Review of Walk the Line (2005) by Kristel B — 14 Oct 2016

James Mangold's take on the story of Johnny Cash certainly lives up to it's title in that it walks the (story)line of every music biopic preceding this one. The movie hits all of the beats you expect from the genre: it builds in the first act, the characters hit their low points around the midpoint into the end of the second act, and then rebound in the final third to wrap it all up.

And yet, what Mangold has crafted here works so well despite being so familiar. The key to any biopic is the actor playing the lead character, and Walk the Line delivers in that regard with Joaquin Phoenix's masterful performance as Johnny Cash.

For what he lacks in physical similarity to Cash, Phoenix completely embodies his soul, especially when it comes to the scenes where he performs musical numbers. Phoenix's vocal cadence is so eerily similar to Cash's, almost to the point where you're convinced that Phoenix is simply being dubbed by original recordings of Cash.

In the quieter scenes, Phoenix infuses a quiet charm to Cash, and makes him into a compelling protagonist for all of his shortcomings. Alongside him is Reese Witherspoon as June Carter, who delivers what may be the best performance of her career.

Witherspoon is rather charming as well, with an extroverted Southern charisma that complements Cash's quieter character quite nicely. Mangold deserves some credit as well, not only for getting two wonderful performances out of Phoenix and Witherspoon, but for crafting a 136 minute film that stays interesting throughout without having to resort to any fancy stylistic choices that could otherwise be distracting.

Fans of Cash and newcomers to his music (if those somehow exist) should both find a lot to enjoy with the endless charm of Walk the Line.