Joaquin the Line (Walk the Line (DVD))

Member Name: Fairydustbitch

Product:	Walk the Line (DVD)
Date:	24/02/06 (283 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The acting, the cast, the soundtrack the story and Joaquin Phoenix. He's brilliant. And hot.

Disadvantages: Absolutely nuffin.

“Walk the Line” was always going to be a risky endeavour. Fortunately for those involved, it has turned out remarkably well, and though there will always be those who quibble about the film, what with the real Johnny Cash being such a legend and all, most seem to agree that the film is a fitting tribute to a genius and a wonderful man. Another film that has truly earned its Oscar nominations this year, “Walk the Line” is a gripping watch. The film is directed by James Mangold, who also directed the abysmal “Girl, Interrupted”, but don’t let that put you off, this film gets six stars out of five.


The (very, very, very) lovely Joaquin Phoenix bravely takes on the role of Johnny Cash, including all his own singing…which is impressively Cash-like, while the irritating (but admittedly superb in this film) Reese Witherspoon plays June Carter, the love of Johnny’s life. Reportedly Johnny Cash chose Joaquin Phoenix for the role prior to his death. Although flashing back to earlier parts of Johnny’s life, most of the film concerns itself with Cash’s rise to fame, the breakdown of his first marriage, his never-ceasing bereavement for his brother who was lost at an early age under tragic circumstances, his drug addiction and recovery, and his love (and obsession) for June Carter. A good amount of the film takes place on the stage, and the performances from all the actors involved are nothing short of spectacular here. Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis (the latter obsessed as ever with curly fries) both make an appearance in the movie. The film is a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride, but ultimately the film is styled in a fairly romantic fashion, with the Johnny and June relationship taking centre stage, surrounded by a whole load of singing, drinking, drugging and a wry humour.


Joaquin Phoenix seems to have acting talent in his blood, and I have yet to see him in a role where he doesn’t blow everything out of the water. This role is possibly the finest performance of his I’ve seen to date, and it must have taken a hell of a lot of courage to take it on, as the likelihood not being able to live up to the high standards set were not only considerably, but highly likely. Phoenix wears Johnny Cash like a suit, channelling a man so distinct in look, sound and attitude, that no-one could have done this better short of someone creating a computer generated Cash. He plays Cash with just the right amount of cockiness and aplomb…any more and he would seem an arrogant twerp, any less and he wouldn’t seem to have the confidence for the role. Never is his performance over-the-top and he becomes Johnny Cash to the extent that you simply cannot imagine anyone else taking on the character, to the point where Joaquin Phoenix and Johnny Cash become linked in your mind after seeing the film.

Somehow Phoenix manages to fill the role of Cash (who, according to this film, could be a bit of a horrible man at times) with such humanity that you empathise with the character throughout…even when he is at his worst. The death of his brother haunts the character for most of the film, and of course Phoenix will not have had to resort to method acting to understand this sort of emotion. Somehow Phoenix’s portrayal of Cash manages to remind us his loss through most of the film, and its always on the viewers mind whilst watching Cash have one of his many breakdowns. Whilst undertaking the scenes where Cash is playing live, Phoenix’s performance is at his best, he has everything down perfectly…the movement, the brief, cursory introductions, the deep belly laugh of the real Cash…and of course the voice. The real talk about this movie is his voice, something I was fairly apprehensive about, but on that count too his performance is absolutely perfect. The similarity between Phoenix’s voice and Johnny Cash’s voice is amazing. no doubt this had a whole lot to do with months of vocal training, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive and he hits Johnny‘s bass rumblings with no problems whatsoever…especially remarkable given that his natural voice doesn’t seem to have that level of depth to it. The considerable praise heaped on Joaquin Phoenix for the role is totally justified. This man has earned his Oscar nomination…OK so we all know he aint going to win but that’s completely beside the point. A lot of the kudos seeming to be being heaped on Witherspoon in this film, which is a real shame because unlike a lot of people I really feel Phoenix is the stronger actor in the film, his performance is just incendiary.


