The Walk (Robert Zemeckis)

[TGM]

THE WALK

Director: Robert Zemeckis

imdb

[TGM]

Whew, damn, that was an exhilarating movie.

[Lazlo]

Everything on the WTC is incredible, but the stuff before they get to New York and even before they start setting up the wire is a tough sit. The whimsy doesn't connect and Petit is a tough guy to like or root for. I did not find him charming in the least, but it's clear that Zemeckis thinks we should. His meltdown in the apartment the night before is so petulant and Zemeckis doesn't do a good enough job of tying that to the stress he must have been under. It's just played as, this guy is weird, aren't artists weird and fun? I was mixed on the on-screen narration device. Sometimes it was hokey, others it worked to see Gordon-Levitt's face as he emoted, especially towards the end.

All that hampers the film. But it does a hell of a job climbing out of the hole it dug for itself the moment they stop hiding from the guard in the elevator shaft. The visuals are thrilling, the sense of height (in IMAX 3D) was physically affecting. I kind of wish this had just been an hour-long exhibition about the stunt itself.

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Really enjoyed the moment right at sunrise where the guy comes up the stairs and just looks at them, looks out at the view, looks back, and leaves without saying a word. Almost had a surrealist feel to it. The casting of that actor is magnificent, such an interesting face.

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[Peng]

Yeah, agreed. Zemeckis' earnestness and Petit's showiness lead to a rather cloying and too hyper first half. The film's tone and every actor seem to follow the real-life lead's personality (which makes for an intoxicating presence in a documentary) closely, meaning INTENSE FEVERISH EMOTING. But once the day of mission comes, that combination of director and subject really pay off, becoming thrilling, moving and almost sublime, not to mention one of the best IMAX 3D experiences I've had too.