"WALKING TALL"
(2004) (The Rock, Johnny Knoxville) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Heavy	Moderate	Extreme	Moderate	Extreme
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Moderate	Mild	Heavy
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	Minor	Heavy	Extreme

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QUICK TAKE:

Drama/Action: After returning to his hometown only to find it rife with corruption and drug dealing, a retired military man takes it upon himself to clean the place up and set things straight.

PLOT:

It's been eight years since Chris Vaughn (THE ROCK) has been back to his hometown in the Pacific Northwest and things have changed drastically. The once prosperous lumber mill has been shuttered and replaced by a lucrative casino run by childhood acquaintance Jay Hamilton (NEAL McDONOUGH).

After a home-cooked dinner with parents, Chris Sr. (JOHN BEASELY) and Connie (BARBARA TARBUCK), younger sister Michelle (KRISTEN WILSON) and nephew Pete (KHLEO THOMAS), Chris heads off to Jay's casino with longtime friend Ray (JOHNNY KNOXVILLE).

Following a surprise private striptease given by his high school girlfriend Deni (ASHLEY SCOTT) - who initially doesn't recognize him - Chris spots a craps dealer using a fixed pair of dice. When Chris decides to point him out and demand that he stop, that leads to a bad confrontation with security that leaves Chris badly wounded.

After weeks of recovery, Chris discovers that the same people who beat him up are dealing drugs to the local kids, including Pete. Wanting to set things straight, Chris heads down to the casino and invokes some physical justice on the wrongdoers.

That leads to his arrest and a court case, but he informs the jury that if they acquit him, he'll run for sheriff and clean up the town. They do and he does (including hiring Ray as his deputy), leading to an inevitable confrontation with Jay and his goons who want to put an end to this troublesome do-gooder.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're fans of anyone in the cast or films featuring vindictive protagonists, they probably will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13

For sequences of intense violence, sexual content, drug material and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

THE ROCK plays a former military man who returns to his hometown only to find it overrun with corruption. Accordingly, he decides to take the law into his own hands first as a civilian and then as the sheriff (although he breaks the law with his unorthodox solutions and behavior). He also has sex with Deni and briefly uses strong profanity while beating up and killing various bad guys.

JOHNNY KNOXVILLE plays his childhood friend and former drug addict and ex-con who he hires as his deputy to help clean up their town. He fights with and shoots bad guys.

NEAL McDONOUGH plays their hometown acquaintance who now runs the town through his casino and covert drug business. When Chris threatens to undermine his authority and get in the way, he orders that Chris and his family be killed.

KRISTEN WILSON plays Chris' sister and mother to Pete.

ASHLEY SCOTT plays Chris' high school girlfriend who now works as a stripper at the casino (but quits) and has sex with Chris.

KHLEO THOMAS plays Chris' occasionally unhappy nephew who's into drugs.

JOHN BEASELY plays Chris' father who's concerned about Chris making the town's problems his personal fight.

BARBARA TARBUCK plays Chris' mother.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramatic action flick that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, a scantily clad stripper does her thing in a private viewing booth (others are also seen in scanty attire) and later has implied sex with the protagonist (following some making out and partial disrobing).

Violence consists of various instances of brutal fighting (punching, kicking and smashing people and things with a large piece of lumber) as well as various deaths via gunfire. Some of that has bloody results and both good and bad characters sport varying degrees of bad attitudes. Some drinking and smoking occurs, as does some drug use, while people deal drugs and a drug lab is briefly seen.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

Chris sees a woman leaving an alley and looking guilty (somewhat implying a drug deal took place).

Chris offers Ray a beer, but Ray says he quit drinking (Chris still has one).

Ray states that he got into music and drugs and that then turned into just drugs (which led to serving two years in prison for breaking and entering).

One of Pete's young friends offers him a hit from the joint he's smoking.

Jay tells Chris to come to his casino and states that the drinks are on him. He then has a beer in his hand as he drives off.

Jay again tells Chris that drinks are on the house for him in his casino where others drink.

Chris and his friends drink shots in the casino.

We see miscellaneous people drinking in the casino, as well as drugs being dealt.

Chris arrives on the scene where Pete is being wheeled away for a reaction to crystal meth (that his friends admit they forced him into taking). Chris then angrily asks where they got it and they say from the casino.

Chris confronts Jay about the drug dealing occurring in the casino (Jay denies it).

Chris tells Ray that he wants him to take him to "drug school" (meaning explain how the business works) and we then see a montage of drug dealings, etc. as Ray explains it.

While frisking a suspect, Ray finds a packet of drugs on him.

