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Walk The Line
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Genre:
Musical/Drama
Run Time: 136
min.
Release Date:
November 2005
On The Web:
Official Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
My introduction to Johnny Cash's music was
when I was eight years old. My father started collecting his albums
(8-tracks actually) and whenever we were on the road he'd pop one in and
we'd listen to I Walk The Line or Ring Of Fire or Folsom Prison Blues;
those were the main ones anyway. My dad wasn't a big music fan back then
– he was extremely selective – but Cash was his exception. Not knowing
what Johnny's music was all about, I really didn't give much thought as
to why my father should or shouldn't like the singer ("He sings real
good, doesn't he Dad?" "Yes he does"). This might seem more like a
family reminiscence on my part but humor me for just one more minute.
My father was pretty conservative: he paid his taxes on time without
question, was a Marine, believed in the death penalty, enjoyed any kind
of sports, and coached in a Pop-Warner football league.
Fast forward to this movie, WALK THE LINE, and I have to wonder
why my father felt so strongly for this man's music. Johnny Cash was
anything but conservative. Joaquin Phoenix's excellent portrayal of Mr.
Cash – from his humble beginnings on an Arkansas farm to his nearly
fatal brush with amphetamine addiction – shows us all the flaws this
incredibly gifted man had balled up inside him. He drank like a fish,
womanized while on tour, supported better living standards for prison
inmates (something my father would never agree with), and enjoyed the rock-a-billy
sounds that were just emerging onto the airwaves. Cash's worldviews were
fairly extreme and this spilled over into the lyrics for his songs (just
listen to his best-selling At Folsom Prison album and you'll see what I
mean).
So what was it about Johnny Cash that pulled my dad into his fandom?
Well, this movie shows us. Johnny Cash's voice ("Like a freight train
coming 'round a bend but sharp as a razor") is hypnotic, and Joaquin Phoenix
(LADDER 49)
deserves all of the notoriety he's received for playing this role. It's
stunning to learn that Joaquin didn't lip-sync any of the songs, but
sung them all himself. And although Johnny Cash's voice was a bit
coarser and deeper, Mr. Phoenix should be congratulated for his singing
talent. He amazed me.
The shining light in the movie, however, was Reese Witherspoon (VANITY
FAIR) as June
Carter. Who could've guessed that this Legally Blonde comedic talent
could act so dramatically? Her singing voice was wonderful, too, doing
all of June Carter's songs without lip-syncing … just as Joaquin had.
But I do have two complaints. First, I didn't much care for the ending.
I felt it was abrupt and tried too hard to tie everything up into a nice
"family package" in just a few minutes. Second (although not really a
complaint but more of a comparison) is that there've been some really
great character films done in the past few years, and although Walk The
Line ranks right up there with the best of them, I felt that Jamie Foxx
did a bit better job in RAY (but I think overall Walk The Line was
better as entertainment).
Still, this is a great movie with excellent filming and information
about an American icon of the music industry. I'm sure my dad loved it,
too.
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Image from Walk The Line
DVD cost: $9.98
Purchase:
Tower.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
One of the fan letters
Johnny receives is from an inmate at Folsom Prison named Glen Sherley.
Glen Sherley was an inmate at Folsom when Johnny recorded "At Folsom
Prison" and also wrote the song "Greystone Chapel" that Johnny recorded
during that show.
Movie Quote: "You
know what your problem is, June Carter? You are afraid to be in love,
you are afraid of losing control, And you know what June Carter, I think
you are afraid of livin' in my big fat shadow."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Walk The Line
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