And the Blind Shall See.

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2005)

Very excellent biopic about the life of musician/pianist Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx in easily one of the finest performances in the history of the cinema). From his early career in rainy Seattle in the late-1940s to international acclaim in the mid-1960s, Charles' life is told with the subtlety of an iron pipe beating against solid concrete. Throughout, we see flashbacks to his (C.J. Sanders) youth in post-depression era Florida. Growing up among sharecroppers in poverty, the titled character would lose his younger brother (Terrone Bell) in a freak accident and ultimately his eyesight within the course of a year. He is taught to go beyond his potential shortcoming by mother Sharon Warren (in a pivotally crucial role) and by the time he is a teenager he is working as a small-time piano player in the Pacific Northwest. Time passes and Charles slowly gains notoriety via deals with Atlantic Records (run by Curtis Armstrong who is best known for "Risky Business" and "The Revenge of the Nerds" series and "West Wing" alum Richard Schiff). He also meets the love of his life (Kerry Washington) as he stands on the threshold of super-stardom. Success and childhood demons haunt the talent throughout though as extra-marital affairs (with backup singers Aunjanue Ellis and Regina King) and a near-crippling addiction to heroin threaten to destroy everything Charles has achieved. And do not forget that all this transpires during a time when this nation was struggling with civil rights and segregation issues (and of course Charles' song "Georgia" added to that heated controversy). Amazingly dominant film where every character has their moment and of course Foxx reaches unearthly heights. Director Taylor Hackford (best known for hit-and-miss soap operas like "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "White Nights") has a unique grasp on this story. He uses his obvious talent to tell stories that are enhanced by their soundtracks to humanize a well-known entertainer that few of us ever really knew. The music soars, but this is not the surprise in "Ray". Instead the real surprise is the depth, development and genuine importance of this tale. A striking masterpiece that is already a legitimate classic edition to the American cinema. 5 stars out of 5.