James Mangold knows how to make an engaging and epic story. We saw it with the story of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line. And we saw it in one of the best comic book films ever made with Logan. Now, he plies his craft to the story of Bob Dylan.

A Complete Unknown, which opens on Christmas Day, is a different kind of biopic. It doesn’t span the length of Dylan’s life and incredible career. Instead, it focuses on a four-year period at the start of his journey. We see how he arrived, established himself, and shook up the folk music scene.

We pick up in 1961 as a young Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet) is arriving in New York City. He’s from the Midwest. He’s a talented singer/songwriter. And he’s on a mission to meet Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who’s hospitalized and receiving treatment. Bob makes it into the hospital and plays for Guthrie. He also plays for Guthrie’s friend, fellow folk musician Pete Seeger (Edward Norton).

Seeger recognizes Dylan’s talent, but also recognizes his potential to change folk music. He takes him in and helps him get started, and soon Dylan blossoms. He records his own records, does concerts, and develops quite a following.

We also see his relationship with fellow singer/song writer Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), with whom he shared the stage at times, and Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), and the way that helped shape his journey.

More than that, we see how the times, his desire to remain true to himself, and his love of all kinds of different musical expressions impacted his work. And how that set him at odds with other folk musicians leading up to the Newport Festival in 1965.

There is a lot to say about Dylan, who remains a legendary artist. His music is part of the fabric of the past 60 years. It makes sense to tackle a key portion of his life for a film like this, and that’s something Mangold has done before. Here, he crafts the script with Jay Cocks based on the book from Elijah Wald and tells a compelling story.

I loved the craft in the film, capturing the 1960s feel in the look and the costumes. You’re transported to these early performances and a different era in America and music. It’s a well-crafted story that puts you at the heart of the journey.

But what makes it hum is Chalamet. He’s an incredibly talented performer who plies his skills here. He captures the look and sound of Dylan, drawing you into the story and holding you in every frame. It’s a beautiful performance that is one of the year’s best.

I enjoyed the rest of the cast as well. Barbaro, Fanning, and Norton all do a nice job here. I also enjoyed McNairy, who is handed a difficult task of playing Guthrie during a difficult period of his life. He conveys so much without the use of dialogue in crafting a character that, in a few key scenes, makes an impression.

Overall, A Complete Unknown is an interesting and engaging biopic. It’s worth checking out on the big screen, especially to see one of the best performances of the year from Chalamet.

A Complete Unknown opens nationwide on Christmas Day.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.