Chris finds a drug lab in an abandoned saw mill.

BLOOD/GORE

Chris has some blood on his face following a fight and is then bloodier after he's beaten and dropped off on a road.

We see a man with bruises on his face (from Chris beating him up).

Chris shows a series of severe scars on his torso (from what Jay's goons did to him some time earlier).

A suspect has a cut on his lip.

We see some of Ray's blood on the floor.

Chris' father has a bloody lip after being punched.

Chris's pants leg has a bloody hole in it and we hear him snapping some part of his leg back into place. Moments later, his face is bloody from a fight.

Jay has blood on his face during a fight and then much more after it.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Chris has a bad attitude for taking the law into his own hands, both as a civilian and then as the elected sheriff. Ray later joins him in breaking the law as the law.

Jay has a bad attitude for the way he behaves, runs his business, deals drugs to minors, and how he treats, threatens and attempts to kill Chris. His goons share his bad attitude.

The local sheriff has a bad attitude for closing Chris' assault case without looking into it.

Pete twice asks Chris if he killed ("smoked") anyone while in the service (Chris doesn't answer).

Men refer to other men as "ladies" during a football game.

Chris spots a casino dealer using fixed dice in craps, calls him on that and then gets into a fight with various men.

Ray steals some flowers inside a hospital to bring to Chris (who's a patient there).

Witnesses embellish their tales to make Chris look bad in his court case.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Scenes listed under "Violence" might also be unsettling, tense or suspenseful to some viewers.

Chris slowly makes his way through an abandoned saw mill, looking for Jay.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Handguns/Shotguns/Machine guns/Knives/Large piece of lumber/Ax: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details.

A store sign reads "Guns and Guitars."

The sheriff jokingly acts as if he's going to draw his sidearm to make Chris accept a ride with him.

We see Chris loading his shotgun to use on the security guards who are dealing drugs to kids, but he then decides on using a 4 by 4, rectangular block of wood.

Police hold their guns on Chris as they arrest him.

Chris gives Ray a shotgun and tells him to go and protect his family.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "What the f*ck are you talking about?" "I don't have sh*t," "Well hell," "Old man" (father), "Bastards," "What the hell was that?" "Hell no," "Bitch" (man), "Hell of a homecoming party," "Nuts" (crazy), "Sure as hell," "Screw you (both)," "What an idiot," "Punk" and "The sound of you screaming like a little bitch."

Men refer to other men as "ladies" during a football game.

The vigilante style violence - including using a large piece of lumber to smash people and things - may be enticing for some to imitate.

Chris, Ray and several other characters have tattoos.

A miscellaneous woman wears a midriff-revealing top, as does Deni later.

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A moderate amount of suspenseful music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

A song has sexually related lyrics in it about a woman turning on a man.

PROFANITY

At least 1 "f" word, 2 "s" words, 1 slang term for breasts ("boobs"), 6 hells, 3 asses (used with "hole"), 2 S.O.B.s, 1 damn and 1 use of "Oh God."

SEX/NUDITY

Ray calls his old camper "the love machine."

A comment is made regarding something about fixing some cherries (or something like that), possibly meant sexually.

The camera focuses on a woman's very small shorts in Jay's casino where we then see dancers in similar shorts as well as bikini bottoms and tops (that show cleavage).

Jay tells Chris that he can get him some "female companionship" if he wants. He then says that he has "a couple of things to do" (referring to two women with him -- as his door closes).

A person comments about the fake boobs in the casino.

Chris' friends pay for him to go into a private viewing booth/room in the casino where he spots Deni behind the glass. She strips from her outfit and is then dressed in a small bikini bottom and top (or panties and bra -- that shows cleavage) and does a suggestive dance for him (including shaking her rear, doing a pole dance, and then squatting with her legs spread). The camera occasionally focuses on her body parts. When she recognizes him, however, she runs out. As he leaves, he spots other such dancers, one of whom is bent over, showing most of her bare butt through her scanty attire. Other women show cleavage, while some dancers have water pour down onto them while up on platforms above the casino floor. A song plays during the above strip scene and has sexually related lyrics in it about a woman turning on a man.

We see the exterior of an adult video store (nothing explicit).

Deni shows some cleavage.

After Deni sarcastically says that Jay is a real go-getter, Chris says that he heard that Jay "got you." She says that it lasted around eight minutes and was a long time ago.

A miscellaneous woman shows some cleavage.

Ray jokes that it won't be long before Chris is frisking crotches.

As Ray frisks a suspect, he goes near his crotch and then jokingly says (in a double meaning), "Nothing there."

