting the various clip joints that infested his areas. Those that ran them did all they could to kill him. After the action in this film was portrayed they kind of got their wish and Buford Pusser was killed in a car crash that some still label suspicious.

Pusser was a big guy in real life and a big guy in Joe Don Baker was hired to play him. On screen Baker really gets into his character so much so that could be the real Pusser you see on screen. Before going into law enforcement Pusser was a professional wrestler in the southern circuit known as Buford the Bull. As the man was attacked several times including one shooting no doubt his superb athletic conditioning saved his life.

Elizabeth Hartman portrays his wife and mother of his two children, one of them played soon future teen bubblegum idol Leif Garrett. A few familiar faces dot the supporting cast. One portrayal you won't forget is Rosemary Murphy owner of one of the clip joints who hustles women and gambling and she develops a real hatred for Baker. She sizzles on the screen.

On the screen and in real life Pusser was not a stickler for civil liberties niceties. He did what he had to do to root out corruption in his small corner of the world. In another century like the one we're in now, Buford Pusser would have the status of a Wild Bill Hickok or Wyatt Earp. Both of whom didn't mind gambling interests but kept the cheating to a minimum.

To some, an American hero.

Unfortunately the IMDb allows only comments up to 1000 words and I was so much taken in by WALKING TALL that my comment got longer, so please go to my entry in the message board, if you want to read the whole review! :-) ... :-))

I love movies with balls and brains and this is one of 'em! :-)

OK, I know this movies has its small shortcomings, because it does not belong to the category of over-financed Hollywood-junk (which is a movie-category established by the film industry (!) in the later 80ies and beginning 90ties consisting of movies costing anywhere from 50 to 200 million bucks and which look like most designer-stuff: well crafted but hollow), but to the category of a small independently financed B-picture. Don't get me wrong, this ain't a movie financed on a shoestring-budget, this is just one of those movies, where the producers did not have million's to burn. It's very decently made and 95% perfect, just here or there you think, well, they could have tried one more take or something similar. But anyway, are you going to the cinema to see a technically perfect movie and receive joy from seeing designer-tailored action-scenes, or do you go to the movies or buy a DVD to enjoy yourself with a movie full of balls and brain? If you belong to the 1st category, I suggest you save the time reading this and forget about watching this flick.

But if you belong to the later category, then this is something for you, you gonna enjoy this roller-coaster-flick! Especially if - as is the case with me - 70ies B-flicks are your cup of tea. They certainly are mine! I won't dwell here on the storyline of WALKING TALL (you can find details elsewhere here), it's probably enough to point out that the title is the program and that our hero's tag-line is "walk softly and carry a big stick" (or - as the old Latins said - "suaviter in modo, fortiter in re"). Yeah, that's what he does and he uses that big stick to clean house very properly.

I do not know, which part of the story is actually "fact" (based on incidents in the life of Buford Pusser) and which parts are fiction (that could be a lot, since the disclaimer reads that this picture is based on "incidents suggested by the life of BP", which sounds like something, but in fact can mean nearly everything or nothing at all), but IF just 50% of the story-line happened in some way or another, this guy must have had enormous luck and 7 lives. Already the incidents, when somebody tries to kill him, amount to at least 5!

The movie is quite brutal, at least for a flick made in the middle of the 70ies. Quite a lot of dead and quite a high number of severely beaten-up bodies, but there ain't that much of it on-screen. Just the first beating of our hero is really tense and was probably only outdone by Mel Gibson's Christ a couple decades later. Of course it looks a bit unrealistic to see Joe Don Baker in a T-shirt so soaked with blood, because anyone loosing that much of it would certainly be dead, but then again Phil Karlson had a point to make and wanted to make sure we'd get it: our hero had been severely wounded by the villains of the town and now he had a task to handle, do what a man has to do, simply WALK TALL!

This movie is pure 70ies magnetism, a wonderful ride into rural Americana, with so many classic (partly stereo-)types, wonderful original characters, hardly any cardboard ones, and actors indeed looking like someone you could meet at any corner of such a town. This is what lifts such classic productions over the Hollywood-product we get today: we do see real people doing things, that could at least be possible (while when we watch Die Hard IV everybody should know that 90% of the action-scenes there could simply never happen, because they are against the laws of physics). Here you got a lot of beat-ups, car-chases, shoot-outs, more beatings, cars driving in houses, all things that normally don't happen if the police does its job, but things that COULD happen, that are physically possible.

