Post by Reno on Dec 16, 2005 2:43:29 GMT -5
I wanted to see this when it came out, and never got the chance. Finally got to see it tonight.
It's actually a pretty good movie, although certainly not a milestone of cinema. Other than the Rock, most of the rest of the cast doesn't do very much. And despite all evidence to the contrary (Jackass anyone?), Johnny Knoxville proves he can at least do a mediocre job as a supporting actor.
Short summary: Chris Vaughn (The Rock) comes back to his hometown after being away for years in the army. He quickly finds that the town is run by the owner of a crooked casino, whose thugs sell drugs on the side. After catching a dealer in the act of cheating, Vaughn demands his money back, which leads to a brawl in which he is nearly killed. The casino security beat him nearly to death and leave him on the side of the road.
Upon recovery, Vaughn discovers that the police are unwilling to press charges. So he goes back to the casino and trashes it, leading to his arrest after he beats up the security thugs. The jury lets him off, and he runs for sheriff and wins. From there he hires one of his best friends, Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville) as his deputy and proceeds to clean the corruption out of town.
The film is based on a true story, that I knew. However, it turns out it's also a remake of a 1973 movie, which was a little more true to the original, as well as a short-lived TV series in 1981. You can read more about the original movie here , and the TV series here, on imdb.com.
Interesting bit of trivia: At the beginning of the movie, The Rock's character Chris Vaughn asks what happened to the previous sheriff. He is told that the sheriff was found dead after his car mysteriously skidded off the road and hit a tree. This is a reference to how Buford Pusser, the man upon whom the story is based, died in 1974.
It's actually a pretty good movie, although certainly not a milestone of cinema. Other than the Rock, most of the rest of the cast doesn't do very much. And despite all evidence to the contrary (Jackass anyone?), Johnny Knoxville proves he can at least do a mediocre job as a supporting actor.
Short summary: Chris Vaughn (The Rock) comes back to his hometown after being away for years in the army. He quickly finds that the town is run by the owner of a crooked casino, whose thugs sell drugs on the side. After catching a dealer in the act of cheating, Vaughn demands his money back, which leads to a brawl in which he is nearly killed. The casino security beat him nearly to death and leave him on the side of the road.
Upon recovery, Vaughn discovers that the police are unwilling to press charges. So he goes back to the casino and trashes it, leading to his arrest after he beats up the security thugs. The jury lets him off, and he runs for sheriff and wins. From there he hires one of his best friends, Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville) as his deputy and proceeds to clean the corruption out of town.
The film is based on a true story, that I knew. However, it turns out it's also a remake of a 1973 movie, which was a little more true to the original, as well as a short-lived TV series in 1981. You can read more about the original movie here , and the TV series here, on imdb.com.
Interesting bit of trivia: At the beginning of the movie, The Rock's character Chris Vaughn asks what happened to the previous sheriff. He is told that the sheriff was found dead after his car mysteriously skidded off the road and hit a tree. This is a reference to how Buford Pusser, the man upon whom the story is based, died in 1974.
