"What makes you think they forgot?"

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2006)

Before I go into this little review of Walk the Line, it should be known that I have been a serious Johnny Cash fan for 5 years now.
I tried to go into this film unbiased, neutral, I was willing to see it from a film goer's point of view and not as Johnny Cash fan boy, but I couldn't, I was drawn right in and completely involved, like being at a Cash concert, and I think that is a good testament to Joaquin Phoenix, the rest of the cast and the writers and directors.
JC has had a well documented life, his success came early and even so, I guess he out lasted them all, not just living longer than his peers but his relevancy too, the late 90's and early millennium saw him win over the alternative generation of today, let us note  Dylan, Orbison, have not achieved that.
The tragedy of Cash's youth is covered somewhat, although I suspect there was a heap more misfortune in his early teens and up until his first record contract (with sun records, Elvis's label), the film gets the point across well. Robert Patrick who plays Cash's father has that depression-era father off to a tee. All through the film, I was glad to see further scenes with Ray Cash (Robert Patrick). I particularly enjoyed how the writers reveal that Ray Cash did eventually overcome his own personal alcoholic demons and regret his early fatherhood.
A neat and wonderful storyline, quickly brought into the picture is JC's first tour with Jerry Lee Lewis, June Carter and Elvis Presley. All actors are utterly convincing, and give intense performances in a time where amp-power and technology was not an option, and thus the performers had to give it their all, to make up for the volume and power they didn't have. Each group are thrown together on a sort of cheap and cramped tour across the southern states, the film unveils the beginning of Cash's rock stardom, worship, drugs, booze and escapism as well as the narrative ark  what will be long time romance with June Carter.
From here the story spirals into Cash's roller-coaster lifestyle, the rewards, the rejection and his strained marriage with Viv (Ginnifer Goodwin). Scene by scene, it is as if you are in a Cash concert, which is alright by me, my only hope is, the audience non familiar with Cash have got to be won over by Joaquin's and Reese's performances. I'm under the impression they used their own voices, which is a remarkable statement in itself.
I would have like to have seen scenes on Cash's relationship with Dylan but that is a small price to pay, and it is quite apparent, this is essentially a love story at heart.
If you are a fan of Cash, then you will love it, if you are music fan you will love it too, if you are a movie buff you would be crazy not to find this film enjoyable. It begs that age old hypothetical question of, if you were given the chance to revisit history, and given once chance to observe any moment  what would it be? Well I know for me, I would choose, 1968 Folsom Prison, amongst the crowd of 2000 entertainment-starved prisoners watching Cash in his career defining performance, bellowing out tales of desperation, solitude and regret.
~Paul Browne.