And they are staged with zest and verve by a veteran director in the twilight of his career, who took this job at the age of 66 and wanted to give it a last (which then was his penultimate) try. And he does deliver ALL the goods, pulls all triggers. He certainly knew this could very well be his last effort, so why not give the best. With 4 decades (!!) of movie-making experience, Phil Karlson (who also directed THE SILENCERS and THE WRECKING CREW-entries in the lovely Matt Helm-series and quite a couple very good noir's and western) certainly knew how to build up a good storyline and how to stage it as well as possible with whatever budget he had available.

...

ATTENTION ! This comment here is NOT COMPLETE, because the IMDb allows only 1000 words and I wrote more, so please go to my entry in the message board (if you liked to read my few cents) to get the whole review and to be able to comment on it! :-)

I just wanted to point out the above mentioned line in the tagline. Pure gold!

Walking Tall was a massive hit back in the 70s, and in retrospect it's easy to see why. The film was definitely ahead of the curve in its representation of an outraged Middle America, fed up to the gills with the apparent excesses of the 60s. Buford Pusser was Ronald Reagan with a big stick, ignoring the law when it was convenient and laying into the lowlifes and scum who were perverting American family values. It's not a pretty picture, but it is a heck of an entertaining movie that predates grittier urban dramas such as The Exterminator and Vigilante.

I caught this film in 2006 on the action channel while surfing for something quick to watch for 30 min. I was still there at the end and I had no idea this was supposed to be based on a true story until the credits rolled. It's especially interesting to read some of the reviews here and learn of the fate of the actors and actresses and Mr. Bufford himself outside of the film.

Wow, 33 years ago. I was about 6 when this was made and I'm sure my parents drove a dodge like that ... I can still feel the heat from the vinyl seats burning my legs in the middle of summer.

As for the mystery boom-mike that several folks mention, maybe I was too into the story and in awe of life in the southern US, but I never saw it once! Definitely worth a viewing. As one reviewer said, it may be a good one to watch when you've given up on finding any body left 'walking tall' around you. I saw the remake with 'the rock' before this version. Not even close. The rock's version is your typical Hollywood action flick. This one felt pretty real for '73 and it does get your blood boiling. Granted, some scenes seem pretty far fetched, but the key focus on corruption is there through-out. Maybe we need someone to make an up to date film featuring behind the scenes at Enron.

After five years serving in the U. S. Marine Corps and another five years performing as a professional wrestler, "Buford Pusser" (Joe Don Baker) returns to his home town in McNairy County, Tennessee with his family to start a new life. However, once he arrives, he soon discovers that things have taken a dramatic turn for the worst because of rampant corruption by city officials due to the influence of organized crime. To that effect, after being badly cut up and left for dead during a scuffle at a local bar, he makes it his mission to clean up the town once and for all. What he doesn't quite realize, however, is just how entrenched the local mafia is and the lengths they will go to in order to stay in business. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I first heard of this movie during my high school days when a good friend happened to see it when it first came out at the local drive-in here in southern Kentucky. Yet, even though he was quite impressed with it, I never really got around to actually watching it for myself until just recently. Having said that, I have to admit that my friend was right on the money as this turned out to be a really good movie which captured the local environment of this area in an outstanding manner. Admittedly, there is some creative license taken with some of the actual events, but even so the overall story is still quite compelling and I have rated this film accordingly. Above average.

One of the most fascinating people in Small-town America. This move I was a wee pint when it came out and later saw it, and was enamored ever since. Some of the truth was dramatized and a lot of the truth was not shown to protect the innocent. There's 3 Walking Tall movies and the real Buford Pusser was on set to be a consultant at the right hand of the director and screenwriter. Actually Buford was to Star in Part 3 but was killed by the Dixie Mafia during filming . Now that's what I call true story, not during the actual movie but around the same time. It hasn't aged well but for a 70s B film it took the nation by storm. A Cult favorite that was raw and true, not just based on a true story but the actual events told by the man himself. I've never forgotten this movie though I was a kid, I now have the whole set. Walk Tall and carry a BIG Stick! Fascinating story!

