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Men of Legend are often praised by their super-human strength, power of influence, and unanimous respect of the masses. In the case of real-life legend Buford Pusser, his story of triumph and despair as a Tennessee sheriff will always be remembered as a man who walked tall against impeccable odds. With a four-foot oak stick in hand, Pusser goes beyond the call of duty in attempt to clean up is old town. Will his prowess and determination be enough to overturn the corruption? You'll have to tune in to find out.
This Blu-ray collection consists of three films: Walking Tall, Walking Tall Part 2, and Final Chapter: Walking Tall. Together they tell the tale of the legendary law-man, as well as, the tribes and tribulations experienced during his career as the McNairy County Sheriff in Tennessee. He exercised the right to uphold the law, and in some cases, did so with the up-most prejudice. Each film depicts a chapter of his career, separated by the life-changing events that occurred throughout.
Let's take a closer look at each of the films.
Walking Tall
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Walking Tall is a glimpse in the life of the legendary Tennessee Sheriff, Buford Pusser. Returning home after giving up a life as a professional wrestler, Pusser quickly notices things aren't like they used to be in his old town. Gambling, fast women, and political corruption are just a few of the things Buford had a problem with. Since the law always looked the other way, he was forced to take matters into his own hands. He wasn't just a law-man, he was a serious one. Throughout a constant battle with bootleggers, gambling, and prostitute rings; Pusser has his hands full to say the least. Nevertheless, he was determined to keep his town on the straight and narrow. He was a man who walked tall in the face of fear and corruption. Not once did he back down from opposition, no matter how tremendous the odds. Each time he was knocked down, Pusser would rise up and destroy those who opposed and abused him. In short, he made himself known to all who were willing to break the law.
Now let's take a look at the technical side of this film.
Video:
I have to say this transfer to Blu-ray looks pretty good. Some of the colors appear a little soft, but the quality is quite impressive for an older production. Viewers will be impressed by the sharpness of detail, and may even notice the reflections of set lighting off the actor’s faces in this transfer. I was very impressed by the attention to detail. It isn't perfect by any means, but it certainly doesn't look bad.
Audio:
The audio was a little rough from time to time. The background music consists of a much higher volume than the dialog most of the time. The music doesn't drown out the dialog, but the transition between the two is rather extreme. There are plenty of sound effects included that should be recognized, but the background music can be a bit distractive which takes away from the experience.
Bonus Features:
- TV Spot 01 (0:30 SD)
- TV Spot 02 (1:00 SD)
- Photo Gallery (1080p HD) - This extra consists of several snapshots from the film. Even though this feature is presented in HD, the quality of the images appears quite dated. They almost look like bad Polaroid’s.
Now let's take a look at the second film.
Walking Tall Part 2
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This film takes place after the events which happen in the first film. The basis of the plot focuses on the devastating events that make up the ending of the first film, which leave Pusser on an endless rampage to find all involved in the tragic murder of his beloved wife. If you thought he was relentless before, wait till you see Buford in this one folks. He is not only relentless; he will stop at nothing to take down all who were involved. In this film, Pusser has begun to develop a rhythm in his role as Sheriff, and continues to carry his four-foot oak stick with him to any necessary occasion. The focus of this film is the crime ring's desire to get rid of ol'sheriff Pusser by any means necessary. Multiple assassination attempts are taken and attractive spies are even put into place. There is a lot more action and a bit less emotion involved in this film. This is likely because the main actor for Pusser has changed from the charismatic Joe Don Baker, to Bo Svenson. Bo doesn't do a bad job at playing Buford, but his presence does not have the same effect as Baker's.
Now let's take a look at the technical side of this film.
Video:
Much like the first film, this one looks pretty good on Blu-ray. Viewers may notice that it's even a step above the sharpness and quality of the first film. The image is definitely crisp, and the textures/patterns are quite impressive. Flesh tones appear accurate, and colors overall look great. I can't say that the image is perfect, but it does look great for an aging film.
Audio:
Sadly, this audio track is even worse than the first film. Viewers may assume that with a higher image quality, the audio would be par for the course. Unfortunately, it's not. The dialog lacks clarity from time to time, and even the sound effects are un-natural at times. Overall, the audio was quite disappointing.
Bonus Features:
- TV Spot 01 (0:27 SD)
- TV Spot 02 (0:10 SD)
- TV Spot 03 (0:32 SD)
- Trailer (1:54 SD) - Watching this clip will show viewers just how much work went into the restoration of this film when transferred to Blu-ray. The image quality is dramatically different.
- Photo Gallery (1080p HD) - This extra is just like the photo gallery from the first film. The images appear grainy and over/under saturated.
- Walking Tall, The Buford Pusser Story (29:19 HD) - This clip talks about the life of the real Buford Pusser and his family. It consists of interviews by friends, family, and the actors from the Walking Tall films. They talked about what Buford was like on the set, and how he had a radiant presence. The cast also mentioned how Joe Don Baker portrayed Buford Pusser more accurately than Bo Svenson. Praise is certainly given to Bo, but people felt Joe had a presence similar to the real living legend.
Now let's take a look at the third and final film.
Final Chapter: Walking Tall
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Much like the second film, this one takes place about a year after the previous story. Viewers will surely notice a difference in Buford's character by the way he carries himself and interacts with his friends and family. He's still the hardened lawman he's always been, but appears to be a more affectionate and caring person. Bo Svenson displays a bit more emotion in his role with this one, but does a good job at being convincing most of the time. This film is necessary in completing the epic tale of the legendary Buford Pusser, and does so with an ending that will leave the viewer’s wondering if there was something more to the story. Sadly, we may never know for sure.
Now let's take a look at the technical side of this film.
Video:
Without question, the third installment of this trilogy looks just as good if not better than the first and/or second films on Blu-ray. The reds and greens really pop in this transfer, but are never over saturated. Viewers will see quite a bit of detail in this film, and appreciate the attention to detail with the accuracy of the flesh tones and black levels. Of the three films, I'd say this one has the slightly better picture quality.
Audio:
Unfortunately, not much can be said about the audio quality of this transfer either. Across the board, all three films are below average than what is expected in a Blu-ray release. The sounds seem artificial, and the dialog is consistently inconsistent. Volume levels and clarity vary throughout the entirety of the film. Viewers will likely not be satisfied with the audio quality of this Blu-ray.
Bonus Features:
- Vintage Featurette (8:41 SD) - This is an old featurette that takes place behind-the-scenes, during the filming of the third film. It consists of interviews with residents from McNairy County, and discussions about the real-life legend.
- Trailer (1:23 SD)
- Photo Gallery (1080p) -
In short, the story of Buford Pusser is a courageous one to say the least. It's about a man who becomes something more than just a small town Sheriff. His goal was simple - to uphold the law. However, a town spoiled by corruption made that a rather difficult task. Pusser was met with constant opposition, but stood his ground and made an example of those who tried to go against him. Sadly, much of his time in office was consumed with assassination attempts, the loss of close friends and his loving wife.
This Blu-ray Trilogy is a great collection for fans of the previous releases, and those interested in the history of Sheriff Pusser. The image quality is quiet impressive, but the audio wasn't near the quality seen in most transfers to Blu-ray. Nevertheless, if you are a fan considering this collection; don't hesitate to pick this one up.