Deni shows up at the sheriff's office wearing a midriff-revealing top and acting friendly toward Chris. The two then passionately kiss, remove each other's shirts (we see her in her bra that shows cleavage) and do more passionate kissing. It's implied that they have sex. The next morning, we see her in his bed in her bra (with more cleavage) and he states that he needs a bigger bed. She then playfully replies that he doesn't.

Dropping a double entendre and talking about Jay being in prison, Ray says that he's probably blowing on somebody's dice right now.

SMOKING

Jay smokes once and some miscellaneous people smoke.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

Chris' father worries about his son making the town's problems his personal fight while Chris is concerned about his nephew being involved with drugs.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

Revenge and vengeance.

How to deal with corruption or other wrongdoings.

Pete twice asks Chris if he killed ("smoked") anyone while in the service (Chris doesn't answer).

VIOLENCE

Much of the following violence is often rather brutal in nature.

There's football violence during a game between Chris, Ray and their friends and Jay and his goons (that includes throwing footballs to hit others and then some brutal and cheap shot hits at the end, one of which injures Chris' leg).

Chris spots a casino dealer using fixed dice in craps and calls him on that. He then pushes that dealer backwards, prompting a security guy to grab him from behind, around the neck. He then elbows that man, slams his face to the craps table and then flips him over it. Chris then fights various security men (as does Ray), with a great deal of punching, kicking and knocking them around (with some property damage occurring inside the casino). One guy pulls a gun, but Chris grabs his arm. Another zaps Chris with a shock wand.

When Chris comes to, one of the guards punches him, and as others hold Chris down, the man takes a small blade and apparently cuts him quite bad (we see the bad scars later in the film).

Chris smashes a slot machine with a large piece of lumber that he then uses to hit a security guard that he also kicks. He then hits others with it, including a guy who comes at him with a shotgun (that fires when the man is hit). Chris then breaks that man's arm with the lumber (in graphic fashion). Another guy comes at Chris with a stool and then runs into a wall as he turns to run away. More fighting follows with Chris hitting, kicking, kneeing and using that lumber to hit others (some of whom come at him with guns). He then heaves that lumber through the large security glass into Jay's office, shattering it.

After pulling over Jay in his car (to harass him), Chris takes his big piece of lumber and smashes the taillights in Jay's car.

We see footage of Chris and Ray roughing up some drug dealers, including smashing one into a car, hearing sounds of more such violence and then seeing both of them beating up another dealer.

Chris and Ray proceed to smash, rip apart and tear up a suspect's truck, looking for more drug evidence.

An explosion (caused by Jay's men) destroys Chris' truck. Three of Jay's men then open fire on the police station with machine guns, shooting a tremendous amount of bullets into it (and causing a great deal of property damage). Chris shoots a hole in to the floor for Deni to escape into and then proceeds to shoot and kill the assailants (with his shotgun) as they continue to shoot at him. Deni also fires some shots with a handgun at the villains, but doesn't hit anyone.

A thug shoots Ray in the leg and then backhands Pete, while another thug grabs Michelle and has a gun on her. Ray then jumps on his assailant and is on his back, struggling with him. He then jabs a potato peeler into a guy's chest, punches him and then smacks him on the head with a large skillet. Other thugs hold guns on the rest of Chris' family and one punches Chris' father.

Ray shoots a bad guy.

One of Jay's men (who's in jail) is hit by the gunfire from his associates and is presumably killed.

After being kicked, a thug tumbles down the stairs where Ray shoots at him with a shotgun. The two then exchange gunfire. Ray then rushes and hits the man with his shotgun and the two then struggle over one with Ray nearly being hit by another shot from it. Ray then hits the guy in the crotch and then repeatedly punches him on the floor (we don't see the impact). When Chris shows up to stop him, Ray instinctively punches him in the face.

A thug has his gun on Chris and Ray, but Chris' father shoots him dead.

Chris drives a police car through a fence.

Jay throws a lever that opens a trap door and has Chris hanging from something. Jay then proceeds to hit Chris several times with a pole, but both end up falling through the opening and struggling during their tumble. Jay then knocks Chris out through a window where he falls a distance to the ground and lands hard on his back.

Jay swings an ax at Chris and both end up tumbling down a hill and crashing into a fallen tree. There, Chris blocks more ax swings with a log, and some punching and kicking ensues. Jay then knees Chris in the face, but Chris then drives Jay back into a tree, punches him and then strikes him with the large log, sending him falling to the ground.

Reviewed March 27, 2004 / Posted April 2, 2004

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