Walk the Line
WALK THE LINE (12)
D: James Mangold
20th Century Fox (Cathy Konrad & James
Keach)
US/Germany 2005
136 mins
Biopic/Drama/Musical
W: Gill Dennis & James Mangold
DP: Phedon Papamichael
Ed: Michael McCusker
Mus: T-Bone Burnett
PD: David J. Bomba
Cos: Arianne Phillips
Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny
Cash), Reese Witherspoon (June Carter), Ginnifer Goodwin (Vivian Cash), Robert Patrick (Ray Cash), Dallas Roberts (Sam Phillips), Dan John Miller (Luther Perkins), Tyler
Hilton (Elvis Presley), Waylon Malloy Payne (Jerry Lee Lewis)
Reese Witherspoon won a Best Actress Oscar and any
other year, Joaquin Phoenix may well her joined her as the Best Actor winner for this biopic on Johnny Cash, following his early career and their tumultuous love affair.
Like most Hollywood biopics, it waters down the life of a mercurial character and seems to miss a great deal out, but it manages to capture a good bulk of the real life events, beginning with his fractured relationship with his father and his failings as the lead of a gospel band to his breakthrough and legendary gig at Folsom Prison, while the performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as Johnny Cash and June Carter make it riveting viewing with a practical masterclass in on-screen chemistry. The singing is pretty great too.
7/10
