Official Synopsis:
"One of the year's best movies" (Access Hollywood) is now one of the year's best DVDs! This definitive 2-disc Extended Cut includes an all-new cut of the film plus extended musical sequences featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, an audio commentary by Co-Writer and Director James Mangold, deleted scenes and seven in-depth featurettes about the film and the Man in Black. Academy Award Nominee Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator) is Johnny Cash, the legendary Man in Black who rebelled against convention, revolutionized the world of music, and always walked his own path. But his troubled childhood, outlaw persona and unbridled talent led him on a path of reckless self-destruction. Reese Witherspoon (Sweet Home Alabama) won an Oscar for her brilliant performance as June Carter, the love of Johnny's life and the woman who ultimately must save him from himself.

  
Our Take:
Before I saw Walk the Line, I had absolutely no interest in Johnny Cash whatsoever. Zero. Zip. Zilch. I really knew nothing about him, knew literally none of his songs; he was just so far removed from the spectrum of music that I listen to that my exposure to him was non-existent. Since the film’s release in 2006, though, I’ve become a huge fan of The Man in Black, and it’s all because of this movie.

Walk the Line is the quintessential music biopic. It gives us every moment that a biopic is supposed to, but that’s not a bad thing in this case. Here, it hits every note right on pitch. This film did exactly what it was supposed to do: it entertained me and it educated me. It taught me about the life and music of a man I really had no interest in whatsoever and it transformed me into a fan. That’s a pretty impressive feat for a movie. Don’t get me wrong; the movie isn’t perfect, but it is pretty amazing. I think Reese Witherspoon’s performance is fine, but there’s no way she should have gotten an Oscar for it. Joaquin Phoenix, on the other hand, is nothing short of incredible in his role as Cash, and I feel that he was robbed in not winning the award that year.

I’m not sure if there was on occasion to re-release Walk the Line on DVD (as there had previously been a pretty spiffy two-disc special edition), but I’m not complaining. Walk the Line: Extended Cut adds 17 minutes of footage back into the film (some of it does come from the deleted scenes on the previous DVD release), but it’s a pretty smooth transition. There aren’t any really groundbreaking sequences added back in, but there are a lot of character moments and beats that help to flesh out the story and the people involved more. There are also a few scenes added back in that give us a glimpse into Cash’s songwriting process, and those are admittedly pretty cool. I won’t say it’s a better version of the film, but it is at least equally good.

The two-disc set also includes numerous extra features, some of which are new and some of which are carried over from the previous two-disc version.

Disc One: The Film –

* Feature Commentary with Co-Writer and Director James Mangold – Carried over from the previous release.

Disc Two: Bonus Features –

* Johnny Cash Jukebox: Walk The Line – Eight extended musical sequences with new introductions. Three of these were on the previous DVD.
* More Man In Black: Two deleted scenes with optional Mangold commentary.
* Becoming Cash/Becoming Carter (10 minutes) – Learn about the casting process and how the actors transformed into their characters.
* Sun Records and the Johnny Cash Sound (12 minutes) – A history of Sun Records as told by some famous musicians.
* Folsom: Cash and the Comeback – Carried over.
* The Cash Legacy (15 minutes) – More musicians talking about Cash and his music’s enduring popularity and influence.
* Ring of Fire: The Passion of Johnny and June – Carried over.
* Cash and His Faith  (11 minutes) – Learn how Cash’s religion influenced his music.
* Celebrating the Man in Black: The Making of Walk the Line – Carried over.
* Walk The Line Theatrical Trailer.

Walk the Line: Extended Cut isn’t necessarily a must-have for fans who already own the previous two-disc Special Edition (although those of you with the single disc release will probably want to upgrade), but it’s such a great film that fans will want to have the best version of it possible and this is it. I would have liked the set to include the theatrical cut of the film as well so it was a complete package, but this one pretty easily comes…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: A+
DVD: A

- Mike Spring

Editor