Walk the Line

Walk the Line is a musical biopic in the mold of Ray, but it’s a bit more sincere and concise, without so much Hollywood artifice, which can only be a good thing. Plus the superb duo of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. If only they would start making such movies about directors, which are closer to my heart than musicians, with the same degree of love… (01/19/2006)

Damn, this turned out really well! James Mangold is always a guarantee of quality, though biographical films are usually not my thing. However, Johnny Cash and his life journey ultimately drew me in! It’s one of the best genre contributions in terms of casting; Joaquin Phoenix overshadowed everyone else, immersing himself in the role of Cash 120 percent :) Plus, he gave the legendary songs of this musical genius a new, authentic touch; I had no idea Phoenix had such a musical talent. So I don’t understand how he didn’t win that Oscar—such a robbery. Witherspoon supported him admirably, and the chemistry between them worked (at least she got an Oscar). I liked how the film didn’t just focus on the bright moments of his career, but fully showed that fame also has its dark side (drugs, infidelity). Even though I'm not usually into musical films, this one, along with Bohemian Rhapsody, reinforced that films with this focus can be something special if done masterfully. 8.5/10 (09/01/2021)

I first met Johnny Cash on U2's “Zooropa” while listening to the last song he sang with his beautiful deep voice (which Joaquin Phoenix also possesses), and although his work is not my cup of tea, he certainly deserved "his" movie for the inspiration that many music personalities, not only country but also rock, credit him with. Thankfully, Walk the Line isn't a boringly descriptive story, despite spanning a several eras, the viewer doesn't really learn much about Cash's achievements and work (which may disappoint die-hard fans), but the story focuses intimately on the formation of his relationship with his future wife June Carter (a sweetly vital Reese Witherspoon) and his almost obsession with her, showing his addiction to pills and his lifelong struggle to cope with the death of his brother. Joaquin not only sings beautifully and I believed his every move with the guitar in his hand, and his tormented look with the inner demons in his eyes, which he was constantly fighting with, was Oscar-worthy. Likewise Witherspoon, with the body of a fragile little bum, but the character of a strong woman and Cash's redeeming angel. The only thing that separates this film from 5* is the absence of a really strong scene that would be indelibly etched in my memory, except perhaps for a punishingly brief moment depicting a concert in Folsom Prison that gave me goosebumps. (03/17/2006)

Some movies will thoroughly change you, even with a proper distance. I mocked the country music while I was watching it and pretty much ignored Reese Witherspoon, but then everything was suddenly different after I saw it. Although I don't actively listen to Johnny Cash, I took to heart all the life warnings that Walk the Line subtly piles on one after another, and (however pathetic it may sound) I would like to believe that they helped me several times to take the right turn at the most important crossroads. This biographical spectacle is not among my top ten, nor even among my top fifty. And yet there is so much truth in it regarding temptations, difficult decisions, love, and career, that at one point I even put Joaquin Phoenix's portrait from the hand-drawn poster as my profile picture – and I have kept it there until today. A personal film in the most obvious sense of the word. (09/09/2006)

In the context of the film's ambitions, which largely focus on the more complex and mainly darker side of Johnny Cash's personality, there's not much to reproach. Mangold is very adept at navigating the rock 'n' roll scene and wild life of the 60s, and he handles the interweaving of the three basic plot levels – Johnny's mental decline, the fateful love between him and June, and the problematic relationship between him and his father – with understated craftsmanship. But the film sticks to this scheme so tenaciously that the true and unique story about the beginnings of a music legend ends up being a classic Hollywood romance devoid of any surprises. But that doesn't change the fact that the film itself is great, that Johnny Cash's music is timeless, and that Joaquin and Reese not only look great together but also sing absolutely amazingly well. Superb filmmaking, deservedly rewarded with the attention of the Academy. 85% (07/23/2014)