Review of Man on Wire (2008) by Dan J — 02 Mar 2010
An amazing and well-told tale. The 2001 destruction of the World Trade Towers raises the resonance level of this stunning tale. The short version is in 1974 a French acrobat, Philippe Petit, without permission and only moderate inside helped was able to string and walk a wire across the 200 foot span between the corners of the two trade towers.
The longer version which makes up this documentary is the suspenseful (pun intended) tale of the small team Philippe assembles to painstakingly plan the attempt. The initial part of the movie is standard documentary covering the plotters and their relationships as they begin to work through the myriad of complications.
The film transcends the standard fare in the middle third when Philippe and his team find a local New York accomplice and we begin to see rooftop photos of the lost towers with Philippe hanging precariously over the side.
The suspense continues to build as the plan's pieces fall into place with the addition of more help and the solving of major hurdles such as how to string a line between the towers at night without getting caught.
The side stories are fascinating as well told in interviews with World Trade Center officials who inadvertently contributed to the plan by being duped by the plotters. The excitement builds to such an extent that the actual moment when Petit steps out onto the wire is actually somewhat emotional for the viewer.
An even less compelling production would still be worth watching for the history and the irreproducible accomplish so the fact that the production is so well done is really a bonus. Go see it! (but don't bring the kids as there is a graphic sex scene near the end of the movie.
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This review of Man on Wire (2008) was written by Dan J on 02 Mar 2010.
Man on Wire has generally received very positive reviews.
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