Walking Tall 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Walking Tall 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 23, 2025

Kevin Bray's "Walking Tall" (2004) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include multiple audio commentaries; deleted scenes; archival featurette; vintage trailer for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The town's new owner

Is Kevin Bray’s film a remake of Phil Karlson’s original film? Or is it one of those loose tribute films that do their own thing while conveniently associating themselves with a much bigger and better-known film? I have seen statements claiming that it is both, for different reasons, and I must say that they are equally misleading. Bray’s film gives a shout-out to Sheriff Buford Pusser, but it is just another show-off piece for The Rock. Not a particularly entertaining one, either.

Army veteran Chris Vaughn (The Rock) returns to his once peaceful hometown and immediately realizes that the wrong people have taken over. One of these people is his good old friend Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough), who operates a large casino that has replaced an old mill as the engine of the town’s economy. Hamilton is also the biggest supplier of deadly drugs in the area, and everyone who wants a decent paycheck is now part of his business network, including the Sheriff (Michael Bowen).

Following an altercation with a cheating croupier in the casino, Vaughn, visiting as a personal guest of Hamilton, is badly beaten up by several bodyguards and then left to die on the outskirts of town. Vaughn miraculously survives and vows to change the town back to the way he remembers it. However, soon after, Hamilton and the corrupt Sheriff deliver an unmistakable message that they are ready to protect the new status quo, even if it means taking out Vaughn. Instead of backing out, Vaughn presses charges against Hamilton’s bodyguards and ends up in court, where, after being accused of causing the mayhem in the casino, he successfully defends himself. Vaughn then runs for Sheriff, easily wins, and immediately goes to work to clean up the town. However, Hamilton and his men stage a violent resistance.

While occasionally mildly attractive, Bray’s film is difficult to sit through and enjoy. Virtually all of its serious problems, which are quite a few, have something to do with two major flaws. The first is that The Rock’s transformation cannot be sold to anyone but his most loyal fans. He looks clumsy and routinely oddly out of synch with his environment, which is nowhere near being authentic, either. (Small town casinos in the Pacific Northwest do not look like fancy nightclubs rivaling the ones that high-rollers and their European mistresses gather in on the Vegas strip). As a result, outside a few action sequences, the rest of the material where The Rock must do more than flex his muscles looks quite problematic, and the same material then makes other actors look unconvincing. Second, Bray directs large parts of his film as if they were extended videos. Everything looks controlled and sterile, crammed with cliches that make proper character arcs impossible to survive. Bray also sticks in as many quick cuts, angle shots, and blends as possible, but without producing the glamour effect that makes Michael Bay’s similar work very effective.

McDonough is the only actor who has the presence and demeanor that would have been right in a proper macho remake of Karlson’s original film. He looks genuinely mean, often difficult to read, too. However, instead of using him as a model for other characters, Bray attempts to legitimize Johnny Knoxville’s former convict and drug addict-turned-deputy.

Walking Tall 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Walking Tall is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-22 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #25-38 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

There is a sea of difference between the native 4K and 1080p presentations of the film. I viewed the former in its entirety, with HDR, and then spent plenty of time with the latter. The native 4K presentation is dramatically better, offering a much, much healthier presentation of the entire film, not just portions of it. In the 1080p presentation, everywhere I looked, the visuals had a distinctly harsh digital appearance, which is frequently accompanied by light to moderate smearing and even some edge enhancement. On a large screen, all of these anomalies are impossible to miss. The native 4K presentation eliminates virtually all of them. I was surprised that even here, there were a few areas where delineation, clarity, and depth are not as striking as they should be in native 4K. (Walking Tall is only twenty years old, so it should look impeccable in native 4K). I thought that the HDR grade was quite good, though during the casino footage, the vibrancy of the visuals is somewhat underwhelming. The outdoor footage looks either very good or excellent. Image stability is great. In summary, the native 4K presentation is undoubtedly the best option for viewing the film. In native 4K, the visuals actually have proper filmic qualities.

Walking Tall 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This track does absolutely everything that a proper lossless track should with a busy action film like Walking Tall. Its intensity and surround movement are outstanding. I do not have a theatrical experience with Walking Tall, but what I heard from my system, especially during the second half, impressed me quite a lot. (The big shootout where Jay Hamilton's men go to work sounds outstanding). All exchanges are very clear, sharp, and easy to follow.

Walking Tall 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film journalist Brandon Streussnig. Even though I disagree with several assessments shared by Streussnig, I thought that the commentary was very honest, and I agreed with a lot more. For example, Streussnig states that Kevin Bray shot Walking Tall in a way that ultimately makes it difficult to impress, but there are parts of it that look pretty good. Also, at the end of his commentary, Streussnig correctly points out that The Rock's acting style has not evolved for the better. (He describes what The Rock does now as "corporate" acting). Apparently, this is only the second commentary Streussnig has recorded, and he is extremely grateful that the folks at Kino Lorber trusted him to do a good job with it, which he did.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by The Rock. This is probably the commentary that most fans of Walking Tall, which should be fans of The Rock, will want to spend the most time with. The Rock discusses in great detail where and how various portions of the film were shot, what was easy to get right quickly, what wasn't, and why some improvisations were left in its final version. Also, there is a lot of information about Kevin Bray's directing style and various cast members and their interactions with The Rock. Some interesting information about Sheriff Buford Pusser and the original film he was part of is shared, too.

• Commentary Three - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Kevin Bray, cinematographer Glen MacPherson, and editor Robert Ivison.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by film journalist Brandon Streussnig. Even though I disagree with several assessments shared by Streussnig, I thought that the commentary was very honest, and I agreed with a lot more. For example, Streussnig states that Kevin Bray shot Walking Tall in a way that ultimately makes it difficult to impress, but there are parts of it that look pretty good. Also, at the end of his commentary, Streussnig correctly points out that The Rock's acting style has not evolved for the better. (He describes what The Rock does now as "corporate" acting). Apparently, this is only the second commentary Streussnig has recorded, and he is extremely grateful that the folks at Kino Lorber trusted him to do a good job with it, which he did.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by The Rock. This is probably the commentary that most fans of Walking Tall, which should be fans of The Rock, will want to spend the most time with. The Rock discusses in great detail where and how various portions of the film were shot, what was easy to get right quickly, what wasn't, and why some improvisations were left in its final version. Also, there is a lot of information about Kevin Bray's directing style and various cast members and their interactions with The Rock.

• Commentary Three - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Kevin Bray, cinematographer Glen MacPherson, and editor Robert Ivison.

• Fight the Good Fight - in this archival program, The Rock introduces Walking Tall and discusses the character he plays. Included in it is plenty of raw footage from the shooting of various crucial action sequences, which The Rock claims were done the "old-school" way. Kevin Bray, Neail McDonough, and stunt coordinator Jeff Habberstad comment as well. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Alternate Ending: The Porch - In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are a couple of deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Bloopers - presented here are a couple of short bloopers. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Walking Tall. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Walking Tall 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Everyone can see that The Rock has the physique to be an action star. However, his ability to excite when he isn't beating up his opponents and destroying their properties is extremely underwhelming. In his audio commentary, Brandon Streussnig states that The Rock has now mastered the corporate way of acting, which makes him even less authentic, and this is also true. Occasionally, when The Rock cracks a good joke, I find him charming, but a proper action star should do well a lot more to impress. Kino Lorber's combo pack offers a good presentation of Walking Tall on 4K Blu-ray. However, the 1080p presentation of the film on the Blu-ray is unconvincing.