{"id":92467,"date":"2023-10-13T22:29:35","date_gmt":"2023-10-14T05:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92467"},"modified":"2023-10-13T22:29:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-14T05:29:35","slug":"walking-tall-1973","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92467","title":{"rendered":"Walking Tall (1973)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Nothing wrong with guns &#8211; in the right hands.&#8221;<\/strong> <\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Poster-197x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-92469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Poster-197x300.png 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Poster-177x270.png 177w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Poster.png 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe wife (Elizabeth Hartman) of a wrestler-turned-sheriff (Joe Don Baker) is dismayed when she sees him taking on increasingly corrupt townsfolk, at the risk of his own and his family&#8217;s safety.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Corruption<\/li>\n<li>Elizabeth Hartman Films<\/li>\n<li>Phil Karlson Films<\/li>\n<li>Sheriffs and Marshalls<\/li>\n<li>Vigilantes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary writes, &#8220;this once controversial box-office smash is a highly fictionalized account of real-life Tennessee sheriff <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Buford_Pusser\">Buford Pusser<\/a> (Joe Don Baker), a former wrestler who used club (literally) and fang tactics to clean up crime and corruption.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Baker.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Baker.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-92472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Baker.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Baker-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Baker-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Baker-481x270.png 481w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>He notes that &#8220;Phil Karlson&#8217;s hard-hitting action film is a throwback to old-style westerns in which well-intentioned lawmen never had to make excuses for ringing up a high body count each day,&#8221; and he points out &#8220;it also recalls Karlson&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2438\"><em>Phenix City Story<\/em><\/a>, in which a crusading lawyer cleans up corruption, and vigilante-with-badges urban melodramas like <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42336\"><em>The Big Heat<\/em><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5347\"><em>Dirty Harry<\/em><\/a>.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>He asserts that while &#8220;initially, leftist viewers [at the time] joined the rednecks in applauding Pusser&#8217;s efforts, figuring he was a populist figure who hated corrupt authority figures as much as they,&#8221; &#8220;in retrospect this film helped start the unfortunate Hollywood trend in which thuggish lawmen who shoot first and ask questions later are presented as appealing &#8216;rebels&#8217; because they&#8217;re willing to risk their jobs and promotions by circumventing the law to make our streets safer.&#8221; He points out that &#8220;nowhere to be found are the moral citizens who take a stand against vigilante justice,&#8221; and notes that this &#8220;modestly budgeted film is crude, brutal, and manipulative.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Justice.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Justice.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-92477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Justice.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Justice-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Justice-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Justice-481x270.png 481w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I agree with Peary&#8217;s overall review: given that most people these days won&#8217;t have heard of Pusser, the biopic relevance of this picture is much lower, and we&#8217;re left instead with simply an action-packed vigilante flick set in the south, with plenty of violence and a sad ending (not to mention a ridiculous-looking face-cast on Baker that I just can&#8217;t imagine being a real thing). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Face-Mask.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Face-Mask.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-92474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Face-Mask.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Face-Mask-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Face-Mask-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Face-Mask-481x270.png 481w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With that said, fans of Hartman &#8212; who died by suicide 14 years later, at the age of 43 &#8212; will want to check this out for her appearance as a wife who knows her husband is playing with fire, but can&#8217;t do much to stop him. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Hartman.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Hartman.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-92475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Hartman.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Hartman-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Hartman-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Hartman-481x270.png 481w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good use of Tennessee location shooting<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Picnic.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Picnic.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-92470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Picnic.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Picnic-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Picnic-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Walking-Tall-Picnic-481x270.png 481w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNope; you can skip this one. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0070895\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2483tall.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1974\/02\/09\/archives\/screen-walking-tall-film-depicts-violence-in-a-small-town.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=51\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/newspapers?id=xaleAAAAIBAJ&#038;sjid=B4wDAAAAIBAJ&#038;pg=6196%2C3330999\">Village Voice Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Nothing wrong with guns &#8211; in the right hands.&#8221; Synopsis: The wife (Elizabeth Hartman) of a wrestler-turned-sheriff (Joe Don Baker) is dismayed when she sees him taking on increasingly corrupt townsfolk, at the risk of his own and his family&#8217;s safety. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Corruption Elizabeth Hartman Films Phil Karlson Films Sheriffs and Marshalls Vigilantes Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: As Peary writes, &#8220;this once controversial box-office smash is a highly fictionalized account of real-life Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=92467\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=92467"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92481,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92467\/revisions\/92481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=92467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=92467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=92467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}