Disc Details
Special Features:	Full frame format Chapter selection 3 Disk Set
Video Format:	Pan-And-Scan (1.33:1) [SS-SL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)mono
Subtitles:	None.
Captions:	No
Casing:	3-Disc Boxed Set

Bufford Pusser was a US Marine, turned pro-wrestler who became the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee. Pusser cleaned out a viper pit of mobsters at great cost to himself. His wife was murdered, his face was blown off in the same assault, he was also shot eight times and stabbed seven on other occasions. Pusser also was forced to take two human lives in the line of duty. Pusser's story was immortalized in a book. Bing Crosby bought the rights to Pusser's story and made one of the biggest grass-roots hits of 1973. The powerful film romanticized and somewhat fictionalized the story of Pusser's battle against back-woods organized crime. The first film was followed by two theatrical sequels, a TV movie and TV series. I remember watching the local evening news in Memphis back in 1974. Bufford Pusser was in town signing a contract to play himself in a movie to be called "Bufford." I was stunned later that night when 10 PM news cast reported that Pusser had been killed returning home from the contract signing. His corvette left the road, hit an embankment and burst into flames.

Enough history. "Walking Tall" starred Joe Don Baker as the legendary lawman. "Walking Tall" is a rip-roaring, redneck action film. This movie covers the most tumultuous period of Pusser's life. While the script plays fast and loose with the facts, the movie does give you an idea of the kind of lawman Pusser was. The first film benefits from an excellent supporting performance by the late Elizabeth Hartman (The Beguiled) as Pusser's doomed wife, Pauline. There is also an assortment of great character actors playing the various villains and deputies. Ken Tobey, Felton Perry (Magnum Force), Bruce Glover, Logan Ramsey, Rosmary Murphy and Noah Berry Jr. all bring their considerable talents to this film. Look quick for Elvis's bodyguard Red West as the sheriff Bufford defeats at the polls. Child pop star Leif Garret plays Pusser’s son.

The violence in "Walking Tall" is both brutal and comical. Pusser is portrayed as a super hero whose power is the ability to swing a four-foot hunk of oak toward the back of badguy's heads.

The two sequels "Part 2: Walking Tall" and "Final Chapter: Walking Tall" are inferior to the first film. Bo Svenson plays Bufford in both of the theatrical sequels. "Part 2: Walking Tall" isn't a bad film. Bo Svenson gives a more intelligent performance than Joe Don Baker did, but Svenson's Pusser isn't as appealing. The first sequel follows the formula of the original, down to the hooker in a see-through blouse. There are also several great character actors present such as Richard Jaeckle, Luke Askew, John Chandler and Frank McRae. The original film works because it shows the origin of a super hero. The second film is a formulaic remake with a different story (if that makes any sense!) while the third film is nothing more than back-woods drive-in fodder. The sequels take place during the time following Pusser's wife's murder. "Part 2" deals with Pusser's war on moonshiners. "Final Chapter" deals with Pusser's attempt to get the political bigwig behind his wife's murder. While "Part 2" is well directed, "Final Chapter" suffers from both poor direction and a terrible script.

Picture Quality: 3/10
I prefer my DVDs in widescreen format. Each of these movies are in Full Frame, Pan and Scan format. Strike one. None of the transfers were made from restored prints. Strike two! The pictures in each film vary from scene to scene. Often the picture is faded. There are tons of artifacts. There are also tons of delineation problems. I've seen worse DVD images before, but this one is close to the bottom of the barrel.

Sound Quality: 4/10
The mono sound is flat and lifeless. Both the high and low ranges have no edge. Dialogue is muffled in a few scenes.

Menu: 5/10
Nothing special. Simple single still frame menu with no animation. Easy to navigate because there isn't that much to navigate through.

Extra Features: 0/10
There are no extras. The price does reflect the lack of extras. The price works out to about $8.50 a movie.

The Final Word:
I'm really sorry so little care and craftsmanship went into the production of this DVD set. The only thing about this set that stands out is the nice collector's case.

Rusty White