I giorni roventi del poliziotto Buford

Part two in the Buford Pusser homage-trilogy begins during the aftermath of the assassination attempt that killed Pusser's wife and heavily injured the Sheriff of McNairy County himself. After spending eight long months in the hospital, Pusser is ready to pick up the fight with corruption and moonshining again.

The "Walking Tall" movies are difficult to rate and review. They basically qualify as Rednecksploitation, but since they are inspired by true events and pay tribute to a real-life "American Hero", the films don't feature comic elements (don't expect goofy banjo-music chases here) and have a much more stern and depressing atmosphere. And yet, part two is also typical and clichéd kind of sequel, with a lot more action footage and crazed supportive characters than the in the first. John Witter, the cowardly head of the moonshine-syndicate, hires numerous people to eliminate Buford Pusser (including a duo of merciless crooks, a deadly prostitute and a brute Nascar-driver) but every attempt spectacularly fails, even though there are sad losses again.

What makes "Walking Tall: Part Two" even more of a cult movie is that it 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 this film, the last part of the trilogy, and a short-lived television series. The rest of the cast is also terrific, with many great names reprising their roles (like Bruce Glover) but also a bunch of freshly loathsome faces, like Luke Askew, John Davis Chandler, Angel Tompkins and Richard Jaeckel.

The original "Walking Tall" is a true classic but I actually find "Part 2 Walking Tall" (that's the actual title) a more enjoyable experience. The original is a heartbreaking movie to watch. "Part 2" has its fair share of serious moments but the first movie has a lot more. "Part 2" ends up being more fun. The cast is very good with an excellent Bo Svenson leading the way. The movie opens up with a notarized statement swearing that "Part 2" is true. That's good enough for me. Long Live Sheriff Bufford Pusser. Honorable mention: one of the greatest moments of nudity in movie history (Angel Tompkins).

Following the ambush on his life and the assassination of his wife, Pauline Pusser, Buford(Bo Svenson) continue his pursuit of justice. While he is continuing his pursuit, he runs into another bump in the road, his African-American deputy is killed on duty following the people who want to kill Pusser. Obra is always loyal to him, and he has been a good friend to Buford.

Buford does carry the Big Stick. And the law always get the criminals. The man will never be forgotten.

Big changes in the film, but the fun is always there. It can be used for history lessons. Respect them always.

3 out of 5 stars.

This sequel to the 1973 picture of the same name but doesn't match up to the original. Bo Svenson stars this time as the big stick wielding southern Sheriff. The film takes up where the 73 film leaves off. Pusser is already well known around his parts and continues his war against the state line mob. Had this one been made with Joe Don Baker in the lead role it might have been better. Had Bo Svenson been in the original, likewise.

At times it drifts to the point that it resembles the adventures of a TV hero and not the exploits of a real person.

This film essentially takes up where its predecessor left off with "Sheriff Buford Pusser" (played in this movie by Bo Svenson) recuperating from his injuries sustained in an ambush which killed his wife. Although his loyal deputies want to go after the suspects involved in this fatal shooting, Sheriff Pusser manages to convince them to perform their day-to-day duties while he concentrates on winning reelection. To that effect, although he is quite popular to most of the people in his county, there is a certain corrupt element led by a man named "John Witter" (Logan Ramsey) who is intent on preventing that at all costs. For starters, it suits his business interests in having someone within the police department that he can control. But even more importantly, having had a role in the deadly ambush, the one thing he doesn't want is an investigation being carried out by someone intent on getting to the truth of the matter. That being said, when Sheriff Pusser does in fact win reelection, John Witter subsequently decides to eliminate his adversary by hiring several different people with unique skills of their own. Now, rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although it didn't have quite as much drama as the original movie, it had enough robust action to make up for it to a certain degree. I also liked the performances of both Richard Jaeckel (as "Stud Pardee") and Luke Askew ("Pinky Dobson") who played their parts quite well. Likewise, having both Angel Tompkins ("Marganne Stilson") and Brooke Mills ("Ruby Lee") certainly didn't hurt the scenery in any way either. Be that as it may, while this movie may not have been as good as its predecessor, it was still enjoyable for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.