Released direct-to-video in 2007 and directed by Tripp Reed, "Walking Tall: The Payback" is a rural crime drama/thriller starring Kevin Sorbo as Nick Prescott, a man who returns to his Texas hometown where he discovers the quiet community overrun with drugs & crime and is left with no choice but to take justice into his own hands, even if it means putting on a badge. Yvette Nipar plays the Dallas FBI agent who assists him while Richard Dillard & Gail Cronauer play his parents. A.J. Buckley appears as the main villain and Dell Johnson the town deputy. Jenny Shakeshaft is also on hand as a waitress whom Nick knows in the town. Several other cast members play heavies.
This is a nominal sequel to 2004's "Walking Tall" with The Rock. The location and characters are totally different; only the plot is basically the same. While the O4 movie is the technically better production, since it was released theatrically, they're both of about the same general viewing quality. The main difference is that the plot in "The Payback" pays less attention to the drama of the small town and more on the rural mob and their elaborate schemes. Like the O4 movie, this is by-the-numbers but still worthwhile if you're in the mood for a rural crime drama/thriller.
The film runs 88 minutes and was shot in Waxahachie and Dallas, Texas.
GRADE: C+ or B- (5.5/10)
