A movie trilogy between 1973 and 1977, a TV-series in 1981, and another made-for-TV movie in 1978... I don't mean any disrespect towards Mr. Buford Pusser, but maybe there are slightly too many tales revolving around the Real American Hero from McNairy County, Tennessee? The first "Walking Tall" movie was great, but perhaps they shouldn't even have started with the second movie, considering Pusser passed away a mere days after he sealed a deal for starring as himself.
Chronologically, the first "Walking Tall" deals with Pusser's time as Sheriff between 1964 and the tragic death of his wife in 1967. Part two picks up immediately after that, and this final chapter supposedly starts exactly one year after the fatal accident, and abruptly ends with Pusser's own suspicious death in a car accident in 1974.
Part III isn't boring but it's not exactly very exciting, neither. You know there's something wrong when one of the most intense and action-packed moments of the entire two-hour film is the Sheriff chasing three rebellious teenagers because they stole his car. Besides that, Buford Pusser bulldozes an illegal gambling/prostitution house just outside of his jurisdiction, and he unexpectedly loses the re-election for Sheriff. The last half hour is very interesting, though, because it closes the circle and covers how the first film came into existence. It's somewhat paradoxical, and I like that.
