My brief review of the film

Rating: Null/10 (2 July 2005)

A generally well made and well performed biopic, the film is however better than the average such film out there, as it provides an insight not only into Ray Charles' life, but also into music recording, blindness, racism, drug addiction, and the depicted periods in time. The 1950s and 1960s are portrayed very well, with fine costumes and sets, captured well by the director of photography. Paul Hirsch and the editing team give the film a suitably fancy visual style, with different dissolves, wipes and other techniques. The sound recording is by far the film's best element though, and not just because of Foxx's mouthing in time with Ray Charles' dubbed singing. There are also some wonderful bits with sound amplification, to show how deaf persons pick up sound better, and the background noises fit in well throughout. However, it is not a perfect production. From the 90-minute point onwards it all starts to drag, even if it is still rather compelling. The flashbacks could have also been handled a bit better, as sense of time becomes a bit distorted. Still, it is one of the better films of the year, and of course, the acting cannot be forgotten. Foxx won the Oscar for a solid lead performance, but Kerry Washington should not be overlooked, as she has some great emotional moments as Ray's wife. And the music on the film's soundtrack is as great as one would expect.