Regie:
James MangoldCamera:
Phedon PapamichaelMuziek:
T Bone BurnettActeurs:
Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts, Dan John Miller, Larry Bagby, Shelby Lynne, Tyler Hilton (meer)Streaming (4)
Samenvattingen(1)
Biopic over country & western ster Johnny Cash waarin zijn leven uiteen wordt gezet vanaf zijn jeugd op een boerderij in Arkansas tot zijn grote successen bij het beroemde platenlabel Sun Records, waar hij zijn muziek opnam naast Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis en Carl Perkins. (20th Century Fox)
Recensie (11)
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.
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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…
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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.
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I guess I've waited too long, because I've been sucked in a lot by various biographies or other films from the country and early rock and roll scene. I no longer see Walk the Line as above average anymore. I'm more bothered by the fact that the filmmakers only chose the romance with his second wife June from Johnny Cash's biography. It may have been enough for Oscar-winning performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, but it said almost nothing about the breadth of the phenomenon.
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Narratively, it’s very similar to Ray, with an equally straightforward and essentially very simple plot, relying mainly on the strong performances. However, unlike Taylor Hackford, James Mangold has a much greater sense for portraying intimate scenes, and above all, Walk the Line is much more sincere and honest as a whole, compared to the overly politically correct Ray. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon give their absolute best and their performances rank among the finest to be seen in the past year – Reese's Oscar is very well-deserved. Unfortunately, Johnny Cash's biopic has its downsides as well. These include a somewhat too simple script, a bit too many clichés and those typically polished and visually appealing scenes that, with a bit of attention, are transparent as glass. Solid and above all proper craftsmanship, and in the end, just slightly better than the purely average, somewhat tedious and slightly tiring Ray.
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Walk the Line, a film about my favorite singer, has been in my house for a long time, and I've been putting it off as long as I've been looking forward to it. I was afraid that maybe I wouldn't like it, that it wouldn't live up to my expectations, that it would be lousy and I would be angry and wonder why someone made it if they couldn't even do it properly. But I watched the DVD yesterday and what can I tell you? All I had to do was watch the introduction from Folsom Prison and all my fears were gone. For two whole hours I was amazed by the performances of Joaquin Phoenix (he flawlessly studied almost every move of Cash and especially during the shots from a distance he is indistinguishable from the real Man in Black on the stage) and Reese Witherspoon, who would have made "Johnny and June" happy (they chose both actors), I sang along, smiled and stomped my feet, watched all the greats from Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis to Waylon Jennings to Carl Perkins and the Carter family shuffle through the story, and thought to myself: that turned out great! What I knew mainly from photographs simply came to life. And it came to life in a great way. I won't criticize the script, because in this case it was simply capturing an important part of a great man's life, and we can be glad that it didn't turn out to be tearful lingering boredom, but rather a film that felt so good. I give four stars for the film and five stars out of respect for the master. I have only two complaints. One smaller and one bigger. The smaller: The Folsom concert should have been longer, at least one song longer. The bigger: How could the writers completely leave out Bob Dylan?
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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%
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I love biopics, and Walk the Line is a prime representative of this category. The film is about the tumultuous life of Johnny Cash, who spent much of his life battling his personal demons, and it's shot with elegance and feels very believable, thanks largely to the breathtaking performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. I love country music style because it's full of life and rhythm, and the two main protagonists add even more juice. In short, a great job of filmmaking, where I appreciate especially the theme, the acting and the music.
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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
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For me, a film that showed that biopics can be and are interesting, which has been pretty much confirmed in recent years, though of course not with every piece. Remember Behind the Candelabra? Joaquin Phoenix completely incomprehensibly didn't win the Oscar, despite his great performance, which included all the singing. By the way, another reason why the film is great is the songs of Johnny Cash.
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In the world of cinema, there is perhaps nothing more perfect than when life itself writes the story. I was never a huge fan of Johnny Cash, finding his work somewhat outdated for its time, but after watching this film, everything changed in an instant. Much of the credit for this surely goes to the mesmerizing Joaquin Phoenix, who seems to have blended into the character of the famous musician, so fully and truly putting himself into the role. Most likely, his fascinating performance also spurred Reese Witherspoon on, as she gave her best and became his equal partner in the role of his fateful love. I have to give a huge shout-out to both of them, as they shone not only as actors but also as singers and indelibly imprinted their hearts on Walk the Line. The soundtrack has such a laid-back vibe that I'm tempted to get it. From a filmmaking point of view, there is virtually nothing to fault with this spectacle. (90%)
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