Dir: James Mangold

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon

“Ya’ll can’t walk no line” shouts June Carter in anger at Johnny Cash midway through the film. Walk the Line is adapted from the two autobiographies of one J.R.Cash and, ironically, his story is better than most fictional scripts around today.   The life of Johnny Cash (Phoenix) starts with the tragic death of his brother and the constant, but failed, attempts to please his strict, unloving father. His turmoil continues as he despairingly neglects his wife and three children and begins a heavy drug addiction. It is while he is still married that he meets the love of his life June Carter (Witherspoon), who eventually helps him through the devastation he has caused.

The soundtrack, as expected, is wonderful. The ‘steady as a train, sharp as a razor’ voice of Johnny Cash is superbly replicated by Joaquin Phoenix who put in the performance of his life. Phoenix was awesome as ‘the man in black’ Johnny Cash and plays the role to absolute perfection. My Oscar pick is definitely with him and I will be shocked if he falls short. Similarly, despite the frustrating southern accent and constant use of multiple negations, Reese Witherspoon puts on an equally breathtaking display. She is brilliant in the role of June Carter and, by far, the best I have seen her to date. This film will make her into a big time Hollywood player without a doubt.

The costume design was extremely intelligent with the use of black to convey a variety of meanings. The direction was good, with the use of parallel editing and rack focus adding well to the smooth flowing continuity of the film. Mangold’s personal love for Johnny Cash was clearly apparent and the symbolism was used to great effect. However, it was Phoenix and Witherspoon who really made this film what it was. The fact that all the vocals actually came from them shows the array of talent that these two hold.

Johnny Cash fought many addictions and could not defeat them all. He overcame the drugs, the difficulties with his father and the turmoil of his life but, ultimately, it was his addiction to June Carter and his love for music that drove him through the hard times. Walk the Line is a superb and accurate portrayal of his story.

The late great Johnny Cash was and, in many ways, still is a legend. He left an everlasting mark on the music industry and people everywhere, but most importantly in the end, when it was all said and done…he walked the line.

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