Critic smells what The Rock is cooking

The Rock has finally met his match, and it is not Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin. It is acting in his most dramatic role yet -- he faced the challenge and surprisingly did it justice. \nI have loved The Rock since his early days in the WWF, but I had trouble believing a wrestler could pull off a solid performance. Then I realized if Jesse "The Body" Ventura can become governor of Minnesota, anything is possible. \nThe Rock stars as Chris Vaughn, a Special Forces soldier who stands by his principles no matter what. When he returns to his hometown to stay with his family, he sees it's not what it used to be. The town mill has been closed down, a crooked casino has replaced it and drug dealers freely walk the streets. \nThe owner of the casino, an old high school archrival named Jay Hamilton Jr. (Neal McDonough), invites Chris to his club for a few drinks, and then the action begins. When Chris calls out a shady craps dealer, he gets in a huge brawl and kicks a ton of security guard ass before finally being taken down. To teach him a lesson, they cut up his stomach and leave him for dead. \nGetting no support from the police, Chris takes matters into his own hands. With the help of his trusty 2x4 (which he carries through a majority of the film to the point where it's just plain funny), he goes to the casino and demolishes a mob of drug pushers. In his subsequent trial, he acts as his own defense -- not only is he acquitted, but he's elected sheriff of the town. He appoints his old pal Ray Templeton (Knoxville) deputy, and together they fight criminals in an attempt to clean up the town. \nWhile the film is based on a true story, it is hard to believe that a town would elect a sheriff whose only objective is to personally beat the crap out of every bad guy in town. But believability aside, the fights scenes are intense and well-directed, and the humor, courtesy of Knoxville in a very convincing performance, is the movie's redeeming attribute. The fact that the story is sometimes over-the-top only adds to the hilarity. \n"Walking Tall" includes all the components of a good action flick: brawls, explosions, shootouts, an axe fight and an extreme game of backyard football. Moreover, it proves The Rock and Knoxville can have success outside the WWE and "Jackass" respectively, though, we all know that is where they rock the hardest.