Where to watch Walking Tall: The Payback
1 Star
How do you follow up Walking Tall featuring the charismatic Dwayne Johnson? Certainly not by making a cheap direct-to-DVD follow-up starring Kevin Sorbo. Walking Tall: The Payback does this and it results in a dull, uninspired retread that lacks action or any type of energy. This laconic film plays like an average episode of Walker: Texas Ranger, without the kicks. Sorbo, who portrayed Hercules for seven years on TV, looks bored and isn’t well-suited to the material.
A good action film must have a great villain to counterbalance the protagonist. Walking Tall: The Payback is sorely lacking a memorable antagonist(s). Instead, it focuses on a collection of bland characters with murky motives and even more confused plans of action. Walking Tall: The Payback is an in-name-only sequel to the 2004 remake that isn’t able to capture the mischievous sense of fun that propelled the previous entry into the status of a guilty pleasure. This time around there are no pleasures to be had.
Director: Tripp Reed
Stars: Kevin Sorbo, Haley Ramm, Richard Dillard