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 Walk the Line review
  
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From his early years picking cotton in Arkansas, to the accidental death of his brother and his father blaming him for the death, we get a decent picture of his youth and country music“s influence on him. Upon his return from a military stint in Germany, he settles in Memphis with his wife and tries working a normal job. But the bug to perform has bitten and soon enough he“s recording and touring with the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. The scene in which Cash has to bare his soul to Sam Philips is excellent and we watch Phoenix transform from being unsure of himself to finding his voice (and his anger) in the space of about 5 minutes. While on tour he meets June Carter Cash (played effervescently by Reese Witherspoon) and their first meeting together in the diner almost seems like a symbol of the whole of their relationship: trust, warmth and love abound. Phoenix“s performance is intense and dark, coupled with a sense of humor. From drug addicted to love addicted, Phoenix hits all the right keys. How he portrays his love for Witherspoon“s character is a delight, as his courtship is long and fruitless for many years. For her part, Witherspoon shines as June Carter, a no nonsense straight shooter who keeps Cash in line and at a distance. The scene in which Phoenix asks her to marry him while totally high is hilarious. The scene perfectly shows how she is moved by the lengths he will go to woo her but smart enough to know that life with an addict would be a mistake for her and her daughters. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon show off their pipes, though Phoenix“s vocals are stronger. A litany of classic Cash and Carter hits is duly interpreted and their scenes together onstage and off are full of chemistry. The highs and lows of most modern music legends, from addiction to redemption and then back to the throne of respectability is not really new, but Phoenix and Witherspoon are able to kick it up a notch and surpass the parameters of the script with their acting. I suspect that had the movie been rated R, delving deeper into Cash“s demons and addictions would have been more intense, darker and grittier—let“s face it, he“s not really a PG kind of character. But that might have kept Middle America from flocking to the theatre... The apex of Johnny Cash“s musical career at that time was his 1968 concert in Folsom Prison and Mangold captures Phoenix“s full-bodied performance perfectly. His anger, coupled with that of the prisoners, resonates powerfully onstage. Yet the first milestone of his relationship with June Carter, getting her to agree to finally marry him while onstage, seems fake and contrived. Even though it did actually happen, the note is missed in that scene. Walk the Line belongs to Joaquin Phoenix and his portrayal of how the Man in Black was saved from himself. 
 Walk the Line soundtrack
Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash: American III: Solitary Man
Rosanne Cash: Black Cadillac
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