Walk The Line

Synopsis: In 1944 young Johnny, son of a poor Arkansas cotton farmer, is traumatised by the accidental death of his brother and his father’s obvious wish that he were the brother who had died. Eleven years later Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) walks into the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis and ends up singing Folsom Prison Blues to an impressed record producer. From there he joins the ranks of the up and coming rebellious rock’n’rollers, and surges to fame as “The Man in Black”. As his marriage falters under the pressure of absences while touring, he meets vivacious June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), and their lives intertwine both professionally and personally.

I don’t own a single Johnny Cash record and yet I loved this film. That speaks volumes for the successful way in which Mangold has handled his material, and even more, volumes for the outstanding performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

Biopics are not easy – they run the risk of having a too-sweeping brush, painting the legend but missing out on the person. Not so with this one! Sure, there are odd moments where the much-used montage technique is employed to show the passing of time and events, but the dramatic thrust of the story and of the characters’ journeys remains at the forefront. From the arresting opening scene, where the adult Cash awaits his comeback concert at Folsom Prison, to the defining years of his youth, we understand what drove this man. From the smallest performances, (the young boys playing the Cash brothers in their youth, the roles of Carter’s mum and dad) to the two main leads, everything speaks of authenticity.

Phoenix captures both a strength and vulnerability in Cash, and the film wisely shows him warts and all. Similarly Witherspoon shines and shows a depth of acting I’ve not seen from her before. The chemistry these two cook up between them feels genuine and of even more impressive is the fact that they do their own vocals! Even die-hard Cash and Carter fans say the two manage to catch the essence of the voices.

The film’s structure operates like a three-acter. The first tracks Johnny’s rise to fame in the exciting and rebellious era when Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, and Roy Orbison were taking the world by storm, and the scenes in which the young musos are in concert and on the road, are utterly absorbing and entertaining. Every small role has the actors capturing the defining characteristics of the musician they play and the Zeitgeist of the times. In this first act, Cash’s wife Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin),makes us share her pain as her marriage deteriorates under the pressure of her husband’s constant absence. The second part looks at Cash’s struggle with amphetamine addiction, his anger issues, and his desperate love for Carter, who keeps rebuffing him in their private life, despite their close on-stage relationship. And, as in many good stories, we get a measure of redemption in the third act.

Driven along by an outstanding soundtrack, great camera work that has you up close and personal with the performers, and a raft of wonderful songs, Walk The Line is first class entertainment.

FYI: Mangold's film was spoofed with some success in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Want more about this film?

Want something different?