Not only has his old high-school girl-friend Deni (Ashley Scott) become a stripper amid the slot machines but the locals have been forced out of business by chain stores and their kids - like Chris's nephew Pete (Khleo Thomas) - are into drugs obtained from the casino's security force. Infuriated by the obvious corruption, Vaughn runs for sheriff, deputizes his recovering-addict buddy (Johnny "Jackass" Knoxville) and sets off to settle some scores.

The original "Walking Tall" (1973) featured Joe Don Baker as the rural Tennessee lawman Buford Pusser - and it's not really accurate to call this current, truncated version a re-make. The buff Rock is certainly bigger, if not better, wielding a cedar four-by-four as his big-stick weapon-of-choice. But it's obvious that cost-control was the key production factor that influenced director Kevin Bray, because the overall impression is cheap, cheap, cheap - filming at minimal cost in Vancouver and casting lesser-known, less-expensive talent. The Rock has a recognizable name but no one else in the cast does. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Walking Tall" is a brutal, fracas-filled 4. And I question the PG-13 awarded by the MPAA; this should be an R-rated film since its explosive violence is quite unsuitable for youngsters.