The Walk

It's a bit of a weird thing having a film that is centered around two things -- these two buildings -- which hold so many painful memories for a lot of people. 

Of course I'm talking about the World Trade Center towers, which The Walk's protagonist, real-life person, Philippe Petit, walks between via highwire. 

It's a statement that I feel might have been stated in my review in later paragraphs, but I truly can't shake that notion out of my mind. That these two massive buildings, pillars of the American economy at the time, are no longer even in existence. To see them in IMAX 3D is strange because you know that they are no longer real. And not in the sense that you know the Hulk isn't real in a Marvel film, but not real in the sense like they were something that once was, but is no more.

A bit of a somber note to start a review and I admit the film handles the tragedy that befell these towers perfectly; not even mentioning it once. We all know what happened, we don't need to be reminded and I applaud the film for not going there, but I am curious to see how audiences who were alive on that sad day might react. Maybe I am the only one who felt strange? Who knows. Either way The Walk ends up being an entertaining film about an incredible feat that utilizes IMAX 3D to wow it's watchers.

Cool party trick, JGL!

For those who don't know, The Walk tells the true story about a French man who came to America, and set up an illegal tightrope highwire between the two twin towers. If this sounds familiar, that's because it is. An excellent documentary which I highly recommend (and should probably Retro Review at some point down the line), Man on Wire, came out a few years back, with Philipp Petit himself providing much of the commentary. As far as documentaries go it's very exciting, and if I'm being upfront, it's the better of the two films that tell this story. Anyway, Petit's act of art/defiance was pretty remarkable and involved a lot of foresight, planning, and practice, which makes up most of the film's run time. It runs just a little over 2 hours but feels brisk for most of the time as we meet Petit in France, learn of his love for the tightrope, watch him discover the twin towers being built a world away in New York, and ultimately watch him and his accomplices stage a heist-like setup to get the wire between the towers. The story itself is nothing short of mesmerizing as there are several things that go wrong along the way, to keep things interesting it would seem. It's been a while since I've seen Man on Wire, so I can't for sure tell you that everything that happens in this film actually did (my guess is they did), but it at least makes for an entertaining film. 

I'm pretty sure that even people without a fear of heights will feel squeamish in this movie.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt anchors the film, with a commendable French accent, and not only stars as the main character, but narrates many of the proceedings throughout. To some, these narration moments might seem awkward, out of place, and clashing with the already-made documentary. I don't know if I'd argue against any of those points, but I actually enjoyed them and I enjoyed watching JGL act French and eccentric, which is very much how I remember Petit behaving in the documentary. The rest of the cast does great, but are sidelined to mainly filler roles to own certain responsibilities in the heist. The Walk is clearly all about Petit, for better or worse. 

Unfortunately, this is one of those films that will really lose a lot of its magic if it's NOT viewed in IMAX 3D. The core film is fun and tells an interesting story, but it's really "the walk" itself that makes the whole thing worth it. Being on top of the towers, being out on the wire, and seeing similar things to what Petit would have seen make the whole experience pretty incredible. The special effects don't look 100% real, but that would have been a tall order for a non-blockbuster film to pull off with this many shots. I will say that they are damn convincing though and those who have a fear of heights might want to buckle in. 

Oh well now you're just showing off...

The Walk is a strong, well made film that is made even better with the solid use of IMAX 3D. It's captivating but not entirely memorable, and I felt like it left a few too many things untouched from start to finish. If you've already seen Man on Wire, you've already seen the better version of the same film, but then again, you haven't quite seen it like the way this film presents it. It's worth a trip for the final 20 minutes alone. 

Just know going in that the film will make you look down. 

CONS:

• Does little more than tell the story. Questions of "should he have done it?" are left unasked. As awesome of a feat as this is, I think people fail to realize that, had he fallen, a lot of people would have witnessed what basically would have amounted to suicide
• Doesn't take much time to flesh out the side characters
• Little emotional connection made with Petit or other characters
• Entertaining, but not highly memorable
• Without IMAX 3D, this is little more than an entertaining one-time view
• The second best film that exists on this event

PROS:

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt does great at capturing the spirit of the very excitable Petit
• Moves along at a brisk pace, rarely slowing down. The planning in NYC feels like a heist film
• I appreciated the film's choice to handle the fact that these two towers don't exist anymore by not even mentioning it
• Spectacular final 20 minutes in IMAX 3D with some solid special effects that I'm guessing were rather challenging
• Solid original score and main theme

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10