Beautiful artistic crime of the century

THE WALK (2015)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Man on Wire" was a phenomenally great documentary on the famous wire walker, Philippe Petit, as he wire-walked across the top of the World Trade Center in 1974. The documentary captured the essence and beauty of a man walking across the clouds, at least as perceived by the New Yorkers below who could not help but gawk at this tremendous event. As a documentary, it stood firm in its unveiling of a man who saw this event as his destiny. It also benefited from splendid reenactments, on the order of a first-rate 70's suspense thriller, on how Petit and his band of accomplices achieved the impossible. So how does Robert Zemeckis's fictionalized treatment compare? It can't really because both have different tasks they wish to accomplish yet "The Walk" is so well-made, so assured in its task to unveil the unbelievable that I would say both make for a fascinating double feature.

In the early days of juggling and walking on wires suspended between two lamp posts in France in the 1970's, Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has a euphoric moment at a dentist's office. He sees the pictures of the World Trade Center, the tallest buildings in the world that are still being constructed in New York City. Once he sees them, he knows that his dream is to walk across them, via a suspended wire of course. Philippe can't do this alone so he tries to learn all the tricks of the trade from an older circus performer (Ben Kingsley - a powerful presence whom I hope returns to lead roles soon), who teaches him how to properly bow to the audience. Petit's other accomplices include his girlfriend, Annie, a musician (Charlotte Le Bon); a photographer, Jean-Louis (Clément Sibony), who has to record this historical event; a mathematician afraid of heights (César Domboy), and then there are the New York accomplices including a life insurance salesman (Steve Valentine, a terrific Scottish actor playing a pure New Yorker) who works at the WTC.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit

The real Philippe Petit

The planning of this artistic crime is riveting stuff, it sucks you into the story and you pray that it works. Only this is not an artistic crime, it is an expression of art, of feeling free from the boundaries that make one pause before they rebel and continue to play by the rules. Nobody prior to Petit had ever thought of walking across those towers (they are diagonal which would make the walk seem less likely). All this is not only beautifully conveyed by director Robert Zemeckis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Browne, but also by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an actor who has already proven to be one of our most charismatic new stars in Hollywood. Levitt has the innate ability to show sensitivity with a look or a gesture - never accuse him of overacting because he doesn't. He certainly conveys the overzealous nature of Petit, of wanting to prove to the world that art is beauty after all. Levitt doesn't quite show the level of arrogance from Petit or, in those famous photos of the event, the smile that illustrated he was in the right place at the right time. These are minor quibbles. 

The last forty minutes of "The Walk" are startling to say the least as Petit walks across the two towers. It is grand, scintillating, scary, elegiac and will make your palms sweat. It is where the film was headed, to display the ultimate show on Earth and show not only the majesty of these towers but also the majestic act of walking in the sky. Though the narrative can get lumpy at first with the Parisian scenes, "The Walk" eventually finds its groove when Petit and his accomplices arrive in New York City. It is not as scintillating as "Man on Wire" (which mixed reenactments with actual footage) but it is a splendid companion piece. "The Walk" is also that rare thriller based on a true story that thrills us with the unimaginable and makes it beautiful.