Walk the Line poster

2005·136 min·Released

Walk the Line

“Love is a burning thing.”

Drama
Music
Romance

A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

7.5(3,156 votes)

Popularity4

Videos

#TBT Trailer

Cast & Crew

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix

John R. Cash

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

June Carter

Ginnifer Goodwin

Ginnifer Goodwin

Vivian Cash

Robert Patrick

Robert Patrick

Ray Cash

Dallas Roberts

Dallas Roberts

Sam Phillips

Dan John Miller

Dan John Miller

Luther Perkins

Larry Bagby

Larry Bagby

Marshall Grant

Shelby Lynne

Shelby Lynne

Carrie Cash

Tyler Hilton

Tyler Hilton

Elvis Presley

Waylon Payne

Waylon Payne

Jerry Lee Lewis

Shooter Jennings

Shooter Jennings

Waylon Jennings

Sandra Ellis Lafferty

Sandra Ellis Lafferty

Maybelle Carter

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Rob

Written on 8/18/2015

A great example of bad casting, Cash was over 6'

The Movie Mob

Written on 2/11/2023

**Walk the Line showcases incredible acting and directing but leaves out the brighter parts of Cash’s life to tell a more somber story that left me sad.** Walk the Line chronicles the story of Johnny Cash’s rise to fame and romance with June Carter. James Mangold is one of my favorite directors and tells this story powerfully through the Oscar-worthy performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. The acting, music, and directing are all phenomenal. Still, the story is so sad, and its conclusion, while happy, happens so abruptly that it doesn’t feel resolved or satisfied after 2+ hours of drug addiction and hurting loved ones. Cash’s faith and love for his family, which are well known, aren’t represented in the movie and could have provided hope in this dark tale. I understand why this movie was such a huge award winner, but my escapist nature struggled to enjoy such a sad story.

CinemaSerf

Written on 3/14/2024

Joaquin Phoenix might take top billing as the legendary American musician Johnny Cash, but it's got to be Reece Witherspoon who steals the plaudits as June Carter. She demonstrates all the feistiness and determination of a woman, in a man's world, quite prepared to do her own thing. Assisted by a fair degree of charisma and musical talent, she can play a stage with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis and Carl Perkins with confidence. The film starts at the now famous Folsom Prison just before he takes the stage and by way of a continuing retrospective, we learn of his childhood - one touched by tragedy very early on, of his strained relationship with his father (Robert Patrick) then his service in the US Air Force before, gradually, his stage career and burgeoning romance with his co-star. He is married to Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin) and they have children, but that doesn't really curtail his passion for Carter and we see that relationship evolve in parallel with his affection for just about anything that comes from a bottle. The life of this man has been pretty publicly documented so there's little room for James Mangold to manoeuvre with the facts here. Instead, we are offered a plausible speculation on just how this couple made it through. I found Phoenix's performance just a little too close to mimicry at times, but there's a solid chemistry between him and Witherspoon throughout with the depiction of his descent into chemically indeed oblivion quite sad to watch. It's underpinned by a strong score and both deliver the songs - especially "Jackson" quite toe-tappingly. This is a fair biopic of a flawed but ultimately quite decent character and it's worth a watch.

Media

Press Conference (2005) | TIFF REWIND

Press Conference (2005) | TIFF REWIND

#TBT Trailer

#TBT Trailer

Gill Dennis on interviewing Johnny Cash and writing for WALK THE LINE

Gill Dennis on interviewing Johnny Cash and writing for WALK THE LINE

Gill Dennis on Paper Flower Screenplays

Gill Dennis on Paper Flower Screenplays

Gill Dennis on the translation from script to screen in WALK THE LINE

Gill Dennis on the translation from script to screen in WALK THE LINE

Gill Dennis on writing and inspiration for dialogue in WALK THE LINE

Gill Dennis on writing and inspiration for dialogue in WALK THE LINE