Walking Tall
MGM Distribution | Release Date: April 2, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
16
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
The cast acquits itself well, with the Rock evincing a quiet balance between humor and brawn. Read full review
70
VarietyScott Foundas
Moves along at a clip and provides a terrific action lead for Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It still celebrates the vigilante spirit and justice delivered with a biblical swiftness, but it has been cleansed of much of its gratuitous violence and more offensive red-neck sensibilities. Mercifully, it's also a full 40 minutes shorter than the original. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Don't go in expecting much and you'll have fun. Consider it The Rock's "Raw Deal." Read full review
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Exciting stuff in its primitive, predictable way. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
It's blunt, to the point, aggressively manipulative and, at 86 minutes, not a minute longer than it needs to be. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyRobert Abele
Johnny Knoxville has a few inspired bits as Vaughn's recovering-addict chum, and The Rock carries an effortlessly soft side in the nonviolent scenes, but Bray doesn't linger too long on anything that doesn't end in a thud or wallop. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
This Walking Tall does have the Rock, and that, both physically and metaphorically, is no small thing. Read full review
60
The New York TimesDave Kehr
Walking Tall has no more fat on it than the Rock himself, a hulking yet curiously ingratiating presence who seems the most likely candidate to replace Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as America's favorite living comic book character. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Lacks the raw power of the original but offers its own brand of exploitative fun. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
There's not a guy I know who hasn't been looking forward to seeing The Rock pick up the big wooden stick first swung by Joe Don Baker more than 30 years ago. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Unlike the original, there's no R-rated grit and no familial executions -- gotta get the young-skewing WWE fan base in there. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
A fine shoot-'em-up remake. The story is mildly gripping, and the action is fresh and entertaining. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Although inspired by actual events, the film proceeds along formulaic wish-fulfillment lines, its dynamics unaltered by the casting of a mixed-race actor in what was originally a redneck role; it's a sign of some sort of social progress that justified ass-kicking trumps race. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The only thing to be said for it is The Rock. I've never seen the guy wrestle, but as a movie action hero, he's the real deal. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
There was a time when guys would grab a six-pack and watch this kind of flick at a drive-in. I mean that as a compliment. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
Though there's something mildly disarming about a movie this unpretentious, a few more like it might end up turning The Rock into a TV actor. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The movie itself is neither a catastrophe nor major.
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Johnny Knoxville, famous for "Jackass,"...is, in fact, completely convincing and probably has a legitimate movie career ahead of him and doesn't have to stuff his underpants with dead chickens and hang upside down over alligator ponds any more. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The movie itself is just a routine showcase, modest in its aspiration and effective within its limits, entertaining in the moment but, in the end, faintly silly. On the plus side, it's only 86 minutes long. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Walking Tall, which is credited to four different writers, is wanting for a reason to be. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
To its credit, the new Walking Tall is a good half-hour shorter than its predecessor, but even at 86 minutes, sitting through it is a chore. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
Okay, it's just a movie, but his "reward" just doesn't cut it, even on a basic storytelling level. A crooked casino and a nephew's experiment with drugs are not enough justification for the hero's violent acts of vengeance. Read full review
38
Philadelphia InquirerDavid Hiltbrand
A dull, drab and pointless rehash, Walking Tall ironically manages to diminish the Rock's stature as both a leading man and an action star. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Instead of generating a testosterone rush, the fight scenes release tryptophan. Not only are they boring, but they are choreographed in an amateurish fashion. Read full review
30
Village VoiceEd Halter
The plot is so absurdly perfunctory that preview audiences snickered at its TV-drama slapdashness; the producers should have pushed the straight-camp potential much further and retitled this weak bruiser Sporting Wood. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Actually underserves its star, who is better than schlocky material like this would lead you to believe. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
One mediocre, ploddingly predictable film, loaded down with cheesy Hollywood tactics. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Retains and updates the basic plot points while losing much of the original's heart and soul. Read full review
30
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
The new film stars The Rock, but The Wood might be a better description of his performance. Read full review
25
PremiereAddison MacDonald
Short on story, character, and attempts to win viewers' emotional investment, the film only seems to take a breath when The Rock is making the baddies lose theirs. Read full review
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