Mr Phoenix reportedly admitted that there were at least ten actors out there that could have done a better job of portraying American musician Johnny Cash than him. Either he's being sickeningly modest, or we've been robbed of the single greatest acting performance by a human being in the history of the world, because Phoenix's turn as the country music legend was absolutely outstanding. You only have to listen to a few songs from the movie before you ask yourself if he's just lip-syncing to Cash's real voice (which he isn't) and the on-screen chemistry he shares with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon) is deeper and more meaningful than any real relationship I've ever had (although thinking about it, that might be more of a comment on me then him). I am a big fan of Phoenix (both on and off-screen) and I know it sounds like I'm heaping more praise on him than perhaps is necessary - his role in the film wasn't Oscar-winning, so how good could it have been, right? Does it deserve its title as one of the best ten acting performances of the last decade? That's a question I'll let you answer yourself, but it took me ages to find a good picture for the cover so I can't turn back now. All I know is that it takes a lot of something for a Puerto Rican to sound more like Johnny Cash than Johnny Cash. It's also worth mentioning that Witherspoon's performance earned her numerous awards including an Oscar, and so if you haven't seen it, Walk The Line provides a master class in the art of acting ... And it ain't a bad watch, neither.
