The Walk

In August 6, 1974 the 24 year-old French high-wire artist Philippe Petit walked a distance of 140 feet on a tight rope strung between the newly constructed World Trade Center Twin Towers, at an elevation of more than 1,300 feet above ground.

Robert Zemeckis' heist-like, narrative, docudrama starts with Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) sketching the, at times comedic, climactic sequences that framed the aerial feat, culminating with a breathtaking and gripping depiction of Petit's death-defying walk.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's captivating performance provides a glimpse of Petit's character. Lesser developed are the integral team of co-conspirators including Petit's mentor, the Czech acrobat Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), Petit's girlfriend Annie Allix (Charlotte Le Bon), photographer Jean-Louis (Clement Sibony), a math teacher deathly afraid of heights Jean-Francois (Cesar Domboy), electronic salesman Jean-Pierre (James Badge Dale), insurance broker Barry Greenhouse (Steve Valentine), Albert (Ben Schwartz) and stoner David (Benedict Samuel).

Creating a shivering, vertiginous, edge of the seat momentum is director of photography Dariusz Wolski's groundbreaking and impressive use of 3D camera angles and stop motion photography placing the viewer on the tight rope looking down at the digital recreation of 1970's Manhattan's skyline, as Petit sits, lies down and walks on the wire.