Absolutely Stunning Performances

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2006)

There isn't much one can say about the creative quality of any biopic's story line. Either the original book writers, screenplay adapters, producers and directors opt to remain faithful to the facts or they don't. We in the audience trust them to sort out all the different data tidbits they are presented with and ultimately remain true to the facts. Serious Johnny Cash fans probably already knew this entire story line from its earliest beginnings; casual fans probably recalled the middle of his life and the outcome; but along the way everyone seeing this film couldn't help but become enlightened. What makes this marvelous gem so exceptional is the quality of everyone's performances. For baby boomers who grew up listening to Johnny Cash and for others who now follow them, "Walk The Line" wasn't a film "about" Johnny Cash. Instead, thanks to Joaquin Phoenix's phenomenal performance, it became a film "including" Johnny Cash. I will go to my grave believing that without question Joaquin Phoenix deserved the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2005. It should be regarded as the gold standard for delivering all future biopic roles. For goodness sakes, this man used his own singing voice, and he was right on the money in sound, gestures and demeanor all the time. Kudos also to Reese Witherspoon for her performance that earned the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, as well as to the entire supporting casting for maximizing the believability of this historical masterpiece, most notably: Ginnifer Goodwin (as Johnny's first wife), Robert Patrick (as Johnny's father), Sandra Ellis Lafferty (as June's mother) and Dallas Roberts (as Sam Phillips). Moreover, the set recreations of the period were very believable. Not many films achieve IMDb ratings of 8.1 or higher, which is the rarefied air earned by "Walk The Line" at the time of this posting. I think that says it all.