Such an action packed film I found it really difficult to get bored forget about the remake original and best, This film is so good its never been realeased on DVD.

A Must-See Because it "Struck-a-Chord", Based on a Real-Life, Well Publicized , Showdown with a Vigilante and Later Sheriff of a Tennessee Town, and the Members of the Local "Mobbed-Up" Criminals, Trafficking in "Vice".

Buford Pusser, Returning to His Hometown from a 10 Year Stint in the Marines and Professional Wrestling, "Buford the Bull". With His Wife and Their 2 Children Want to Settle Down.

They Didn't even Begin "Settling", when Buford Accusing the Casino Gangsters with Cheating, is Severely Hacked-Up and Left for Dead.

Buford has "Not yet begun to fight".

Admired B-Movie Director Phil Karlson Considered this "In His Wheelhouse", and Wanted a Huge Part of Profits.

Budgeted at $500,000...The Movie Made $40 Million and Was One, of the Many Successful Independent Productions jn the Post-Code "New Wave".

Independent "Free-Thinking" Film-Makers, Capitalizing on the Disintegration by Apathy and Old-Age Out-of-Touch "Studio System".

This Movie Made Karlson a Rich Man.

After All the Years of Directing Critic Friendly and Fan Approved B-Movies, He Made His Fortune Doing What He Always Did.

He Made Highly Efficient, Highly Entertaining, Socially and Culturally Relevant Movies with a Touch of Class, and Plenty of Craft.

After This, He Made 1 More, and After Directing 61 Films , Retired.

This also, Made Jo Don Baker a Star.

The Movie, was On the Trend of the Ultra-Violence and Counter-Culture Crusades.

For its Iconic and Cultural Relevance of the Era, and Because of its Fine, Well-Rounded Reflection of Thought Provoking Existential Themes,

with Powerful Kick-Ass Scenes, and a Talented and Willing Cast. It Deserves a Re-Look. Deflected by a Remake and TV-Shows.

This Home-Run, Hits All the Bases, and for Film-Buffs and Cultural Historians, it's a...Must-See...

For All Others, it's...

Worth a Watch

PHIL KARLSON...WORTH A WATCH MOVIES...REVERSE CHRONOLOGY

WALKING TALL ('73)...HELL TO ETERNITY ('60)...THE SCARFACE MOB ('59)...GUNMAN'S WALK ('58)...THE PHENIX CITY STORY ('55)...99 RIVER STREET ('53)...KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL ('53)...SCANDAL SHEET ('

The raw power of a movie like "Walking Tall" (based--or, rather, inspired--by a true story) or "Billy Jack" or "Dirty Harry" is palpable. The success of these pictures rests solely on our need to see justice being done, and the gut reaction we have as an audience transcends movie criticism. We're introduced to the bad guys, we watch as they work over our good-hearted hero, and then we wait with bated breath for "the Calvary to arrive." Joe Don Baker plays Buford Pusser, a former low-rent wrestler with a wife and kids who, upon returning to his Tennessee hometown, soon learns the rural community is now part of a corrupt county full of dirty gamblers and moonshiners. Almost immediately he shakes things up, getting beaten and slashed for his trouble. Buford isn't a total saint--he nearly falls for the charms of a prostitute who hangs out in a hoochie-coochie bar--but he indeed walks tall and swings a mighty stick, and we're primed to applaud him every time he brings the nasties to their knees. It's a technically amateurish movie, but it works precisely the way the filmmakers mean it to. Remade with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in 2004. **1/2 from ****

The movie was so-so. I mean the story was blown a little out of proportion. Think about facts, he didn't defeat the State Line Gang. They murdered his wife, and blew up his home. There should have been a part devoted to the other side of the story...from the eyes of lets say, a bootlegger.

I think the band Drive By Truckers hit it right. "Now they're lined up around the block to see that movie and cryin' for his ambushed wife. Marveling about shot 8 times, stabbed seven. Some folks can't take a hint. they say he didn't take no crap from the State Line Gang, well what the h*** they talking' about? I'm just a hard working man with a family to feed and he made my daughter cry, I said he made my daughter cry."