Terrific Musical Biography

Rating: 9/10 (20 November 2005)

"I Walk the Line" is a great musical biography of Johnny Cash. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I've read criticism of it saying that it is the standard rock star film of battling drugs, etc, but Johnny Cash is anything but your normal star. He commands a respect to this day that very few (maybe Bob Dylan)do. The acting is outstanding on all counts, as Juaquin Phoenix does an amazing job portraying Johnny Cash. Even better is Reese Witherspoon as June Carter; what a terrific, inspiring performance. And of course, the advantage that a musical biography has over other biographical films is the great music, and there is a lot of it: "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire" and several other of Cash's legendary repertoire. The only reason it didn't get a 10 rating is because they downplayed the religious aspect of Johnny Cash's life, and the importance that his Christian faith had in what happened to him. I get tired of movie producers being almost embarrassed to delve into the subject of faith; his faith was a huge part of his life and it shouldn't be brushed aside like this. Otherwise, this film is terrific and I highly recommend it, especially to those who love great music. If you were not a Johnny Cash fan before watching this, chances are you will be afterward.