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I had no knowledge of - and to be honest, no interest in - the life of Johnny Cash, before I saw Walk the Line. Therefore I only went to see this film due to the good reviews and copious praise that has been showered on the leads. So is it a good film even if you're not a Cash fan? The answer is an emphatic yes. Despite feeling a bit stretched in the second act, like the narrative was going round in circles a bit (although I guess that is representative of Cash's life), it was pretty engrossing the whole way through. My lack of awareness of the subject matter means I cannot say how accurate the actors' portrayals of the real people are, but I can say that both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon excelled and well deserved their Oscar nominations. Witherspoon in particular delivered a magnetic performance, and is surely a dead-cert for Best Actress. On this evidence, the lack of a Best Picture nod is surprising.
The summary
Walk the Line is among the best of the recent surge of biopics, and features superb performances by Phoenix and Witherspoon.
