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Walking Tall

Walking Tall

Action · Crime · Drama · 1973

Ex-wrestler and Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser walks tall and carries a big stick as he tussles with county-wide corruption and moonshining thugs.

Movie details

Walking Tall

“The measure of a man is how tall he walks.”

1973 Action · Crime · Drama 2h 5m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Ex-wrestler and Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser walks tall and carries a big stick as he tussles with county-wide corruption and moonshining thugs.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Walking Tall?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Phil Karlson

Written by

Mort Briskin

Joe Don Baker

Joe Don Baker

Buford Pusser

Elizabeth Hartman

Elizabeth Hartman

Pauline

Gene Evans

Gene Evans

Sheriff Al Thurman

Noah Beery Jr.

Noah Beery Jr.

Carl Pusser

Brenda Benet

Brenda Benet

Luan Paxton

John Brascia

John Brascia

Prentiss Parley

Bruce Glover

Bruce Glover

Grady Coker

Court is in session

Put Walking Tall on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.