The Walk (2015) Review

Philippe Petit had a dream of putting his high wire somewhere in the world and walking across it. One day he sees the World Trade Center towers in the paper and that is when he decides that’s where it must be. So after a lot of planning and preparation in 1974 he does the impossible.

I have been looking forward to this film as really do think the story is so inspiring and to get an insight into why someone thought it would be a good idea to put a wire so high and walk across it for people to see and enjoy. I briefly remember when the documentary was released in 2008, although I have not actually seen it. I now think that is something I would like to watch to have an even closer insight to Philippe.

I really like the way in which the story is told, with Philippe telling the story and then showing what happened next. All the way from his first experience of seeing wire walkers and how his dream was born. I thought it was very interesting to see that he really did dedicate his life to finding the perfect place. How much preparation was then put into making sure everything would work well for the walk. Spending so much time inside the towers watching the workers and learning about the elevators and different floors.

It appears that this film is only available in 3D and it was a good use of it in all honesty. It wasn’t overkill but it certainly did add an extra edge to the story, especially when on the roof. Just giving a better perspective of how everything looked. So you can add this to my very small list of films which I actually thought worked well in 3D. I guess it just wouldn’t have been the same in 2D form, but I will certainly compare that when the film is on TV as I am curious if it loses some of the magic.

The best thing about this story is that something like this would not happen now and even if someone managed it I guess no one would be looking around to see it happen. But back in the 70s it was certainly ground breaking, I thought it was very interesting to learn that he had previously done this somewhere in Paris. Which just fit together so well and gave a few pieces of the puzzle for New York. Although I have not since read how much of this is true and what parts are for the film, I am hoping that it is pretty much all true and based on the facts of the event.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was absolutely fantastic and I think this could possibly be his best performance that I have seen (so far) honestly he was engaging and carries the film very well. His accent seemed believable and he really became the character as at times I will admit that I actually forgot it was him.

The story being told from the Statue of Liberty and how he recruited his team of accomplishes for the coup. I also quite liked Ben Kingsley’s small yet important role as the man who helped him with his training and understanding how to tie the knots and wire for the walks. Teaching Philippe very valuable lessons in helping him get closer to his dream.

The impossible was done and I really think this is something you can think about in your life. I am not saying that you need to walk on a high wire at a crazy height with the possibility of death. But if you ever doubt that you can do something or that something is actually possible then just think that this man walked across a wire on the highest buildings in the world (at the time). So think about what you feel is impossible and then think again!

Don’t miss the joy of seeing this film unfold in 3D on the big screen as it is certainly a worthy film to make sure you see at the cinema. This deserves all of the positive praise surrounding it!