Writer: Brian J. Chong

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"Walk The Line" is the biopic of Johnny Cash's life from 1944 to 1968. It is also named after one of his greatest hits, I Walk The Line. For some of you who are not familiar with Johnny Cash's work, Mr. Cash (also known as 'The Man In Black') was one of the rock-and-roll greats who toured with such names as Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Presley. He has also won multiple music awards and a total of 15 Grammys throughout his illustrious career.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Johnny Cash, and Reese Witherspoon plays June Carter who would later be his wife. These two superb actors had to go through months of training in terms of vocal classes in order to portray their characters. Phoenix had to even learn the guitar from scratch. Now that's dedication. Both of them deserve to be applauded as they gave powerful performances. Robert Patrick plays Ray Cash, Johnny's stringent father. A great actor in his own right, but no matter what he does, he will always be remembered as the T1000 from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day".

A large portion of the film tells of Cash's journey through his life on the road, playing at endless tours, meeting countless fans, putting a mental strain on Johnny which leads him to cheat on his wife, and then slowly stray off to a drug addiction.

The film is based on two books which were written by Johnny Cash himself, namely The Man In Black, and co-written by Cash, and Patrick Carr's Cash: An Autobiography. The biopic, although thorough and defined, is 'incomplete' for there were many other episodes in Johnny Cash's life after 1968 (albums, tours, awards; he even joined a group). Although a sequel seems doubtful, there is enough here to keep the viewer happy.

One would usually look to Hallmark or HBO for biopics like this in forms of mini-series or TV movie specials. Memorable ones that come to mind are "Elvis" which was released last year, and "The Temptations" which was released in 1998.

Powerful performances, strong direction, and a taut script make "Walk The Line" a great movie. Phoenix and Witherspoon prove to be the next big thing in Hollywood movies, and both recently received nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively in the Oscars. Even if you're not a fan of the great Johnny Cash, you will be swept away by his life story.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008