The Walk

In its final 45 minutes, The Walk really gets off the ground, when its 3D cameras swoop and glide 110 stories above the streets of Manhattan so vividly that acrophobics will probably cringe.

Such visual gimmickry is appropriate given that the film recounts the story of Philippe Petit, the French daredevil who walked across a tightrope he strung between the two World Trade Center towers in 1974 and gained worldwide fame for his one-of-a-kind stunt.

Yet while the film’s reenactment of the titular escapade gives new meaning to the phrase “heightened suspense,” it’s just one segment of a flat Petit biopic from director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) that emphasizes spectacle and mischievous whimsy while failing to get inside the head of its subject.

The film recalls the French upbringing of Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whose wire-walking turns him into a Parisian street performer under the tutelage of a circus veteran (Ben Kingsley). While refining his skills, he meets a musician (Charlotte Le Bon) and a photographer (James Badge Dale) who become not only friends but also accomplices when Petit becomes determined to walk between the towers without safety equipment.

Of course, the scheme — Petit calls it a “coup” — is both dangerous and illegal. And pulling it off requires months of careful planning, schmoozing, and trickery to elude authorities and construction workers. As the date approaches, there’s barely time to consider how crazy the whole thing might be.

The Walk opens with Petit — in direct-address narration — prompting the same question that many outsiders would logically ask: Why? However, the screenplay, adapted from Petit’s memoir, dances around that pivotal query for two hours without providing a sufficient answers or even theories.

Instead, the film tries to generate sympathy for the arrogant and reckless Petit by showcasing his clever and charming side. He clearly craves the attention and the adrenaline rush that comes with his achievements, calling himself an artist or a mad scientist instead of a stuntman.

While the movie focuses on the towers during their construction, it’s worth noting that the film pays tribute to their subsequent demise in touching fashion without losing focus or turning sentimental.

At any rate, the Oscar-winning documentary Man on Wire previously chronicled Petit’s seminal stunt by framing it almost as a heist thriller, narrated by Petit himself. So why watch this imitator when its nonfiction predecessor gives you the real thing?