A Complete Unknown is brought to us by James Mangold (The Wolverine, Logan, Ford v Ferrari, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). James Mangold is certainly no stranger to musical biopics, giving us the phenomenal Walk the Line back in 2025. Well, 20 years later (well nearly) he does it again with A Complete Unknown, a biopic about the legendary Bob Dylan. I know a few Bob Dylan songs and I like them, mainly his hits, but I would not say that I am a fan.
How to Download A Complete Unknown
A Complete Unknown was released on December 25, 2024. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Apple TV or Amazon Prime. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
Not being a huge fan or all that familiar with the life and career of Bob Dylan meant that I just kind of kicked back and watched the story be presented as it was. I cannot say for sure how accurate the movie is or what events were changed here and there. I can say that it is a very entertaining movie from start to end.
Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan – A Standout Performance
Timothee Chalamet is fantastic as Bob Dylan, I honestly cannot do justice to how good he is in this movie. However, this movie has an amazing supporting cast. Edward Norton as a mentor like Pete Seeger is wonderful. Joan Beaz is played by Monica Barbaro and she is great. While it is not a huge role, it is a very important role in the movie and that is Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash. He is just so awesome as Johnny Cash here that I kind of wish we got to see more of him.
The Story of Bob Dylan’s Rise
Rather than tell us the whole story of Bob Dylan’s life. A Complete Unknown focuses on his life and career from 1961 to 1965. Bob Dylan goes to New York to pay respects to Woody Guthrie who he is a fan of and who is in hospital, performing a song for him has Pete Seeger take an interest in him. Pete Seeger really sees the talent that Bob Dylan has as a folk singer and he gives him that boost he needs to take his career to the next level.
As well as the early days of Bob Dylan becoming a star, we have the relationship between Bob Dylan and Sylvie Russo who is apparently based on a real girlfriend that Dylan had at the time. This relationship is complicated by Dylan’s relationship and affair with Joan Beaz.
Bob Dylan’s Shift to Rock Music
Feeling disillusioned with the folk scene, Bob Dylan realizes that electric guitars are pretty cool and looks to leave the folk scene behind and become a rock star instead. This does not go down well with the fans and they turn on Dylan who has a really hard time with the fame that he has built up in this community. It is not just the fame, but the weight of expectation that he feels he has on top of him. It is hard to explain, but the movie does such a great job of showcasing the pressure of fame on a person.
A Complete Unknown – A Must-Watch Biopic
I just loved this movie and I am not shocked at all to see it nominated for a whole bunch of Academy Awards and Golden Globes! I did not find out until after I watched the movie, but Timothee Chalamet actually played the guitar for this movie and that is something I think is cool. I will admit, I kind of feel like we are getting tons of these music biopics, but as long as they keep being this good, I will keep on watching them.
