Walking Tall Walking Tall is a 2004 remake of the 1973 film of the same name . It stars Dwayne Johnson and Johnny Knoxville . Like the original film , it was based on real - life Sheriff Buford Pusser , however , the main character ' s name was changed to " Chris Vaughn " . The setting was changed from McNairy County , Tennessee to Kitsap County , Washington , US . Plot . Chris Vaughn , a former Army Special Forces sergeant , returns to his small home town in Washington state to find some work at the cedar mill , but he finds that it closed down three years ago , and now , there is a new casino in town , owned by his old school friend , Jay Hamilton , who is now taking liberties because of the chaotic economic situation . With the mill closed down , the casino is the main source of income for the town . Vaughn decides to check out the casino , and sees the craps dealer use loaded dice . When Vaughn gets somewhat violent , the security guards subdue him , then carve his stomach and leave him for dead , but he is found and hospitalized , and eventually recovers . Vaughn goes to the Sheriff to place charges on those who carved his stomach , but the Sheriff refuses to allow Vaughn to press charges because the casino is viewed as so important . After Vaughn also finds out that his nephew , Pete , experimented with crystal meth , which was sold to his friends by a casino security guard . Vaughn goes to the casino , and using a piece of lumber as a club , he beats the security guards , and makes his point to Jay Hamilton that he won ' t tolerate the crime in his town anymore . In the ensuing trial , Vaughn tells the jury ( and the rest of the town ) that if he is cleared of the charges , he will run for sheriff and clean up the town . He is then acquitted and wins the election for sheriff . Upon taking office , he fires the entire police force and deputizes his friend , Ray Templeton , who he knows will remain loyal and fight for what he knows is right . Vaughn and Templeton find hidden drugs on Hamilton ' s right - hand man , Booth , and they take him into custody . In an attempt to make him rat on other drug dealers , they tear his truck apart , but he doesn ' t talk . The former Sheriff and his deputies then go to the Sheriff ' s office , blow up Vaughn ' s truck , and try to kill him , and while guns are being fired into the Sheriff ' s office , with his life in danger , Booth tells Vaughn where the drug base is , and where they make them , which is in the old mill . Soon after releasing this information , Booth gets shot , and dies . Vaughn is able to escape . Vaughn ' s parents ' house was raided by some of Hamilton ' s men , but Templeton , who was stationed there , managed to keep everyone safe with the help of Chris Vaughn Sr . , Chris Vaughn ' s father . Vaughn then goes to the mill , and finds the drugs there , along with Hamilton , who sets a trap on Vaughn , and they fight for their lives in the woods behind the mill , with Vaughn eventually beating Hamilton , and placing him under arrest . Vaughn closes the casino , and the mill was reopened shortly after . Production . In the original film , Pusser uses a wooden club to beat the criminals . Director Kevin Bray wanted to update it by making it a baseball bat . There were objections , so the compromise was to just add a handle . Reception . It received mixed reviews from critics . Based on 128 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , 24 % of critics gave " Walking Tall " a positive review , with an average rating of 4 . 4 / 10 . The film grossed $ 57 , 223 , 890 worldwide . The budget of the film was $ 46 million . Music . The southern rock / country band , State Line Mob included a song titled " McNairy County Line " on their 2008 album , " Ruckus " , which honors Buford Pusser and tells the story from a factual point of view . Sequel . " Walking Tall : The Payback " and " Walking Tall : Lone Justice " , are two direct - to - video sequels that have been released starring Kevin Sorbo .