Biopics have always been Oscar fodder, and so is predictably the case for this James Mangold retelling of country music legend Johnny Cash's life.

What isn't often the case, however, is an actress delivering the knockout punch in a film where her role is essentially a supporting part. Walk The Line does not set out trying to be a film about June Carter Cash, nor does it give her life and career that kind of importance.

It is merely Witherspoon's transcendent performance -- as the troubled singer, the weary lover, the staunch moralist, the dependable ally and the irresistible performer, she makes the film hers.

By itself, Walk The Line is a fine film. Reese makes it special.