Hard line to walk

Rating: 10/10 (7 June 2006)

When I first heard that there was to be a "Johnny Cash Movie"... I was fairly skeptical. I grew up listening to Johnny Cash and I was horrified to think that Hollywood would/may/could destroy the legend as it stood in our minds. How wrong I was... This movie is awesome. The acting is flawless and believable, the music is great but not overdone and the created atmosphere of the 1950's and 60's is near perfect. It is a sad, funny, uplifting and demoralizing cornucopia of a story about a man who rose from a dirt poor and bitter childhood to become a music superstar to the world. Along the way he encounters the likes of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Waylon Jennings, all introduced in a passing parade kind of manner. The drug issues that almost destroyed John's life are there in all their stark honesty. The failed marriage and an almost predatory pursuit of June Carter are skillfully handled. The whole thing just works. Add to that the fact that the actors actually performed the musical numbers in the movie can only been seen as a credit to their dedication to the project. It is a story and a movie to behold and to be long remembered.