Chalamet gives a definitive performance as Bob Dylan, manifesting the personas he assumes between his 1961 arrival in NYC to visit Woody Guthrie, to his electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. But the film is less about "Dylan Goes Electric" than it is about an artist who deliberately alienates himself from both his fans and supporters - and also about the death of folk music as it was known at the time. Similar to Walk the Line (his biopic about Johnny and June Carter Cash), Mangold never seems able to elevate the material at the level his cast does, unfortunately succumbing to the usual music biopic tropes. Must-see viewing if you're a Dylan fan, of course - though you may not learn anything new, and will be frustrated by the inaccuracies. Nonetheless, you will still be spellbound by Chalamet.

By Tom Alexander

1/2