Rock Solid

Rating: 9/10 (25 February 2006)

I expected a movie of finest quality when I sat down to see this and I'm glad to say it exceeded my expectations! Based on real life legend Johnny Cash, Walk The Line tells the story of his turbulent life of drugs, love and music.
This is a well written film. Based on a couple of books and the real life of Johnny Cash it has a pretty dramatic and strong story to tell and it succeeds in telling this story really well. The characters are strong and you get to know them, love them and hate them. It's believable and touches you.
Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash is a truly great fit. His performance is nothing less than wonderful. He is believable and he got the likeness to portray Johnny Cash in every way. Reese Witherspoon also delivers a rock solid performance as June Carter. As for the rest of the cast they're also very good. Most notably is Ginnifer Goodwin and Robert Patrick as Vivian Cash and Ray Cash. They do a fine job as supporting actors.
When it comes to the technical there is also nice things to say. The cinematography is good looking and the lightning is really nice. It is a really good looking film. It spans a cross several decades and they do a good job in keeping everything is style. Hair, costumes and sets, all goes to the decade.
As for the music, you'll get to hear a lot of Johnny Cash. No surprise there. However, they also make use of others like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis. They make good use of the music and when the real music ends a good soundtrack by T-Bone Burnett kicks in.
Walk The Line is without a doubt a movie worthy of Johnny Cash. It's all in all a rock solid film that I truly recommend. Whether you like the Man in Black or not, whether you grew up with his music or not, I recommend this movie because in the end this is a story about people.