My Thoughts on the Film, Walking Tall (1973)...

I have a couple of things to say about Walking Tall (1973).

First of all, it’s bullshit. Not the film itself—although the execution thereof leaves much to be desired—but the premise behind the film, that Buford T. Pusser was an upstanding, forthright, morally driven hero, is absolute bullshit.

The film claims to be fictitious; that true events “inspired” this film. Well, some of this may have been accurate, but it’s mostly bullshit, as well. Pusser, portrayed with gravitas by Joe Don Baker, was, in real life, a corrupt bastard who, way after the fact, was suspected of murdering his wife, amongst a myriad of other crimes. Too bad it took almost sixty years for the truth about this prick to surface. Granted, I knew about the “real” Buford Pusser well before watching this film, so, admittedly, my opinion of it was already adversely affected before I even clicked “play.”

Secondly, this film didn’t age well. It took place after the Miranda rights were established in 1966, but, apparently, before all law enforcers outside of urban areas accepted, or even knew about, this law. Essentially, according to this film and most likely in real life, Sheriff Pusser beat the snot out of his suspects while he arrested them. In one scene, he had to release eight suspects because he didn’t Mirandize them.

There were some serious kerfuffles as well. During a county highway chase, when the sheriff’s patrol car pursuing Pusser swerves off the road, it mysteriously explodes before it lands partly submerged in a river. Pusser saves the deputy but cannot save the sheriff (yes, I know, a song comes to mind). Also, near the end of the film, Buford’s pre-teen son walks through a hospital with a shotgun and a box of shells in his hands, obviously to bring them to his wounded father, who was just ambushed and left for dead. Yeah, there’s no way this particular event would have even been allowed to happen today.

Granted, this film was emblematic of the time period, so many of the items that did not age well were broadly accepted. That said, these things still subtracted from any enjoyment I might have had for this film.

I do not recommend this film whatsoever. I want my two-plus hours back.