Movie review: 'Walk the Line' conveys Cash with the ring of truth

That magnificent train wreck of a voice, a deep, resonant bass/baritone, tells you everything about the man. It's gruff, but bruised. Strong, yet humble. It could make you chuckle with "Get Rhythm" and chill you with "Hurt." The tone warns you not to mess with this man, but convinces you that he'd help anyone in need. It's the voice of a lonely poet, a rockabilly hellion and a remorseful sinner.

There's no mistaking the sound of Johnny Cash, and "Walk the Line" gets it just right. A greatest-hits compilation of biographical highlights, James Mangold's film is a foot-stomping musical, a powerful backstage drama and a touching love story all at once.

As a boy, J.R. Cash (Ridge Canipe) didn't have much and didn't think he deserved more. He lived in the shadow of his smart, generous older brother, a preacher-to-be who was the focus of his sharecropping family's hopes.

When the golden boy was killed in a freak accident, their father (Robert Patrick) heaped guilt on J.R., raging, "The Devil did this! He took the wrong one!" Mangold's subtle and intelligent screenplay argues that Cash carried the emotional scars of that tragedy throughout his life, and that the adulation he received onstage was a poor substitute for the genuine, redeeming love he needed.

Joaquin Phoenix is utterly compelling as the adult Cash. His performance digs deeper than mere mimicry, burrowing into his character's wounded soul.

In his first meeting with shrewd Memphis music producer Sam Phillips (Dallas Roberts), he performs a sincere but routine gospel number, only to be turned down in mid-song. Phillips demands something more honest (and more commercial). Beginning tentatively, Cash presents "Folsom Prison Blues," gaining confidence with each verse. Before our eyes, an unsophisticated country boy takes his first steps toward becoming the legendary Man in Black.

While Cash told it like it is in his songs, he lied and cheated offstage. "Walk the Line" is more honest about the effects of drug use and adultery than was last year's similarly themed "Ray." In Cash's periods of drug-addled confusion, Phoenix is both frightening and pathetic. It's a brave and terrifyingly real performance.

Ginnifer Godwin goes through an emotional wringer as Cash's neglected first wife, and Reese Witherspoon suffers almost equally as his married touring partner June Carter, the object of his profound but forbidden love. Witherspoon shows us how Carter used her perky stage presence to disguise her repeated romantic disappointments. Girlish one moment and steely-smart the next, she offers exactly the sort of tough love Cash needed. When Witherspoon and Phoenix sing a duet on "Jackson" -- impressively doing their own vocals -- it's a beatific communion of soulmates in a hard-won and richly deserved happy ending.

**** out of four stars

The setup: An insightful look at the life of Johnny Cash, from his boyhood to the live recording of the classic "At Folsom Prison."

What works: Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon dazzle as Cash and June Carter; their singing and performances are flawless.

What doesn't: The actors playing other '50s and '60s musical stars in brief cameos aren't all that persuasive. Elvis and Roy Orbison deserve better.

Great line: "I fell into a burning ring of fire."

Rating: PG-13 for some language, thematic material and depiction of drug dependency.

Colin Covert • 612-673-7186