Joe Don Baker gives his best performance in this film as legendary Tennessee lawman Buford Pusser. This film is defintely biased in its portrayal of Pusser as an almost perfect "good guy". I have read a couple books about Pusser's life and I think he was a good man who really wanted to bring justice to his county and to help his fellow man. The most tragic part of this film is the scene that depicts the brutal murder of Pusser's wife Pauline and his near murder (Pusser had his jaw almost blown off and the people who did it were never caught). When was the last time you cheered at a movie? was the tagline for Walking Tall. It was a sleeper hit that spawned two sequels and a short-lived tv series. I only wish that Joe Don Baker had played Pusser in the other two films, he does a wonderful job playing a simple man in a complicated world who wants only what is just and right. I remember the scene where a corrupt judge tells Pusser that he doesn't know anything about the law. Pusser merely tells him "I know the difference between a poor honest judge and a rich dishonest one". Pusser was supposed to play himself in the second Walking Tall film but was tragically killed in a car accident. What I didn't like about the third Walking Tall was they tried to make it out like he was murdered, like the mob cut his brake lines. They didn't come out and say it, but they strongly hinted at it. According to all accounts, Pusser's death was due to speeding and it was just a tragic accident and there was no "conspiracy" involved at all. Tragic, but not mysterious. Elizabeth Hartman does a fine job in this film as Pusser's loving wife Pauline. She was a fine actress who had an amazing debut in the classic film A Patch Of Blue. Unfortunately, she was also very troubled by mental illness and killed herself in 1987. It always makes me sad when I see her in this film and remember her tragic end.
Review of Walking Tall
