The Walk

Welcome to the "artistic crime of the century". I love the synopsis that is on the Blu-ray cover for "The Walk", which begins by saying that twelve men have walked on the moon but only man has and will ever walk in the specific void that he did. Philippe Petit's 45-minute high wire act, which consisted of eight trips on a cable 140 feet long, does sound impressive on its own but what makes it very special in this century is where he spanned and walked that cable. The special effects and cinematography were of equal importance in this film as the story being told. Normally, I favor movies that have the story as the sole feature characteristic with other elements supporting it but as long as the story was given the attention it needed then I am satisfied. This is not only a story about fulfilling a dream but it is a heist movie also. I have two warnings concerning this film for those thinking of seeing it. First of all, if you are afraid of heights then don't see this movie. Secondly, if you don't see this movie then you are missing out. The trailer made me scared and I first saw it on a smartphone. 3D IMAX produced genuine anxiety and even terror despite the fact that you are perfectly safe. The following examination does contain some spoilers so skipping this review might be required for those who haven't seen this show.

This is the first non-documentary film released in the 21st Century that I can recall which predominately features the twin towers of the World Trade Center that is not about September 11th. The 2008 documentary "Man On Wire" won the Oscar for Best Feature-Length Documentary by the way. The movie does take a few notes from the documentary such as when the two cops show up and the musical score cues their arrival. Some more firsts for me with "The Walk" is that this is the first new Robert Zemeckis film I have seen since "Disney's A Christmas Carol" and the first live action Zemeckis-directed film I have seen in theaters since "Cast Away" 15 years earlier. "Flight" had too much swearing for my taste but I blame that on Denzel. As a small reference to a previous film by Zemeckis, this isn't the first film of his where a character hangs a cable from a building. The scene where Philippe's wire slips off the tower also may bring to mind the same movie. 3D IMAX was completely worth the money when first seeing "The Walk" and I suggest a 3D TV when seeing this movie now that its theatrical run is over. As mentioned, much of the film feels like it belongs in the heist genre because Philippe sees this dream of his as a "coup". Alan Silverstri's musical score does much to create this feeling even though the same music plays again and again over different scenes. Philippe's narration was distracting at first considering where he is narrating the story from but you get used to it. The movie must replicate the kind of personality that Philippe has. There is something to be said for the historical accuracy of "The Walk" because that is important to me when watching a film based on a true story. The dentist's office, Philippe's spying using different outfits and the falling of the heavy cable on top of the towers actually happened. Another true event included in the movie is the fact that the legal charges were dropped on condition that Philippe perform for free for children in Central Park. The popularity of the twin towers did actually increase thanks to Philippe's walk. Some parts of the story that were not included in the film are that Philippe's foot was healed by the time he did his walk and that during the end of his act, those on the towers were cheering him on. There is some foreshadowing of the terrorist attacks but just the right amount so that we focus on the story of Philippe's performance. When he is on the wire 110 stories up, there is a crowd of people looking up. Before that, when Philippe drops his costume, Annie from below screams out her worst fear that Philippe had fallen. One noteworthy scene from the film is when our hero is about to take his walk and the clouds figuratively hide everything from sight including Jeff and the towers. Not only does all fear leave Philippe but from us as well. The use of Beethoven's Fur Elise was wonderful during the climax. "The Walk" illustrates two themes; the first being that we should act on providence. Fate seems to favor Philippe whenever things look bleak. With our own individual dreams, we should look for opportunities to make them come true. Luck is when preparedness meets prospect. Another theme is that nothing lasts forever, including time to make our dreams come true. Philippe knew that the impossible would truly be just that if he didn't perform before the completion of the towers. In the movie after his stunt, Philippe tells us that the Port Authority gave him a pass for the South Tower Observation Deck with an expiration date that read "Forever". In real life, Guy Tozzoli wrote the word "open" and in the upper left corner of the pass wrote "permanent". Depsite this inaccuracy, it would have worked either way in the depiction of this second theme. We all know what date the expiration was suddenly changed to because the towers and his autograph on the northwest corner of the South Tower are now gone. More importantly, thousands of lives were lost on that fateful date. Our ability to make our dreams into reality lasts only so long.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance carried much of this movie. I believed his accent and passion as Philippe. He got a lot of help from his fellow cast members with his accent and French language. After seeing this movie, I saw the Oscar-winning documentary "Man On Wire" and Gordon-Levitt's imitation of Petit's voice is near perfect. The summer before 9/11, Gordon-Levitt was able to visit the original observatory (his only visit) so he probably used that memory during filming. He also took a walk between both reflecting pools at the memorial, retracing Philippe's path but 110 stories below where it actual took place and can't ever be replicated. I think it is very fitting that the real Philippe Petit trained Gordon-Levitt. After working with Philippe, Gordon-Levitt learned to tightrope walk in just eight days. A stunt double was used in filming some of the shots for the climax but Gordon-Levitt did a lot himself also. In fact, the year after this movie was released, I got to see his stunt double perform at the Calgary Stampede. The cable during the filming of "The Walk" was actually twelve feet above a green screen and sometimes, the wire is lying on a green board. Thanks to the amazing effects, you can't tell that. Using unaltered shots of the NYC skyline was not an option because the film is set in the early 70's. Not only is the climax of "The Walk" a showcase of amazing digital and practical special effects but also noteworthy cinematography and sound effects. What we see and what we hear, as well as the performance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt allows us to accept the climax as reality. Speaking of that, 3D IMAX allows us to become engrossed in these elements to the point that we feel genuine suspense. I was so fearful that I forgot to look for Zemeckis' signature long shots. After seeing the movie many times, I don't think there are any and that surprises me. I like how they replicated the news footage of Philippe in the basement of the towers after his walk. Because of the setting of Paris and because of Philippe's passion, the movie is quite romantic but I wish there weren't so many 3D gimmicks. One would have been enough.

Petit wrote following the attacks, "My towers became our towers. I saw them collapse - hurling, crushing thousands of lives. Disbelief preceded sorrow for the obliteration of the buildings, perplexity descended before rage at the unbearable loss of life." He desired the twin towers to be reconstructed so that with permission, he could repeat his performance. While that didn't happen, Philippe Petit's dream still came true. I applaud the cinematography and the special effects as well as the portrayal of the story. Zemeckis is known for his seamless special effects and that was important to bring this story to life. "The Walk" almost belongs in the heist genre and that surprised me. The movie is still good after multiple viewings and it is fun to watch on a 3D TV screen but nothing will ever beat my 3D IMAX experience. Acrophobics should face their fears and see this movie. IMAX may have been too much for them but a home viewing experience is tolerable I believe.

4 Stars out of 5