I Shot A Man in Reno...Just to Watch Him Die

We went to see Walk The Line last week. The film had some incredible roadblocks to get over before it even started. The largest of these was that it was released only a year after Jamie Foxx's Ray Charles biopic. Both films deal with a singer who loses a brother at a young age, enters into a happy marriage before becoming famous, becomes involved with drugs, loses wife and family, finds redemption and rehabilitation through the help of a second woman whom he eventually marries. While I reviewed Ray on this site, I didn't actually say much about it. It was an incredibly well done film, and to follow so closely after it would be no small task.
The story unfolds much as I described above. Even if this were not the life of a famous singer, it would be harder not to know what happens next than to guess what is coming in the next scene. Despite this, Walk The Line pulls through magnificently. The flow from time to time and year to year takes us on the rollercoaster that was the life of Johnny Cash. His flaws were shown in all their splendor (or lack thereof) and his life was portrayed not as that of a superior man of great celebrity, but as that of a real, imperfect man who lived in the public spotlight.

The strength of the film truly came from the acting. While it is not a surprise to see Joaquin Phoenix perform so well, most audiences will not be prepared for Reese Witherspoon's portrayal of June Carter Cash. Witherspoon has shown in the past that she is a talented actress, but with most of her characters chosen from the cute female lead in a romantic comedy textbook, she has not had as much to work with. While the cute factor is still occasionally turned up to 11, she manages to shine in every scene and deliver a range of emotions that are as believable as they are diverse. In a supporting role, Robert Patrick claims what would often be a cliche of the overbearing, uncaring father as his own and makes us unsure whether to despise him or respect him.

While the film, like almost all biopics, is damaged by attempts to compress a lifetime into less than three hours of entertainment, it succeeds on so many levels that this is easily forgiven. I definitely recommend checking this out, even if you don't have any interest in Johnny Cash.¹ Phoenix and Witherspoon alone make this worth the price of admission.

¹ Full disclosure: While I may not listen to Johnny Cash a lot, I do enjoy his music and others of similar style. While the all important question posed by Mrs. Mia Wallace is difficult for some, I have never had a problem deciding. Given those choices, I'd be an Elvis man.