"Walk the Line"
3 and a 1/2 stars out of 4
Starring: Joaquin Pheonix, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Patrick
Not being a Johnny Cash listener or fan may shy people away from a film dedicated to his work, his love, and his life. It would be a shame to deny the power and dedication put forth on the screen by the two leads. Joaquin Pheonix and Reese Witherspoon truly become who they are portraying, Pheonix as "the man in black," Johnny Cash, and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter.
"Walk the Line" directed by James Mangold is alive in every sense of the word, it surpasses last year's "Ray" which chronocled the life of Ray Charles. Don't get me wrong, Jamie Foxx was nothing short of brilliant in his performance as Charles, but when breaking down Joaquin Phoenix's performance certain words like life-like, real, vivid, and determined jump out at you. You also have to figure in that Pheonix did all of his singing unlike the Oscar winner Foxx.
Reese Witherspoon is a revelation as June Carter, also doing her own singing, this is the best work Witherspoon has ever done and she's a shoe-inn for her first Oscar nomination. Reese becomes a lightning rod for Joaquin's character, in a way that is actually quite scary. After all, Reese is from Nashville, and her Southern affect is flawless and absolutely winning.
The film starts off examining a young Johnny, or J.R as his family called him. He looks up to his older brother Jack, and is looked down upon by his demanding and alcoholic father, who picks cotton for a living. A tragic event happens that we know will send Johnny's life in a tail-spin. Years later he would join the Air-Force in Germany and record his first song, we are then shown his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
The subtle romance for Johnny and June starts off when they are touring with the rest of the guys, that is when Johnny is introduced to drug addiction, he eventually goes on a downword spiral, and loses his first wife. Although Cash's father (played with merciless precision by Robert Patrick) eventually does sober up, it is June's family that saves Johnny. They take a chance on there daughters best friend, and true love.
"Walk the Line" is a testament to Hollywood that says: "If your going to do a film about real people, this is how you do it." If Hollywood will listen, and more performances and scripts can can be as real as this, then we as viewers are in for tasty cinema treats in the future. James Mangold and his two glorious leads are all sure fire Oscar nominations, with talent to spare. "Walk the Line " is a portrait of a singer who bled and sweat into his music.
