El Chupacabra

What would happen if Kevin Sorbo played Walker: Texas Ranger

The original Walking Tall starring Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) was not a very good movie to begin with. It was short, as if it was filmed entirely during the coffee breaks of The Rundown, and apart from The Rock smashing up a small town casino with his trusty 2x4, mostly devoid of excitement and action. Yes, the story showed promise, but it was mediocre in most respects.

Then we saw the DTV sequel to Walking Tall, Walking Tall: The Payback. Where did this come from? Why was it made? Let's compare the two.

Walking Tall

• Starred The Rock
• About a solider returning to the small town in which he grew up only to find it overrun with corruption and criminals who terrorize and take advantage of the local populace for kicks.
• The Rock's favoured weapon: a 2x4
  
• Budget: Hollywood top levels

Walking Tall 2

• Starred Kevin Sorbo.
• About some guy who lives near the small town in which he grew up. He reluctantly returns at the behest of his father only to find corruption and criminals who terrorize and take advantage of the local populace in order to take over their land so they can resell it at a huge profit when an interstate is built directly through the town.
• Kevin Sorbo's favoured weapon: the handle of an axe, his shotgun, and a horse
  
• Budget: crap

So you see, the first Walking Tall wasn't all that good. Now, you take away the big name actor and the budget, cast Kevin Sorbo of Hercules the Series fame, and stick to the same story. Generally not a step in the right direction. Or was it?

I sincerely believe that somone out there, either the orginal screen writer or just someone who saw potential in the first installment, decidecd to take another stab at it. The second one, I am shocked to say, had a lot more in the plot department. Unlike The Rock who just smashed shit up, The Payback played like one of those TV mystery movies starring Columbo; Kevin Sorbo actually had to uncover the criminal's nefarious plans using means other than a large piece of wood to the face, although he did wield a large piece of wood.

There were also some other themes going on. For one, The Payback came off like an episode of Walker: Texas Ranger right down to Kevin's Black sidekick. Maybe it was just the location, but this movie seemed to be aimed at the same gun-toting, pickup driving, flag waving, small-town American crowd that somehow kept Walker: Texas Ranger alive for nine seasons.

There was also some respect paid to classic Western clichés. All the bad guys had facial hair while Kevin Sorbo and friends were clean shaven allowing easy identification of the parties involved. The bandit's leader was dastardly, yet charismatic while Sorbo was the principled, but reticent protangonist. At the end, we were even treated to some horsemanship and a tacky "show down at the OK corral" knockoff.

All interesting, but did any of this make Walking Tall 2 and improvement on Walking Tall and worth your time? Well, the second time was a charm for a slightly more substantial plot making it less a sequel, and more of a re-imagining. There was now a fuller explanation for why a group of crinimals abuse the townsfolk. I would even say it was more action-packed than the first, but not by much as Kevin Sorbo on a horse does not fit everyone's definition of action. Mr. Sorbo either detracted or added to this movie depending on whether you're a fan, his performance being solidly adequate. The head of the criminal gang was played by an interesting fellow that gave quite a respectable performance as the sleazy, underhanded antagonist. If you love Walker: Texas Ranger do not miss this movie. If you liked Walking Tall, you'll probably appreciate this for its improved story. If you like Hercules the Series or Andromeda, you might want to skip this one, it won't be your cup of sci-fi/fantasy tea.

El Chupacabra's Ratings
Entertainment: 56%	B-Movieness: 85%
Quality: 43%	Regret: 49%

Eberts Thumb

Was anyone asking for this?

Did you like the first "Walking Tall" movie? But did you feel it would have been better if it were a modern day western? If you answered yes to both questions, then "Walking Tall The Payback" is for you.

Kevin Sorbo heads back to his home town in small town Texas at the behest of his father the Sheriff. It wasn't that big a sacrifice for him since he lived a few miles away. Some thugs are terrorizing the town trying to get the decent folk to move out so they can put up an interstate. The thugs will get rich from selling the land to the government, and the paving company that is the mastermind behind this genius plan will profit of the large government contract to build the roads. I guess the writers never heard of eminent domain, where the government would give all the land owners a nickel for their land and kick them off if they really felt like putting in an interstate highway.

Things get personal when the thugs kill the Sheriff, but the thugs brother is the chief of police so nobody does anything. This prompts Kevin Sorbo to become the Deputy. Then the thugs really go to town an rape Kevin's high school sweetheart, kill the new Sheriff, and kidnap his mom. All because they thought Kevin killed the chief of police. This leads to an ultimate showdown, where only one walks away. I won't spoil it and say who.

Walking Taller at its core is a western designed for a southern audience. The protagonists are all hard working decent folk that just want things to return to their simple slow paced way of life. The police and government aren't able to help anyone, and the only way to get things done is some good ole cowboy justice. When things get desperate, Kevin goes home and gets his horse. And to top it off, it ends with a shootout where the fastest hand wins.

Chances are if you like Westerns or are from the south, Walking Taller is for you. If not, just think "Kevin Sorbo", "Texas", and "Walking Tall". The mental image you just formed is the movie. Heck, it may even be better.

Eberts Thumb's Ratings
Entertainment: 50%	B-Movieness: 100%
Quality: 67%	Regret: 35%

Charles Bronson

PLEASE WALK AWAY FROM THIS MOVIE.

Charles Bronson's Ratings
Entertainment: 41%	B-Movieness: 75%
Quality: 80%	Regret: 62%

Crap Bag

This movie needed a giant computer animated dragon

They seemed to take everything they wanted to do with the first Walking Tall and put it into Walking Tall 2. However in the process of adding a storyline along with complex character development they removed the violence and action from pretty much the entire story. With the input of a storyline they didn’t do much thinking about how things were to be implemented in the movie. For example the way they take out the meddling local sheriff is to try and sandwich him between a jeep and a mack truck hoping that he doesn’t accelerate or brake the car. Kevin Sorbo’s plan to take down the bad guy seemed to rely heavily on his horse along with the bad guy’s inability to hit the horse. The legal system in that county seemed to be pretty lax if all it takes to be deputized is the ability to wield a sawed off shotgun and room so you can fit a badge on your belt.

Crap Bag's Ratings
Entertainment: 50%	B-Movieness: 80%
Quality: 85%	Regret: 45%