This is a story of a man consumed by a great need. A need so powerful he would die or go insane if he did not gain it. And the need? To cross between the two towers of the World Trade Center on a tight wire—1,350 feet above the ground.
Robert Zemeckis's 3D biopic The Walk is based on the true story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit (Jospeph Gordon-Levitt). The film is chiefly about Petit's famous illegal walk and the events leading up to it: the manic planning, the recruiting of accomplices, the inspiration for it, and Petit's stubborness and mad determination.
The movie is very light and playful, which can almost be categorized as a kid's movie, with dialogue that sometimes speak the obvious. It is unnecessarily narrated by Petit perched on the Statue of Liberty's torch, reducing the movie into a visually nice television feature. But Gordon-Levitt effectively exhibits Petit's manic ambition.
But the third act—the walk itself—saves the movie: when Petit is finally realizing his dream. Like a deer panting for the water brooks, such is Petit's thirst for that high-wire rush, and so when he finally makes his first step on the wire in that early morning of August 7, 1974, your soul celebrates with him.
The high-wire walk sequence is heart-stopping and pure magic, with Zemeckis connecting us to Petit's intoxicating joy of finally doing it. The camerawork and the superb visual effects are a sweet unfolding of his dream; illustrating a deep reverence for Petit's art and obsession.
This is a big-screen movie, as it is one of the most immersive IMAX-3D experiences in recent history, therefore not recommended to those afraid of heights. It may not be so much of a biopic, but the The Walk lives up to its title: the walk itself is the gem of this movie.
Opens October 14, 2015 in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D and 2D cinemas across the Philippines.
Image credit: Columbia Pictures
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