Twelve people have walked on the moon. Only one has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. THE WALK tells the amazing story of Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), guided by his mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, who overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Which is Philippe walking between the top of the World Trade Center Towers….On a wire.
While living in Paris in the early 70’s Philippe sees a picture of the still under construction towers and he literally draws a pencil line between them with the thought that he has to put a wire between them and walk between them. In his mind, those towers were built for him to create that performance. There was never a question in his mind if could or if he should. He was going to do it no matter what. Philippe’s passion and determination is what makes him enduring. He has a goal and sets out to achieve it. Simple as that. He meticulously plans what he calls his “coup” done to finest of details. Praise must also be given to Joseph Gordon-Levitt for his performance. The role requires him to not only act with his voice by mastering speaking in French and with a French accent but also acting with his body. He spent eight days straight with the real Philippe Petit in a one-on-one eight hour workshop. By the end of he was able to walk seven feet high on a thirty feet long wire. Levitt worked with language and dialect coaches to master speaking his French lines and English with the French accent. His perfectly captures Petits’ fierce determination and focus along with his whimsical and gentleness. It’s a wonderful performance that should not be overlooked come award season.
As important as Phillip is to the film it can be argued that The Towers are very much present in the film as characters. The effects team gives an excellent representation of what the world of 1974 New York, as seen from thousands of feet in the air, was like. The effects team took special care recreating everything from the lobby of the World Trade Center to 1974 downtown New York City. The production design department actually built on a giant stage the roof of one of the towers. Other effects such as the fog swirling between the towers, the towers themselves rising up from the city were all created digitally. Sadly they do not exist anymore but this film is both a tribute and love letter to them.
THE WALK is a visually stunning film and a technical achievement. Combined with Levitt’s performance and intriguing story the film is a winner. Only one minor quibble is with the film’s narration. Not with the narration itself but the fact that the narration exists. Philippe narrates the film and though it does add insight, especially to his inner thoughts on the wire, this device takes away any dramatic tension as to the fate of his daredevil feat. However the way Zemeckis handles the narration gives the film a fable-like quality. The audience gets the sense that they are watching a fairy tale. Throughout his legendary career with titles that include FORREST GUMP, THE BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY, POLAR EXPRESS and FLIGHT, acclaimed director Robert Zemeckis has made films that have most successfully used cutting edge technology in the service of storytelling. With THE WALK he has done it again with a film that uses innovative photorealistic techniques to put the viewers in Philippe’s shoes. No will ever be able to walk between the towers of the World Trade Center but Zemeckis makes you feel like you are there. The film was shot in 2D and converted to 3D but it was always intended to be viewed in that format. I am not a fan of the format but when it done well and services the story it works. It is evident that care was taken to make the format works. This film is truly an experience that you need to have on the big screen and in 3D. The film balances the use of cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. It is one of the best films of the year
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