Sunday, 25 October 2015


fiLmReviEw
THE WALK [2015, USA - English, French]
"To be able to create fully, it's maybe fine that you learn the rules, but you have to forget and to rebel against those rules."
- Philippe Petit
We are once again brought back to the days where New York's Twin Towers stand tall, and thanks to Robert Zemeckis this breathtaking biopic is for once not using the much-publicized World Trade Center to emblematize all things destructive and gloom. In fact, this film is all about hopes, dreams and roseate aspirations. French high-wire artist Philippe Petit shocked the world in 1974 when he walked the 138-foot gap between the Twin Towers on high-wire, performing one of the most death-defying stunts 416 meters (1,365 feet) above the ground. This unbelievable dream was indeed inspired after Petit saw an artist's rendition of the pre-constructed Twin Towers in a newspaper at a dentist's office, as shown in the film. To prepare him for the role, Joseph Gordon-Levitt received support from the artist himself, where Petit personally trained Gordon-Levitt in an 8-day intensive workshop. "By the end of the eight days, I was able to walk on the wire by myself, and continued to practice while we shot," says the 34 year-old Looper and Don Jon star.
The film opens with Petit talking directly to us from the top of the Statue of Liberty, and he will be narrating the entire story through flashbacks. That was actually my biggest problem with the film. Whilst in most parts Gordon-Levitt's French accent worked for me, I must agree with critics who panned his overly done accent which make him sound at times like Pepe Le Pew. Coupled with (for no reason) an attempt to make Petit look all whimsical and Fred Astaire-esque throughout his narration, it completely pulls audience away from taking the film seriously; making this format totally unnecessary.
The film spends quite a fair length in showing the early stages of Petit's life, starting from a street performer in Paris to his meeting with French girlfriend Annie (Charlotte Le Bon), his high-wire mentor Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley with a rather weird accent) and eventually the rest of his accomplices who will help him with his artistic coup, including photographer Jean-Louis (Clément Sibomy), Jeff (César Domboy), electronics salesman J.P. (James Badge Dale) and Barry Greenhouse (Steve Valentine) who actually works in the building. Whilst some may fuss about the long wait before the final "walk", I had no issues with the build-up, though at several points the film may falter with poor scripts and unnecessary comical moments which are not really funny. We have to accept the fact that the film chronicles a 6½ years of Petit's planning in France and eight months of execution in America, and though the second act is structured very much in an interesting heist format, I felt it was apt that Zemeckis gives us a fairly condensed version of Petit staging his act.
Once the story reaches the point where Petit finally steps on the wire to pull off the staggering stunt that has consumed his entire life, The Walk completely transforms into is an eye-blistering visual wonder to behold. Yes, James Marsh’s Oscar-winning 2008 documentary Man On Wire encapsulates pretty much what audience needs to know about Petit and his hair-raising coup, but it is the Hollywood version so beautifully created by Zemeckis that puts us right at the shoulder of Petit as he takes each step on the wire. Absolutely enthralling, this is to me the film that puts 3D and IMAX effects to their best. Every spectator in the theatre was basically on that rope with him. To recreate the 45-minute walk where Petit danced, kneeled and lay on the wire, Zemeckis with the help of green screen rebuilt the city and the upper levels of the towers, resulting in a breathtaking cinematic achievement in visual and effects. It is one hell of a cinematic trick, hats off to the Forrest Gump director. And while Gordon-Levitt did walk the wire during the filming of that scene, it was 12 feet in actual height. As such, this vertigo-inducing and exhilarating film must be experienced in 3D, trust me.
Leaving me absolutely aswoon towards the end, I call this film a success. The intent of this story is from the beginning angled towards the climax of the walk, and nothing else. It is a film about visual aesthetics, and I would pay to watch just that final scene again in IMAX. Lastly, another nonetheless awfully inspiring aspect about The Walk is, how it recasts the towers as symbols of wonder rather than terror, reminding us of the better memories of the Twin Towers.
Rating: B+ [for its entirety. For visuals alone, I'd give it an A]
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