MOVIE REVIEW The Rock wrestles with acting in less-than-real-life remake

The Rock has undeniable screen presence, but not because of his thespian skills.
By MILAN PAURICH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
A title card in the opening credits of "Walking Tall" informs us that it's "based on a true story." But whose?
Certainly not Buford T. Pusser's. The real-life Southern sheriff was played by Joe Don Baker in the same-named, memorably seamy 1973 movie. And who is this "Chris Vaughn" dude? Does he even exist? Confusing matters even further, Pusser receives an "in memory of..." dedication at the end.
As the latest starring vehicle for World Wrestling Entertainment superstar The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson), the new "Tall" is a not-bad "in-name-only" remake of the considerably less family-friendly Phil Karlson original. The Rock, as he proved in last fall's "Rundown," has an undeniable screen presence. (Those chiseled biceps and killer six-pack abs are certainly photogenic.) What he doesn't have, at least not yet, is much range as an actor. Fortunately, this cartoonishly violent action flick doesn't require much heavy-duty thesping. The Rock looks awfully good swinging a piece of cedar around -- usually in the direction of some hissable bad guys -- which is this film's substitute for Pusser's trademark baseball bat.
Shocking homecoming
After retiring from the U.S. Secret Service, Chris (The Rock) returns to Kitsop County -- state undetermined -- and is shocked, shocked! to discover that the town's sawmill has shut down during his extended absence. (Apparently the Secret Service doesn't permit phone calls, letters, or emails, not even from family members.) Invited to a night on the town by former high school buddy Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough) at his Wild Cherry casino, Chris is once again SHOCKED! to discover that one of the casino's dealers plays with loaded dice.
Equally alarming is the fact that his ex-sweetheart, Michelle (Kristen Wilson), is hooking upstairs at the club.
Getting into a tussle with casino security, Chris winds up in the hospital after having his chest sliced open by one of Hamilton's more overzealous staffers. Things just go from bad to worse for Chris. The corrupt local sheriff -- in cahoots with Hamilton, natch -- refuses to press charges against the men who attacked him. Then, after Chris' teenage nephew overdoses on crystal meth purchased from some Wild Cherry goons, he tears up the joint and promptly gets busted.
Pledging to the jury that he'll run for sheriff if acquitted, Chris eventually makes good on his courtroom promise. Smirking yuppie Hamilton and the Cherry, naturally, become No. 1 on Sheriff Chris' clean-up hit list. Not even threats against his saintly mother and father can stop this do-gooder from, uh, doing good. The abrupt ending hints at a sequel which isn't terribly surprising since the '73 "Walking Tall" was followed by two big-screen follow-ups, a TV movie, and even a short-lived tube series.
The amazing part
It's amazing that it took four screenwriters to write the film's laughably flimsy script. Even more remarkable is director Kevin ("All About the Benjamins") Bray's downright slipshod storytelling construction. There seem to be huge gaps in the narrative that were left on the cutting room floor. (Chris' eventual acquittal and his entire election campaign for sheriff are completely dispensed with.) Lending credence to that theory is the fact that Johnny "Jackass" Knoxville (playing Ray-Ray, the new sheriff's loyal buddy and, apparently, only deputy) has more screen time than babe-a-licious Wilson. Pretty screwy priorities if you ask me.
If Karlson's "Tall" was a modest, unpretentious drive-in movie that tapped into the early-1970's "Dirty Harry"/ "Death Wish" vigilante craze, this new Vince McMahon-produced version is another unassuming B-movie that taps into ... America's love affair with The Rock? Judged solely as a further stepping stone in The Rock's official coronation as Hollywood's next Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Walking Tall '04" will suffice. Just don't expect it to win him the governorship of California.
Local footnote: The 1973 "Tall" featured Youngstowner Elizabeth Hartman as Mrs. Pusser, and Jim Traficant loved comparing himself to good ole' boy Buford T. while campaigning for Mahoning County sheriff.
XWrite Milan Paurich at milanpaurich@aol.com.