The Walk

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, Ben Kingsley, Clement Sibony, Cesar Domboy, James Badge Dale
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In 1974, Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) attempts to illegally enter the World Trade Center and tightrope walk between the twin towers.

Review:

Tim: I have to say, I wasn't overly excited going into The Walk. I'd already seen Man on Wire and I recently read Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, which featured characters impacted by Petit's walk. So, going into this film, I was familiar with the (albeit) amazing story. I just felt like I was familiar with Petit and didn't really need another go-around. And yet, despite my hesitations, Robert Zemeckis manages to tell a truly exciting, compelling, entertaining story that won me over. The film just misses out on greatness, but this movie totally flipped my feelings about the film. This is a really, really good movie.

The film is helped by the fact that what Philippe Petit pulled off in 1974 is one of the most amazing human achievements ever. That's not hyperbole- it's truly a mind boggling, stunning, courageous, incredible achievement. How he ever imagined the feat and managed to pull it off just causes my head to spin. This movie does a great job showing how they pulled the stunt off. It takes up most of the film's run time and it is thoroughly enjoyable. It's not just that Petit tightrope walked between the World Trade Center towers, but he had to illegally break in, commit trespassing, and pull off his feat after going through a fairly traumatic, exhausting lead up. This is all depicted exceptionally well on screen.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is good as Petit. He's quickly becoming one of the most impressive young actors in Hollywood and he delivers a strong, believable performance here. You had to respect his tenacity and his focus, but Petit had some arrogance to his character as well. Gordon-Levitt captures all this in his performance. The rest of the supporting cast all gave strong performances- Charlotte Le Bon worked well and it's always fun to see the reliable James Badge Dale. At the end of the day, though, all those supporting characters melt away. Petit needed their help to pull off his stunt, but this movie is about one man. Gordon-Levitt is what people will remember about this movie.

Robert Zemeckis does a great job of keeping the story moving. The film might be a little long at 2 hours, 3 minutes, but it never feels bloated or unnecessary. This is an interesting, engaging movie from start to finish. The highlight of the film is obviously the walk between the towers. Zemeckis spends a great deal of the movie in these moments, as he should have. I watched, transfixed that a human being threw his mortality to the wind to pull of this act that would require more focus and courage than I'll ever have. These scenes are incredible, as it feels like we're up there with Petit at the top of New York City. The cinematography is breathtaking. Zemeckis does an incredible job of creating immense tension. It's nerve-racking to watch Petit walk across that thin wire, even though most people know how the story ends. If you're looking for a reason to watch this movie, the scenes of the walk itself were just incredible. They alone are reason enough to check this film out.

Again, I admit this film felt a bit unnecessary before I sat down to watch it. I've been converted, though. This might not quite be a great movie, but The Walk is a thoroughly entertaining, hold-your-breath spectacle. It's a very worthwhile movie and was far more enjoyable than I ever expected. This is such a strong movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Man on Wire