Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2087. Walk The Line (2005)

    2087. Walk The Line (2005)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on March 16, 2018 130-139 mins, 2005, 6 - 7.9, Drama, History, Mar 18, Movies Of 2018, Review, Romance, United States
    7.8 Engrossing and memorable
    • Acting 7.8
    • Directing 8.0
    • Story 7.7
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin

    Director: James Mangold

    Running Time: 136 mins


    Walk The Line is an American film about the life of country music legend Johnny Cash, as he rose from humble beginnings to a rock-and-roll lifestyle in the middle of the 20th century.

    I really enjoyed this film. Not only is it a riveting account of the fascinating life of Johnny Cash, but also a delightfully made movie that brings to life the greatest spirit and life of the music scene during the 1950s and 1960s, complete with strong performances, great music and a brilliant combination of powerful romance and drama to keep you engrossed from beginning to end.

    Now, it make seem on the face of things that Walk The Line is little more than a normal Hollywood biopic. In all truth, that’s a fair assessment, as it follows the formula of the genre very closely. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not a competent and still entertaining watch throughout, as it uses the brightest elements of music biopics to make a very energetic and riveting film, meaning that it works brilliantly both as an account of a great musician’s life, while also proving a sumptuous portrayal of the era.

    And that’s what I really loved about this film. While Cash’s personal journey from rags to riches is fascinating and full of drama, it’s the general atmosphere of how the world of music (and the wider world in general) changed so much during the 50s and 60s, from a cutesy, innocent landscape to one filled with excess, drugs, and everything in between, summing up one of the world’s most important cultural changes brilliantly.

    What’s more is that, with some fantastic production and costume design throughout, the film looks absolutely wonderful. The 1950s has always been one of my favourite eras to see portrayed on screen, and Walk The Line does a great job at capturing the vibrant, energetic, colourful and still blissfully innocent atmosphere of the decade, something that gives the film a really wonderful atmosphere early on.

    And when we move into the 1960s, where things in Cash’s life become a lot darker, you see a similar shift in the film’s production and costume design, as we transition into a less vibrant and innocent scene when his life is taken over by drug addiction and personal crisis, something that really impressed me throughout.

    Another big plus from this film is how it takes the central romance element of the biopic genre and make it work pretty much to perfection. Save for a slightly underwhelming conclusion to the story, the on-off love story between Johnny Cash and June Carter (played wonderfully by Reese Witherspoon) is absolutely fascinating to follow along, as we see the dashing music star, who would normally be the man to sweep the girl of her feet, be regularly outdone by Carter as she lives a calm and steady life, while he continues to descend further and further into despair with her always just out of his reach.

    The performances are another one of the film’s best elements. Joaquin Phoenix gives a strong turn as Johnny Cash, and although there are some moments later on in the film that stray into overacting territory, he manages to portray Cash’s inner struggles during his times of crisis, whether it be his unrequited love for Carter, his relationship with his father or otherwise.

    However, the best performance in the film has to be that of Reese Witherspoon, who plays June Carter, Cash’s love interest. At first, Witherspoon is truly wonderful as the cutesy country girl with a lot of spirit on stage, but as the film progresses, and her character matures at a far faster rate than Cash, her performance really stands out. Not only outshining Phoenix in all of the duo’s moments together, but also bringing great gravitas to her character where you wouldn’t expect it, she’s undoubtedly the stand-out of the whole movie, and one of the reasons that it’s such an entertaining watch.

    Overall, I had a great time with Walk The Line. It may look on the outside like your everyday music biopic, but it details the rise and fall of a legendary musician over the course of a tumultuous two decades for the music industry and Western culture, furthered all the way by excellent directing, production and costume design, and excellent performances, which is why I’m giving it a 7.8.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.1
    Review
    February 21, 20170

    1669. Amanda Knox (2016)

    8.3
    Review
    October 30, 20140

    735. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)

    8.5
    Review
    June 12, 20130

    183. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

    8.2
    Review
    June 22, 20190

    2592. Toy Story 4 (2019)

    8.1
    Review
    January 14, 20220

    3617. Ice Age (2002)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.