A Walk in the Thin Line

Rating: 4/10 (9 December 2007)

It seems that there always is a previous praise to those films that are biographical, and the main actor/actress should get lofty credits. Well, "Walk the Line" disappointed me. Passing through its slow, boring development, Joaquin Phoenix didn't surprise me. His work was mainly done on rough imitations, but not fonding with the spirit of the character. There is no connection between viewer and spectator, mainly if you are not related nor fan of Johnny Cash. To those like us, the story by Mangold will not deepen us emotionally into his life. Reese Witherspon, on the other side, shines and flows on a river of exposè charm and blossoming emotions. She is an angel.
The other part of the cast fails to guide the public through their emotions, and we are puzzled on the real conflict and the real rooted problems. Life is hard, yes. But Cash's Life is not honored in this film, it's copied. Besides the Love Story rendering between Cash and Carter, and the moment where Johnny sings his "Folsom Prison" tune to the agent, there is nothing remarkable within the film.
"Walk the Line" failed to satisfy me. It lacks a lot of strength, basically. It is stuck into a limbo of entertainment, with a disappointing Phoenix that fails to feel but only impersonates, with the shining of Whiterspoon and a mix of nice, bewitching soundtrack, that are curiously performed by the main couple, Joaquin and Reese. I can give it the current rating comparing it to "Ray", both movies where I didn't know the singers portrayed. One sucked me in and the other left me indifferent. See "Ray" instead, if you're not a die hard of Johnny Cash.