Reese Witherspoon generally irritates the crap out of me, but I can just about stand her in this flick, because she gives the performance of a lifetime. Her performance is just a tad less impressive than Joaquin’s (not to state any particular flaw in her character, but more the unbelievable strengths of his), and although her facial expressions occasionally tread into self-righteous Christian territory, generally her portrayal of June Carter, is likeable, and cute. She brings a real warmth and sense of charm to the role of June Carter, a character that could easily have become a bit of a cliché. She apes her own personality on stage just the way June Carter did, portraying herself as flippant and ever-so-slightly ditzy, becoming a near caricature and yet retaining a wonderful sense of humanity. June Carter was one hell of a woman…lets face it she had to be to tame a man so intent on self-destruction as Johnny Cash was, and Witherspoon allows her strength to shine through quietly throughout the entire performance, cutting Johnny’s occasionally ridiculous behaviour down to size with a short remark or a dirty look.
The chemistry between the two leads is so palpable you could cut it with a knife. Its really the relationship between these two which makes the film work. Everything else, the plot, the direction, although fine, takes a back seat to the stellar performances given by Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. They are definitely the glue holding the movie together, and all of the supporting cast give excellent performances.


The film is very tightly plotted, and despite covering a large chunk of Johnny’s life; from his airforce days to his rise to stardom and finishing with his married life (or a little of it), in dribs, drabs and chunks, it never feels like too much is trying to be shown of his life. The film is fairly long, clocking in at over two hours (god I really have to stop seeing these epic love stories) yet the time flies by. Another trap it would have been easy to fall into with this film would be trying to fit every single significant event of Cash’s life in to the film, covering each far too quickly. Instead the film focuses on what the director deems the “important” parts, and essentially turns Johnny’s life into a bit of a romance, which works beautifully. There seldom is a part of the film that makes you think that they are covering too much in too short a space of time. It does happen once or twice, but no film is perfect and all in all its portrayed the rise and fall of Johnny Cash; followed by his rebirth from the ashes (spot the bad Phoenix pun) of drink and drugs that very nearly finished him off altogether, in an exhaustive but always thrilling and never boring manner.


As I’ve mentioned, a good deal of the film involves scenes with Phoenix and Witherspoon performing together on stage, and here the film really comes into its own. Not only do they have amazing chemistry, their singing and performing skills are top-notch. For someone who seems so uncomfortable in the public eye (anyone who watched the Golden Globes will have noticed this) Phoenix knows how to do his job, and Witherspoon brings a brilliant sass to her “onstage” performances in the movie. All of the songs performed do the Man himself justice, and choices of songs used in the movie could not be better, including all of Cash’s best and best known songs, and one or two others thrown in for good measure. The stage performances (aside from the one where Johnny collapses due to a large amount of controlled substances) are real pick-me-up feel good moments too, not in a trite Disneyfied sort of way either, and despite the film dealing with some hard times, you will leave the film feeling totally uplifted and remembering the brilliant performances that occur within the film.


The best scene of all has to be the one that opens the film, and comes in later after a long flashback to Johnny’s life prior to this moment. it’s the films version of the infamous Folsom prison recording. When the film opens we see the deserted outside of a prison, a crow sitting on one of the fences and the distant steam-train sound of Johnny Cash’s band. The camera then shows us the inside of the deserted prison, all of the cells deserted and a warden marching along in time to the music. Then we see the band themselves, on a makeshift stage surrounded by more than a few ecstatic prisoners, waiting for the Man in Black, who is having a quiet moment before heading onstage to the performance of a lifetime. You’d be hard picked to pick all of the best scenes in the movie, but this is the one that will stick in your mind.


The film is a total triumph for all involved. The first film James Mangold has directed that is truly Oscar-worthy, Reese Witherspoon gives the performance of a lifetime after taking on some incredibly trashy roles like “Legally Blonde“, and Joaquin Phoenix is finally given the opportunity to come out from the shadow of the tragedy of his older brother. For a film that was so likely to fail magnificently, and one that has been batted around in Hollywood for years with no-one wanting to produce it, it is an unbelievable achievement. A good actor takes on a role and performs it well, a truly gifted actor makes you forget who they really are, and Joaquin Phoenix has managed to do this to the point where whenever I think of Johnny Cash, I will automatically think of him too. It will make you laugh, it may well make you cry and the soundtrack alone will make you want the film never to end. It is truly the most fitting tribute possible to a brilliant musician and an amazing man.

Summary: Joaquin Phoenix does Johnny Cash almost as well as Johnny Cash does.