Walking Tall

Changes abound in this ho hum retelling of the 1973 version as the good guy now goes by Chris Vaughn (The Rock) who's single and lives in Washington. Luckily, he's still carrying the big stick and taking care of business (although, oddly enough, director Bray contemplated swapping it out for an aluminum bat--c'mon, is nothing sacred?) And he does just that with the authority one would expect from The Rock, whose presence is commanding yet surprisingly subtle (something he could not have learned from his wrestling days) allowing him to rise above the mediocre script and sub-par character development. Johnny Knoxville effectively serves as the comic-relief/sidekick guy while Neal McDonough sleepwalks through what could have been a fun villain role.