Kill Bill Volume One

Walk The Line
Reviewed By Sarah Downing

In recent years, Hollywood has produced some strong biopics with Oscar nominated performances; from Will Smith’s role as Ali to Jamie Foxx’s performance in Ray. The latest offering is James Mangold’s Walk the Line which sees Joaquin Phoenix in the role of country legend Johnny Cash.

This biopic of ‘the man in black’ tells Cash’s life story until his consequent marriage to fellow country singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). Even though events such as the death of Cash’s older brother and his jail sentence are touched upon, it is his successful career and subsequent drug addiction which are the main focus of the movie.

Although Walk the Line tells the story of a great musician, it also manages to tell a classic love story. As Johnny’s music career begins to take off, he quickly finds himself and his band on tour with household names such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and June Carter. Although already married, his feelings for June soon become out of control and, with her constant rejection and out of respect for his family, Johnny finds himself using drugs as a source of comfort. This quickly becomes a spiralling addiction.

June however, eventually puts her own career on hold to become a support artist on Johnny’s tour and stands by him throughout the lowest points of his addiction, until she admits her feelings and agrees to marry him.

Walk the Line is an enjoyable film with strong performances from both Phoenix and Witherspoon. They are equally excellent talents, with both actors playing utterly convincing roles and providing brilliant vocal performances for the toe tapping soundtrack.

Although Mangold’s movie is a strong biopic, some aspects of Cash’s life do feel quite rushed in a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ way. However, as with all films of this nature, there is only so much of a person’s life that can be told within a certain time frame without it feeling overlong, so it is acceptable that only pivotal or dramatic moments are included in any great detail.

All in all, this is an incredibly enjoyable movie which will appeal to audiences, regardless of whether they are familiar with Cash’s music or not. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon are certainly in with a strong chance for Oscar glory.




	Walk The Line Reviewed By Sarah Downing In recent years, Hollywood has produced some strong biopics with Oscar nominated performances; from Will Smith’s role as Ali to Jamie Foxx’s performance in Ray. The latest offering is James Mangold’s Walk the Line which sees Joaquin Phoenix in the role of country legend Johnny Cash. This biopic of ‘the man in black’ tells Cash’s life story until his consequent marriage to fellow country singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). Even though events such as the death of Cash’s older brother and his jail sentence are touched upon, it is his successful career and subsequent drug addiction which are the main focus of the movie. Although Walk the Line tells the story of a great musician, it also manages to tell a classic love story. As Johnny’s music career begins to take off, he quickly finds himself and his band on tour with household names such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and June Carter. Although already married, his feelings for June soon become out of control and, with her constant rejection and out of respect for his family, Johnny finds himself using drugs as a source of comfort. This quickly becomes a spiralling addiction. June however, eventually puts her own career on hold to become a support artist on Johnny’s tour and stands by him throughout the lowest points of his addiction, until she admits her feelings and agrees to marry him. Walk the Line is an enjoyable film with strong performances from both Phoenix and Witherspoon. They are equally excellent talents, with both actors playing utterly convincing roles and providing brilliant vocal performances for the toe tapping soundtrack. Although Mangold’s movie is a strong biopic, some aspects of Cash’s life do feel quite rushed in a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ way. However, as with all films of this nature, there is only so much of a person’s life that can be told within a certain time frame without it feeling overlong, so it is acceptable that only pivotal or dramatic moments are included in any great detail. All in all, this is an incredibly enjoyable movie which will appeal to audiences, regardless of whether they are familiar with Cash’s music or not. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon are certainly in with a strong chance for Oscar glory.