The late musician Johnny Cash was a giant in American rock 'n?
roll. He wrote and sang songs about tough love and hard labour,
bile and bitterness, violence and death. Through his quavering baritone,
one could always sense the hurt and unhappiness he's experienced
throughout his life.

It's no surprise then that such a hard man would make for a very
interesting biopic. Based on Cash's own autobiographical accounts,
Walk the Line traces his life from his poor childhood picking
cotton in rural Arkansas; his brother's death for which he was blamed;
his unsuccessful career as a door-to-door salesman, and the career
switch that turned him into a multi-million-dollar music star. More
importantly, the film shows how his passionate love for his wife,
singer June Carter, helped him through his darkest, drug-addled
days.

Walk the Line is an actors?movie, giving its stars plenty
of space and opportunities to showcase their acting prowess. Joaquin
Phoenix plays Johnny Cash with a profound sense of darkness and
misery, that is assuaged only when he is performing on stage or
in the presence of his wife June. Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon imbues
June with a warmth and vivacity that belie her own sadness over
Johnny's drug addiction.

Both Joaquin and Reese have received Oscar nominations for Best
Actor and Best Actress respectively. The film also received three
other nominations in the technical department.