Not long ago, I took a look at the music biopic ‘A Complete Unknown,’ which is a fantastic look at the early career of Bob Dylan. After watching that film, I wanted to revisit another biopic of another infamous singer - ‘Walk the Line’ (Johnny Cash).
And, FYI, ‘Walk the Line’ turns 20 this coming November!
The rise of music legend Johnny Cash begins with his days as a boy growing up on the family farm, where he struggles under the scorn of his father.
As years pass, Cash ends up in Memphis, with his wife, Vivian, and breaks into the music scene after finding his trademark sound.
While on tour, Cash meets the love of his life, singer June Carter, but Cash’s volatile lifestyle threatens to keep them apart.
Just like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash is considered to be one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Not only did he make a mark in country music, he also performed rock ‘n’ roll, blues, gospel and folk music.
‘Walk the Line’ delivers quite a few great songs (of course it would), amazing performances from Phoenix and Witherpsoon, and a few moments that can have you feeling a little moved. This 2005 biopic also dives into Johnny Cash’s dark path into drugs and alcohol. And, eventually with some help, Cash finds his way.
Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon did amazing jobs as Johnny Cash and June Carter respectively. It doesn’t matter if it was their musical scenes or when Cash and Carter weren’t quite getting along, their performances really shined.
Like most biopics, I’m sure that ‘Walk the Line’ didn’t show everything from his life and left things out. But, nonetheless, ‘Walk the Line’ is a compelling film that will also get you in the mood to listen to some Johnny Cash songs as soon as it's over.
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny Cash); Reese Witherspoon (June Carter); Ginnifer Goodwin (Vivian Cash); Dallas Roberts (Sam Phillips); Tyler Hilton (Elvis Presley); Waylon Payne (Jerry Lee Lewis); Shooter Jennings (Waylon Jennings); Robert Patrick (Ray Cash)
Writer/director: Gil Dennis (writer); James Mangold (co-writer/director) (A Complete Unknown; Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny)
Trivia: The film was screened for the inmates of Folsom Prison, 38 years after Cash’s landmark performance. The actor who portrays Waylon Jennings in one scene was actually his own son, Shooter Jennings. Many studios actually passed on this film - including Sony, Universal, Focus Features, Paramount and Warner Bros.
Where to find the movie? Besides a few PVOD rental services, you can also stream ‘Walk the Line’ on Hulu/Disney Plus.
‘Walk the Line’ is rated PG-13 for some language, thematic material and depiction of drug dependency (running time 136 minutes)
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