The true story of high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who walked on a wire strung between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
BIOPIC/DRAMA
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The Walk (2015)Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Written by Robert Zemeckis and Christopher Brown Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotta Le Bon, Clément Sibony, Ben Kingsley, César Domboy, James Badge Dale, Steve Valentine Based on the book To Reach the Clouds by Philippe Petit |
The story of Philippe Petit's famous wire walk isn't really one that needed to be made into a movie. It's not particularly inspirational, nor does it contain any sort of moral lesson. Truth is, Petit walked between the Twin Towers because he wanted to do something amazing. The Walk tells the story of Petit's unwavering need to achieve greatness and the meticulous planning that went into doing something that made him an international name and could've very easily gotten him killed.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers an entertaining performance, sporting a very fake but not exactly offensive French accent to play Petit. Throughout the film, we don't know anything about Petit, apart from the fact that his passion is wirewalking. Maybe that was the only thing he cared about, but I feel like Zemeckis didn't take the chance to explore why Petit was so desperate to be renowned. The supporting cast is the same way, with nobody being particularly memorable or even that interesting. The entire movie is a buildup to Petit's famous walk, which is done very well and rounds out the film quite nicely. I didn't think I would enjoy this film. Hell, I didn't really want to enjoy this film. It's about a guy who wanted to do something crazy at great cost to himself and his friends. Thanks to Robert Zemeckis's skillful directing and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's fun, invested performance, The Walk ended up being a good film and a great motivational tool. Next time you think you can't do something, just remember that Philippe Petit walked between the Twin Towers. With that in mind, almost anything else seems like a cakewalk. |