Ladies and gentlemen, Johnny Cash!

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2006)

Johnny Cash gets the big screen treatment a year after Ray Charles. I must admit, though, that initially I had reservations about this film. Honestly now, I feel that it's very much the kind of film we're subjected to every now and then. You know, that based on a true to life story of someone who rose to top after being down that's bound to jerk the tears out of you.
So somehow I entered the theater having the wrong expectations but went out getting a different impression. Yes, considering its Hollywood nature, it can be manipulative at times and it still has to follow a certain formula, but director James Mangold ("Girl, Interrupted," "Identity") manages to make "Walk the Line" more than its narrative of a celebrity who stumbles and rises up again. It's a film featuring superb performances and some nice crooning.
As I've said, "Walk the Line" is the story of Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix). It follows his childhood days in rural Arkansas, through his early music career, through his obsession with future wife June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), and through his inevitable downfall.
Of course, the thing with biopics is that if you've seen enough of the genre you'll presume you'll know how the story will unfold up until the credits and then you can figure out the theme of life-affirmation. But that's hardly fair with the point of the movie. The film is about the character of Cash and how his humanity has failed to cope with everything that's happened in his story. Mangold and his co-writer Gill Dennis brilliantly stayed faithful to the story of the man they were paying their respects to.
"Walk the Line" is set in the post-World War II era, with culture in general and music in particular experiencing a great transition. It's underlined with a cinematography that borders on retrospective. There's one gorgeous shot during one of Cash and his band's performance which I think was done somewhat in high contrast, and it added a touch of sophistication and subtlety to the scene. It's this great use of technique that gives the film its emotional impact.
Of course, no review of the film is ever complete without saying something about the performances of the leads. Honestly, I think this is Phoenix's best performance to date. His authentic portrayal of the legendary singer is complemented with great crooning and such a delicate tenderness. Witherspoon's performance gives soul to the film, and her understated voice is a joy to listen to. She proves how talented actor she is and that she's more than the roles she usually plays.
In the end, I liked it. It's still formulaic, but not in the same vein as most of its predecessors have gone through. Fans of Cash may be glad to know that Mangold has brought them their idol's time of his life with a film filled with nice writing, brilliant direction, and great acting and singing.