THE
WALK 3.5***
“The Walk” is not just a
retelling of the story of Phillipe Petit's "coup" of a
tight-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in the
1974, it’s also a moving tribute to those beautiful icons. I actually felt a
sense of loss when I looked upon the towers’ majestic beauty on the amazing
IMAX 3D screen and could almost feel Petit’s sense of wonder and awe upon
his first seeing them and their immenseness. Director Robert Zemekis
( Back to the Future I, II, and III, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and Polar
Express) has bought them back to life so well it was nearly impossible to
believe that they are actually gone.
The slow build up covering Petit's early life as a street performer in Paris, France and his first and then many steps/walks on a high wire made the last 30 to 45 minutes of the film all the more remarkable. Even though I knew of his audacious plan and it's outcome through having seen the excellent 2008 documentary "Man On Wire", the heart stopping moments of the culmination of the actual walk still had me on the edge of my seat. When you see the magnificent and captivating scenes surrounding Petit's walk , you’ll agree that it was a spectacular event that was unspeakably tranquil yet grippingly suspenseful . The way Zemeckis and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski focus on the sky, the clouds and New York spread out below ( make that 110 stories below ) during the walk ( a distance of 140 feet), the audience can feel the risk and danger that comes with this unimaginable feat and thus the film transcends fiction in a way that gives audiences a real experience ( Petite had NO safety wires or anything else…if he fell , he was a dead man !!!)
The slow build up covering Petit's early life as a street performer in Paris, France and his first and then many steps/walks on a high wire made the last 30 to 45 minutes of the film all the more remarkable. Even though I knew of his audacious plan and it's outcome through having seen the excellent 2008 documentary "Man On Wire", the heart stopping moments of the culmination of the actual walk still had me on the edge of my seat. When you see the magnificent and captivating scenes surrounding Petit's walk , you’ll agree that it was a spectacular event that was unspeakably tranquil yet grippingly suspenseful . The way Zemeckis and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski focus on the sky, the clouds and New York spread out below ( make that 110 stories below ) during the walk ( a distance of 140 feet), the audience can feel the risk and danger that comes with this unimaginable feat and thus the film transcends fiction in a way that gives audiences a real experience ( Petite had NO safety wires or anything else…if he fell , he was a dead man !!!)
Joseph
Gordon-Levitt did a solid job playing Philippe Petit. He really got into his
character because he actually learned wire walking and how to do it correctly
by Philippe Petit himself. I know a lot of people have been talking about and
criticizing Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s French accent in the movie… but
you get used to it . And here's the thing, Philippe Petit apparently doesn't
have an normal French accent and Gordon-Levitt did a great job of
emulating that. Also, Gordo- Levitt does a fine job of bringing
Petit's "joie de vivre" eccentricity and earnestness to the screen.
“The Walk” give us some of the most amazing and
marvelous visuals of the year and in so many ways the film is a gorgeous
love letter to the Twin Towers
See
this in 3D and IMAX if you can. It's worth it.
Clark
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