Beautifully acted, intelligently directed biopic

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2006)

Reese Witherspoon almost steals the show as June Carter, the woman who set fire to the heart of John R. Cash (Joaquin Phoenix), but that makes perfect sense because she did play a substantial, life-changing role in the man's life. Reese sings, too, and very well! Phoenix is great, though, and paints a sympathetic, fascinating portrait of a good man who fought a good fight with his personal demons. The structure is episodic and predictable, but director James Mangold keeps the energy level high and allows us to plunge into the mud with Cash and ride his bumpy road to success also. Mangold sustains a solid emotional journey for the character while never ignoring the pure joy of Cash's music. The standard biopic structure is applied where we work our way back to a pivotal moment in the subject's life that is seen in the film's prologue. The moment employed here has strong resonance. "Walk The Line" is not a masterpiece, but it is intelligent, rousing, emotionally uplifting and beautifully acted. And it showcases Reese's best role since "Freeway".