The Walk (2015)
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A high-wire artist dreams of and eventually executes a daring walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
The story
In 1973, Parisian street performer Philippe Petit dreams of walking a tightrope between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center after seeing a photograph in a magazine. Evicted from his parents' home, he seeks out a circus to practice his skills, eventually finding a mentor in Papa Rudy. Philippe begins a romantic relationship with a fellow performer named Annie, who supports his ambitious dream. With the help of a photographer and a team of accomplices, Philippe travels to America to scout locations and prepare for his daring feat, aiming to perform the walk before construction crews arrive.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1973, Parisian street performer Philippe Petit dreams of walking a tightrope between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center after seeing a photograph in a magazine. Evicted from his parents' home, he seeks out a circus to practice his skills, finding a mentor in Papa Rudy who teaches him rope rigging. Philippe begins a romantic relationship with Annie, a fellow performer who helps him practice. He recruits a team including a photographer, a man with a fear of heights, and several others to help him execute the plan. After a failed attempt in Paris, Philippe travels to America to scout the towers. On the eve of the event, the team faces challenges with guards and heavy cables but successfully strings the wires. Philippe begins his walk, feeling a sense of peace as he crosses the gap between the towers. He successfully crosses the void multiple times, even kneeling and lying down for the crowds. After a 45-minute performance where he walks back and forth six times, he is arrested by police. Following his release, Philippe decides to stay in New York while Annie returns to Paris.
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; French
- Directors
- Robert Zemeckis
- Writers
- Robert Zemeckis · screenplay; Christopher Browne · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt · Philippe Petit; Ben Kingsley · Papa Rudy; Charlotte Le Bon · Annie Allix; James Badge Dale · Jean-Pierre; Clément Sibony · Jean-Louis; César Domboy · Jeff; Benedict Samuel · David; Ben Schwartz · Albert
- Genres
- biographical drama
- Themes
- obsession; bravery; artistry
- Tone and mood
- thrilling; gripping; scary
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; true story; caper; suspense
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2003 book)
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Gordon-Levitt's performance, Zemeckis's direction and the visual effects, particularly during the wire walk scene.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · review count: 277; Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 41
- Production trivia
- Philippe Petit personally trained Joseph Gordon-Levitt for an eight-day workshop.; The film was the first to use the current 2015 TriStar Pictures logo.; Gordon-Levitt visited the original observatory once in 2001.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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