Overall Rating
  Awesome: 45.99%
Worth A Look: 40.88%
Average: 10.95%
Pretty Bad: 0.73%
Total Crap: 1.46%
11 reviews, 71 user ratings
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| Walk the Line |
by William Goss
"Here Comes The Man In Black"
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'Walk the Line' is an average drama that solely stands out from the recent crowd of high-profile biopics on account of a pair of stellar performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as they depict the legendary life and times of music superstar Johnny Cash.Phoenix’s depiction of Cash is every bit as remarkable as expected, though it manages to be a great impression as opposed to a superb personification of the star. He gets the voice, the look, and the attitude down just right, but one cannot manage to shake the notion that this is Phoenix doing a great job impersonating Cash instead Cash himself strolling across the screen. Like David Strathairn as Edward Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck., his performance is certainly worthy of acclaim and recognition, but Phoenix fails to truly embody Cash enough to actually merit an Oscar win.
Equally deserving of praise are the supporting performances, particularly that of Witherspoon as June Carter, as she contributes her best work since 1999’s Election. She brings Carter’s personality to vivid life effortlessly, whether she is entertaining fans or being a constant companion to Cash through thick and thin. Robert Patrick also does an outstanding job portraying Ray Cash, Johnny’s difficult-to-please father. The rest of the cast rarely strikes a false note, specifically Tyler Hilton as Elvis Presley and Shooter Jennings as his own father, Waylon Jennings. Furthermore, all the actors sing the tunes themselves, providing commendable covers of the original songs, including “Ring of Fire,” “Get Rhythm,” and “I Walk The Line,” among others.
What carries the film as it progresses is the dynamic between Johnny Cash and June Carter. With his brother, Cash admired Carter as she was a child star, and though she rejects his persistent advances on the road, Carter remains a devoted friend, even when Cash’s lifestyle turns reckless. Though they were each married with children, Cash always wanted to be more than a friend, much to the dismay of his current wife, Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin). The film caps off after he recorded his renowned Folsom County prison performance and as he proposes to Carter yet one more time. Director James Mangold (Identity, Kate & Leopold) co-wrote the screenplay with Gill Dennis from a pair of Cash’s autobiographies, and the rich detail gives the story more authenticity and helps compensate for Mangold’s lackluster effort behind the camera.
The cinematography alternates between mammoth close-ups of the leads and equally shaky shots to convey the frenzy of both success and resentment. Soon after a montage that seems to speed past most of Cash’s rising stardom, the momentum of the first half evaporates as the film heads into highs-and-lows territory, and this is where the frequent comparisons to last year’s Ray become apparent (besides the fact that both had a brother pass away during their rural adolescence). Once more, good music and great acting improve what would otherwise be a typical story.The strong performances of Witherspoon and Patrick help support Phoenix’s exceptional portrayal, and together, the trio help elevate this by-the-numbers biopic and transform it into something noteworthy. 'Walk the Line' may be singing the same old song, yet the cast still puts all their effort into hitting the right notes and making the best music they possibly can.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=12838&reviewer=409
originally posted: 11/18/05 18:03:10
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OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2005 Toronto Film Festival For more in the 2005 Toronto Film Festival series, click here.
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USA
18-Nov-2005 (PG-13)
DVD: 28-Feb-2006
UK
03-Feb-2006 (12A)
Australia
02-Feb-2006
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