'Walk'ing down a fine 'Line'

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2006)

Last year, Ray brought to life the genius of Ray Charles. A biopic of the legendary, mainstream rhythm & blues musician, proved to be one of a kind- not only in its portrayal of the late legend, but also on the heightened production and acting. Ray earned Jamie Foxx an Oscar, one he truly and fully deserved, clearly not the case with many recent Oscar winners.
This year, Walk the Line, a cinematographic derivation of Ray, continues in the same fashion by exposing the genius and the faults of Johnny Cash, the deceased country singer with a voice "like a sharp razor" and an attitude like none other. The story and life of the self-proclaimed "Man in Black" simply cannot be condensed into a 136-minute-biographical-semi-documentary movie. Director James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted) tries his best however, to adapt Johnny Cash's made-for-movie life and abridge it into an ordinary Hollywood storyline.
To put it shortly- J.R Cash was born Feb.16, 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas. When he was 3 years old, his father moved his family to northeast Arkansas to farm 20 acres of cotton and other seasonal crops. Cash was enlisted in the U.S Air Force after he finished high school. After serving for four years, Cash returned home and married Vivian, an ex-girlfriend. At 22, Cash auditioned as a solo artist for Sam Phillips' Sun Records. After he was rejected, he tried a second time with his band The Tennessee Three. This time he was accepted into the recording company and released his first single "Hey Porter".
During the next few years, Johnny Cash would go on to release many hit singles such as "I Walk the Line" and "A Boy Named Sue". Meanwhile he had divorced his first wife and remarried to country singer June Carter. June and her family helped Cash overcome his addiction with narcotics. After years of bliss and excellent music, June died in May of 2003 and Cash died four months later from diabetes complications.
The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as the eternal Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as the tender June Cash. Both actors do justice to the late performers. The over-achieving Phoenix is almost entirely guaranteed an Oscar nomination this year. Phoenix basically evolved into the "Man in Black". Witherspoon also did a tremendous job at showcasing her own acting abilities with June's Southern charm. The most amazing component is the music however- all songs were performed by Phoenix himself.
The direction of the movie must also be noted for it truly captured the moments most relevant in Cash's early and later years. Mangold proves his capabilities in full context in Walk the Line. The scenes, both lavishing and heart-breaking at the same time, paint a picture of Johnny Cash's life, laden with the brutality of life and the heartwarming effects of love.
Although Walk the Line is excellent in its point-of-view direction, and in the portrayals of both Johnny and June Cash, it fails to distract the viewer from finding similarities with the superb Ray. The resemblances are far too many to fully evaluate but the main ones remain on the plot. The death of a sibling, poverty, drug usage, and the multiple relationships are some of the main characteristics both movies share. Nevertheless, Walk the Line is still fully entertaining, even at its lowest points.