The Walk - B

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Philippe Petit

Rated PG, 123 minutes

Since I was a boy, I have been absolutely terrified of heights. Unlike daring and audacious French high-wire artist Phillippe Petit, I could never walk a high wire. The fascinating, occasionally exhilarating Robert Zemeckis film "The Walk" details Petit's obsession in achieving the impossible: traipsing across the freshly constructed World Trade Center aka The Twin Towers. Most of it works well, with the stellar visuals more memorable than the story, which lacks complexity and heft. As a boy, Philippe Petit dreams of performing daring feats for dazzled crowds. As an adult (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), his life's ambition comes true when he becomes a high-wire artist who stares death in the face with every step. The daredevil, with plenty of help from his accomplices, including a his mentor Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley) devises a plan, of which he calls "the coup," to walk on a tightrope attached to the north and south towers of the World Trade Center. Against all odds, Petit performs the seemingly impossible stunt on Aug. 7, 1974. Directed by Zemeckis, who also co-wrote its screenplay with documentary filmmaker Christopher Browne, "The Walk" isn't a perfect execution but still an engaging, even romanticized view of Petit's story, one that has been covered before, but never before in glorious 3D. On that note, "The Walk's" technical details dazzle more than the cast or story; Oscar-winner Zemeckis of "Cast Away" and "Forrest Gump" fame shows his skill with this, though occasionally heavy-handed here, adding in needless special effects and CGI in early shots that don't need them, yet better used in the climactic Twin Towers shots, the chief highlight of the film. The acting and script are less successful, with the dynamic Joseph Gordon-Levitt an odd casting choice; the lithe American actor captures Petit's physicality though a European actor would've better captured his spirit, especially his arrogance, charm and rogue appeal. However, the biggest flaw is having Gordon-Levitt's Petit narrate the story (which truncates details and adds composite characters) from atop the Statue of Liberty with the old New York City skyline hovering in the back, an unnecessary, gimmicky choice that interrupts the film's narrative flow and overlooks some important details, such as the swaying nature of the Towers.  Speaking of skyline, the most memorable cast member is the Twin Towers in realistic CGI form, which cast a haunting yet beautifully intimidating glow, particularly in the final moments, and while it doesn't overtly discuss 9/11, Petit's final line is an obvious reference. The enjoyable, idealized "The Walk" has a worthy story but would've been more compelling with some cast and story changes. If you haven't seen the excellent Oscar-winning 2008 documentary "Man on Wire" detailing the actual event, now would be a great time to do so and would make a great companion piece to this film.