This Week's Movie Reviews

Walk The LineIt's finally here: the Johnny Cash bio-pic Walk The Line hits cinemas this week. Tim Evans takes a look at the Oscar contender, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

Plus get the low-down on Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen's new flick Derailed, as well as North Country, starring Charlize Theron.

WALK THE LINE

Certificate: 12     Running time: 121m

What's it about? Joaquin Phoenix delivers a powerfully intense portrayal of country music legend Johnny Cash in this study of a man saved by the love of a good woman.

North CountryWhat's good? Phoenix gives the sort of performance loved at the Oscars while Reese Witherspoon is simply superb as Cash's life-long love June Carter. Heck, they even sing pretty good too.

What's bad? Not a lot. It's the same poverty-to-tragedy-to-success-to-redemption yarn followed by Jamie Foxx in Ray but rendered with brooding soul and vitality by a terrific cast.

Worth a look? Definitely. Rather than cram in Cash's whole life, director James Mangold takes a telling snapshot brimful with all the incident you need to see.

DerailedClick for full skymovies.com WALK THE LINE review.

NORTH COUNTRY

Certificate: 15       Running time: 126m

What's it about?  Runaway wife Charlize Theron finds herself up against macho prejudice from the men at the local iron mine in this worthy triumph-over-adversity yarn.

What's good? Theron shows Monster was no Oscar-winning fluke and this up-against-the-odds drama has the flavour of Erin Brockovich and Norma Rae about it.

What's bad? You'd have expected something a little more adventurous from the director of Whale Rider and a messy sub-plot distracts from the main narrative.

Worth a look? Maybe. It's never less than competent and there's all you'd expect from a cast that also includes Woody Harrelson and Frances McDormand.

Click for full skymovies.com NORTH COUNTRY review.

DERAILED

Certificate: 15      Running time: 107m

What's it about? Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen play the adulterous couple whose illicit fling runs into a spot of bother from Vincent Cassell's vicious blackmailer.

What's good? Aniston and Owen are convincing as the adulterous couple who meet Brief Encounter-like on a train and there's an ingenious twist.

What's bad? Like a runaway loco, it eventually crashes off the tracks. Talking of loco, Vincent Cassell's extortionist is a thoroughly unconvincing hybrid of thuggish street mugger and suave chancer.

Worth a look? Yes. It's extremely strong until Swedish director Mikael Hafstrom opts for a twist too far and the tension all but evaporates.

Click for full skymovies.com DERAILED review.