The Walk Movie Review

"People ask me 'Why do you risk death?'. For me, this is life." The Walk attempts to prove this ideology. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, The Walk stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as French high wire artist Philippe Petit who gathered a team and went to New York to realize his dream-- to walk on a tightrope attached to the North and South towers of the World Trade Center.

   "And with this stroke of pencil, my fate was sealed."

Right off the bat, let me tell you, the entire last act of this film  (last 25-30 minutes) are worth watching in the theatres for the 3D. I usually am highly sceptical when it comes to 3D and think that it's all a big gimmick. And it probably is, for this movie. But it embraces that fact and Robert Zemeckis, who's already proven himself to be a master of visual artistry a long time ago, casts his magic once again.

Other than that, the film is filled with 'cool' transitions and well-crafted sequences all along. Narrative-wise, however, The Walk is pretty dull. Almost feeling like a heist movie sometimes, with our main character and his team planning on how to pull this seemingly impossible "coup" off, the film lacks a strong connection between the story and characters. The decision to not have simple narration and instead cut to Joseph Gordon-Levitt talking to the camera in the middle of scenes felt odd as well. 

There's also a love interest somewhere in there and I'm tired of saying this, but it felt rushed and I never really cared about it. Then again, maybe making it feel unimportant was the point. "I am arrogant." says our protagonist. "I have to be."  Here is a character I can call selfish without it being offensive. A character whose focus is solely on his dream and how he can accomplish it. Yes, he's gathered up a team. Yes, he needs their help. But does he get distracted by puny friendships? Non. This passion and dedication, however, didn't get through to the audience enough.

"You're doing too much. Do nothing."

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's french accent wasn't as distracting as I thought it would be. But his performance wasn't what peaked my interest. It was Ben Kingsley as Philippe's mentor, Papa Rudy. I had no idea he was in this movie and it felt so good to see him not play a forgettable role in a forgettable movie. More than him, I was entranced by his character. No, it's not one of his best performances, but with the little screen time that he has, he certainly leaves a fleeting impression.

In conclusion, The Walk falls flat as a story which could've been made more interesting and engaging, but makes up for it with its final act. I knew how this story would end, but once he was up there. On the wire. 1,360 feet above the ground. It didn't matter. It was tense. The audience suddenly had a heartbeat. One that was racing. And it made it me hold my breath. Which, I believe, one shouldn't do at that altitude.

So have you seen The Walk? What did you think about it? What's your favourite Robert Zemeckis movie? Comment below.