Movie Review: Walking Tall

Walking Tall (2004) 

Directed by Kevin Bray 

Written by David Klass, Channing Gibson, David Levien, Brian Koppelman

Starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Johnny Knoxville, Neal McDonaugh, Kristen Wilson 

Release Date April 2nd, 2004 

Published April 3rd, 2004 

It's an unspoken truth amongst WWE fans that the greatest star in the sport, the People’s champ, The Rock, is finished with the wrestling biz. The most electrifying man in sports entertainment is taking a route that no wrestler has taken before, full acceptance in the world outside of wrestling.

Oh sure, Hulk Hogan became a pop culture icon in the eighties but realistically Hogan never had the mainstream acceptance the Rock is currently receiving. Whereas Hogan was a cartoon and a sideshow attraction, Rock is a full on phenomenon amongst Hollywood producers looking to replace their aging action heroes. His latest action vehicle is a remake of the hillbilly ass kicking revenge fantasy Walking Tall.

Army vet Chris Vaughn (Rock) is returning to the small Oregon town where he grew after 8 years in the Special Forces. Just off the harbor transport Chris walks into a town he no longer recognizes. There are porn shops where the hardware store used to be. A sleazy casino has taken over as the town's main source of income, replacing the lumber mill where Chris's father had worked.

The biggest change of all however is the drugs. As Chris walks through town he sees a mother leaving children unattended while she buys drugs and teenagers discreetly exchanging cash and drugs on each street corner. Chris is shocked and appalled and 

Things have changed even for Chris's old friends. Chris's best friend Ray (Johnny Knoxville) has recently kicked a serious drug problem. Another close friend, Jay (Neil McDonough), always a spoiled rich boy, is the guy who bought and shut down the mill and now runs the eyesore casino. After Chris's nephew ODs on crystal meth, it also becomes clear that Jay is running the local drug trade. Ray wants to make it up to Chris, especially after his goons beat Chris nearly to death, by bringing him in to work in the casino. When Chris says no it begins a war for the soul of the town.

The original Walking Tall from 1974 featured Joe Don Baker and was the supposedly true story of small town sheriff Buford Pusser who fought lawbreakers in his little redneck town armed only with a two by four. In this "reimagining", if I may use our lamest new buzzword, the hero’s name has changed but the mission is the same and so is the weapon. Like a backwoods Dirty Harry, the hero of Walking Tall delivers the kind of vigilante justice that might not be politically correct but is vicariously thrilling.

The Rock is a much more physically intimidating presence than Joe Don Baker and thankfully not saddled with the name Buford. He has the kind of charisma and charm of which Joe Don could never even dream of having. This is a slightly more subdued Rock than the comic performance of last year’s The Rundown but it is just as effective. It’s his appealing personality that makes up for his lack of dramatic weight.

Rock is aided greatly by Johnny Knoxville who can be quite annoying but here finds a good comic sidekick vibe that never gets in the way of The Rock's ass kicking.

A fellow critic and I exchanged emails recently comparing Walking Tall to the 80's redneck fighting movie Roadhouse and the comparison is a fair one. Both films take place in an alternate reality where all cops are crooks, where bullets never hit anyone important, where a fair fight is at least three on one and our hero is infallible. The difference between the films is that The Rock looks more than credible beating on two or even three guys at once while Patrick Swayze was about as intimidating as a guy with a dance background could ever be.

There is something about vigilante justice that many of us find appealing. Justice where little things like civil rights and lawyers never get in the way of the bad guy getting what he has coming to him. Having that justice dealt out by a guy as appealing and charismatic as the Rock is a bonus. This guy is a star and while his acting range is limited to monosyllabic action roles, he makes the most of each those roles and I can't wait to see him in another one.

Movie Review In the Time of the Butterflies

In the Time of the Butterflies (2001) 

Directed by Mariano Barroso

Written by Julia Alvarez, David Klass 

Starring Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos, Mia Maestro, Demian Bechir, Marc Anthony 

Release Date October 21st, 2001 

Published May 5th, 2002 

I had never heard of author Julia Alvarez before I rented In the Time of the Butterflies, a film adaptation of her book of the same title. After seeing the film I'm interested in reading her book which has to be far more and enlightening and textured than the sappy, melodramatic film version of the lives of three martyred sisters.

The story begins in the late 1930's on the island of the Dominican Republic where the Marabel sisters, Minerva (Salma Hayek), Patria (Lumi Cadazos) and Maria (Mia Maestro) have finally been allowed by their parents to attend school. One day during a visit to the school by Dominican dictator Trujillo (Edward James Olmos), Minerva prevents a classmate from attempting to assassinate the dictator. Trujillo promises Minerva he will never forget her and Minerva sets out to make sure he won't.

Flash forward a few years; Minerva and her family are invited to Trujillo's mansion for a party. Trujillo asks Minerva to dance but when he gets a little too fresh with her, Minerva slaps him. Soon after, Minerva's father is arrested and Minerva must once again see the dictator to beg for her father’s freedom.

If you think this plot description is long, wait ‘til you see the film itself that is quite leisurely in pace.

Minerva goes to college and while there meets and falls in love with a revolutionary named Manolo (Demien Bechir). The two begin to try to overthrow Trujillo, fighting mostly on the information front, attempting to educate the Dominican people as to what Trujillo is doing to maintain his power. It's a good idea in theory but as the film later shows everyone is quite aware of what Trujillo was up to they were just to afraid to say anything.

It is informational gaffes like this and odd fast forwards in the timeframe that muddle the film’s narrative and keeps it's characters distant. The movie only gives us the opportunity to get to know Hayek's character while only glimpsing the other characters. From what I've read, the book is focused on all three sisters whereas the film has just one fully fleshed out character - Minerva. This semi-restricted narrative leaves the other sister’s motivations unclear. We the audience are left wondering why they joined the revolution.

Butterflies is surprisingly short at a mere 90 minutes and it's shocking violent conclusion comes almost out of nowhere. If your hoping for some insight into Dominican history and it's most infamous dictator, you won't find it here. The film buries its politics under heaping helpings of melodrama and leaden dialogue. See it for Salma Hayek whose performance is strong, but if your not a fan you can skip this one.