Walk the Line 

Walk the Line opens with Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phonix) back stage preparing for his legendary concert at Fulson prison, then flashes back to portray his traumatic childhood in Arkansas through his time in the Air Force before settling on his nascent musical career and decades-long, often-tumultuous wooing of fellow singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), which was often tempered by Cash's long term drug addiction.

In the realm of musical biopics, there's nothing particularly innovative about Walk the Line, but the whole enterprise is executed with such skill and passion it's a pleasure to watch the clichés play out.

Like many biopics, Walk the Line at times suffers from the lack of a true arc to hang its story on, but the filmmakers have done their best to give the film a through line by focusing on Cash in relation to his ideal mate, June Carter, and the various ins and outs of their "relationship" - they spend the vast majority of the film apart.

This makes the primary (and considerable) joy of Walk the Line to be watching two actors devour their roles with relish.

There's a sense that Phoenix isn't holding back one inch of his soul in his portrayal of Cash, and your suspension of disbelief never wavers. Plus nobody sweats on screen like Joaquin, and he gets to do a lot of it here.

But it is Witherspoon who is gives arguably the more textured performance. While long time fans of hers have always known she can do much more than fluffy comedies, Witherspoon demonstrates a heretofore unseen complexity in her portrayal of the conflicted Carter.

You can see it in her eyes that she knows Cash is her soul mate, but her strict moral values prevent her from acting on it. Her character comes across very sweet-naturedly, but in a realistic, non-cutesy way. You can tell she's weathered by it all, but at the same time her light stage persona isn't phoney.

While both actors nail there roles, there is a gentleness to both of their performances. They sink into the characters with easy, unforced skill.

The filmmakers have clear affection for their subjects, but stop well short of mythologizing them - the forces that drive these two people are grounded in fallible human emotions.

But beyond the characters of June and John, there is plenty to enjoy here.

By the time Cash first records at the legendary Sun Studios, the film has established a rich sense of time and place that helps you get into the reality of the film.

Many of the scenes set around the early tours Carter and Cash went on (which often included Elvis Presley; Jerry Lee Lewis and other young legends-in-the-making) are an absolute hoot. Witness a fresh faced young Elvis portentously offer Cash some chilli fries back stage; see the boys relax before a show by setting off home made bombs. The fascinating and effortless camaraderie of these scenes suggest an entire film could be made just about these tours.

Later on, we also meet young versions of Waylon Jennings and Roy Orbison - it's a music nerd's delight.

There is of course also the music itself - in addition to endless Cash classics (ably performed by Phoenix), we also get a golden score from T Bone Burnett, which complements the songs beautifully.

But as I mentioned earlier Walk the Line doesn't break any new ground. It is by no means flawless, and won't appeal to everybody, but it's about as well made and enjoyable a film as you could wish for on the subject.

If you're into it, you'll be into it.

Recommended.

Dominic Corry

Walk the Line opens in cinemas on February 9th.