The Walk

His story was already documented by James Marsh in Man on Wire, but wire-walker Philippe Petit still got dramatized by Robert Zemeckis in The Walk. But who would blame them for doing it again?

It's 1973, Philippe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a street performer in Paris. He wants to execute the biggest, grandest stunt of his life and finds the venue for said stunt in a magazine article about the World Trade Center. Over the next year, Philippe recruits a string of accomplices to execute "the artistic crime of the century." His accomplices are drawn to his bravado, but doubt the sanity of the stunt. Even Philippe has his doubts.

Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Browne from Petit's memoir To Reach the Clouds. The film has Philippe relate his story to the audience from the Statue of Liberty. The constant voice-overs are useful, but sometimes they're a bit too intrusive. The mysterious visitor who meets Philippe before he partakes in "le coup" needed some context. But the clouds parting to reveal the path between the Twin Towers could have spoke for themselves.

Our protagonist is a delightfully bold man. Philippe is so bold that he can declare, in all honesty, what he plans to do on the Twin Towers to an Airport customs agent and get away with it. All he wants is the ultimate artistic experience. His character arc, and that of his accomplices, is kind of rushed towards the end. But the screenplay at least tries.

The film is surprisingly hit and miss with its visual effects. There were a few effects that were so distractingly obvious. At least the recreation of the Twin Towers was flawless. The wire-walking scenes are what the movie is about and they don't disappoint. When they're paired with Alan Silvestri's score, the results are magical. The Grand Finale makes it worth seeing on the big screen.

The Walk is about an illegal, dangerous event that occurred at a place that no longer exists. Its likely message is to appreciate every moment for it may never come again. It's not perfect, but The Walk means well. And it's good enough to stay on the wire.