10 One Man Army Movies Not To Be Slept On
2. Walking Tall
Modern cinemagoers might be more familiar with the 2004 movie Walking Tall, in which Dwayne Johnson plays a soldier-turned-sheriff hellbent on restoring order to a small town.
Whilst that movie is pretty good, one of The Rock’s better early offerings, this entry is all about the original.
Released in 1973, this incarnation of Walking Tall is more open about its source material, serving as a biopic to real-life One Man Army Buford Pusser. Pusser (played by Joe Don Baker) was a former wrestler who turned his attention to cleaning up crime in McNairy County, Tennessee.
Pusser takes on all comers, from pimps to moonshine runners to dangerous killers. He never gives up though, even when it costs him dearly, which some would call brave whilst others would no doubt prefer the term “stupid”.
What makes Walking Tall so good is its main character’s dogged determination to do the right thing. Pusser is so bent on achieving justice at any cost without ever seeming corny or inauthentic, possibly because he brutalises a lot of people on his quest for peace.
Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.