Review of The Walk (2015) by Nima S — 08 Oct 2015

The Walk is the latest film from acclaimed director Robert Zemickis, and tells the extraordinary true story of Philippe Petit, the French wire walker. In 1974, he managed to spend almost an hour walking, kneeling and lying down on a cable strung 140 feet between the tops of the World Trade Centre's Twin Towers. Of course, the big elephant in the room about this movie is James Marsh's brilliant documentary Man on Wire (2008), that perfectly captured Petit's journey, his passion and the entire gang's testimonies on what had happened. This film essentially tells the dramatized version of the same story and feels unnecessary, that is until we get to the final act!

Phillipe Petit is a small time entertainer in 1968's Paris. One day, he spots an image of the proposed World Trade Centre in a magazine and immediately feels the tug of what will become his obsession, passion and life's vocation. Tutored in technique and stagecraft by the Czech circus performer Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsly), Petit embarks on his first "surprise illegal high-wire walk" in 1971 at Notre-Dame de Paris, while the Manhattan towers are still beckoning. Along with his girlfriend Annie (Charlotte Le Bon), and his team of helpers he acquires in France, he finally arrives in New York to case the joint in person, at which point he decides that the towers are impossible to be conquered. After some clever reconnaissance, during which he and his cohorts dress as architects to get into the building, Petit regathers his courage, leading his merry band on a perfectly planned act.

From the technical standpoint, this is a well accomplished and well crafted picture. The right way to watch it is in IMAX 3D, because the format magnifies the film's style and camera work. Zemeckis truly knows how to use CGI and 3D photography to make this more of an experience that a biographical story. However, he sometimes seems to get too distracted by the 3D effects, making the storytelling mismatch his visual ingenuity. The first half of the film are full of generic narrative expositions that are nowhere near as focused as its main protagonist when he stands on a wire. The story is narrated by Petit standing on top of the Statue of Liberty, spoon-feeding the audience with information that could have easily been told by visuals. The script seems to know nothing about subtlety, and the film forces obviousness in every scene imaginable. What's worse is the obvious dramatization of the true events including Petit's relationship with Annie and his friends. Some of the real-life people who were involved with helping Petit are never mentioned, and Petit's walk on the Sydney Harbour Bridge - that occurred before his New York walk - is totally absent from the movie. However, the story starts to pick-up in a big way during the last act and the final 20 minutes of the film is nothing short of breathtaking. This movie doesn't come anywhere close to Man on Wire's overall quality, but what the documentary lacked was any video footage of the actual walk, since there are no videos from the event. This movie brings the audience up on the wire and gives them the opportunity to see the experience from Petit's point of view that has never been seen before, and the result is truly spectacular. This sequence is good enough that justifies the ticket purchase and makes us forgive the underwhelming first half of the film.

The Walk is an engaging homage to process and problem solving, and Joseph Gordon Levitt does a fine job of emulating Petit, whose impish sense of mischief belies the messianic ego underneath. His fake French accent might sound obnoxious and annoying at first, but we soon get used to it, forgetting the question of: "why not have a real-life French actor playing the role?" What's odd about Gordon Levitt is how different his character looks in comparison with the real Philippe Petit, and how the hair and make-up is not even trying to channel him, which could have helped the actor portraying him to look more believable in the role. Ben Kingsly gives a cartoonish and over-the-top performance with an unknown accent that makes us take him less seriously that what the character demands. And finally, Charlotte le Bon is appealing but trapped in a stereotyped role as one of the first to accompany Petit through his journey. Their relationship is never fully fleshed out and some of the darker details are fully brushed off to give more room to Petit's life goals and personal journey. It is obvious that the relationship between the characters was never meant to be a main focus in the overall narrative.

The Walk is ultimately a revisionist celebration of restoration and sentimentality. The film ends on a note that, while undeniably bittersweet, still manages to convey a reassuring sense of optimism. The last line of dialogue spoken by Petit is heart-breaking and beautiful, delivered in a subtle way making us wish the rest of the film was just as subtle as that last line. But even with all the problems - and there are many - the film offers true big-screen spectacle that makes full use of IMAX 3D. This is a movie that has to be experienced on the biggest, brightest and sharpest screen imaginable.