When the subject of your biopic has the type of insane longevity in the music industry that Johnny Cash did, it's going to be tough narrowing the scope of the film down so that audiences don't have to spend half of their day watching it play out. Taking on that enviable task were screenwriters Gill Dennis and James Mangold, who did an admirable job of honing in on the key moments of his early years. Joaquin Phoenix famously believed he was extremely low on the list of actors who should play The Man In Black, but despite his own self-depractation, turned in an intense rendering of Cash that would likely be difficult to top for whoever was placed above him on that list. Reese Witherspoon's depiction of June Carter felt a little flatter, but she was pretty much destined to be overshadowed from the start. One thing Walk the Line did better than perhaps any other film on this list is wring some truly remarkable, uncannily on point vocal performances out of its lead actors. Witherspoon's pipes are phenomenal, and she allows Carter's dialect to ring out in every line she sings, while Phoenix expertly appropriates Cash's low growl, while simultaneously giving it some extra oomph that wasn't on those first records.
