USA TODAY International Edition
‘ The Walk’ runs on soaring visual style
The Walk is one very stomachchurning, vertigo- inducing argument for the big- screen movie experience.
Director Robert Zemeckis’ tale is an earnest fictional recollection of Philippe Petit’s infamous highwire stroll between New York’s twin towers in 1974. While venturing near hokeyness for the first two acts, its climax — especially in full IMAX glory — is both a visual spectacle and a loving tribute to the fallen World Trade Center.
Joseph Gordon- Levitt stars as the Parisian street performer whose daily life of juggling and being a mime stems from a longtime love for performance and entertaining people.
Like a theme- park attraction of sorts, Philippe breaks the fourth wall from the top of the Statue of Liberty: narrating his journey from having the idea to walk between the twin towers while waiting in a dentist’s office, to meeting his loyal confidante and muse Annie ( Charlotte Le Bon). They recruit a gang of accomplices that ultimately keep him grounded about his mission while also accomplishing it.
But that’s all a warm- up act to the main event, Philippe’s deathdefying walk more than 1,300 feet above wowed onlookers. Zemeckis faithfully re- creates the towers, making the most of special effects and IMAX technology to fashion what it would look like to be as crazy and passionate as this man who takes his art to the next level.
The camera looks down much of the time and whirls around Philippe’s view so realistically that those with a fear of heights may feel a bit squeamish. But it’s totally worth keeping your eyes open and risking uneasiness for the immersive experience and the majesty of the New York skyline as Philippe moves Zen- like back and forth on the wire before the police inevitably show up.
What could easily have been a cloying tribute to the World Trade Center is classily done but still touching. Zemeckis and Christopher Browne’s script is ham- fisted, however, with Philippe’s declarations of destiny — braving certain doom is a tad more convincing with his actions rather than words.
That said, Gordon- Levitt sells the honesty of his statements. He brandishes a thick, unconvincing accent, but otherwise captures Petit’s adventurous spirit. Ben Kingsley also has a noteworthy cameo as Petit’s impatient instructor on the high wire.
The Oscar- winning 2008 documentary Man on Wire better tells the story of the real Petit’s quest — and features the artist himself. But for those who want to feel as if they’re 110 stories up and living in the clouds, Hollywood does its job conjuring movie magic with a breathtaking Walk to remember.