Weirdly marketed as a right-wing screed upon its initial release in 1973, Walking Tall is really a tragic, shockingly violent post-noir film based on various legends surrounding real-life Southern sheriff Buford Pusser. Joe Don Baker (The Natural) gives a powerful performance as Pusser, who took on determined forces of crime and corruption in his town at great personal expense. Directed with an intentionally crude force by Phil Karlson (Kansas City Confidential), one of the toughest filmmakers of the 1950s, the film's grimness does not let up, but in the end it is more likely to break hearts than turn stomachs. --Tom Keogh
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Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser sets out to rid his community of organized crime, prostitution, and gambling, only to incite a vicious crime war. Based on real events, this extremely violent film went on to huge boxoffice success, spawning a sequel and a television series.
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Take Your Best Shot...'Cause It'll Probably Be Your Last
This is the one that started it all! Joe Don Baker is Buford Pusser, a man who walks tall and knocks thugs clear across the county with a piece of oak thick as a fence post. When his town is overrun by gambling, prostitution, and bootleggers, he tries to shut them down by becoming sheriff. Buford gets shot, carved up like a turkey, and left for dead, but keeps on coming. When eight men die due to tainted moonshine, it's bad news for the mob, 'cause Buford's out for blood! Based on a true story.
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