It’s been so long since we’ve seen the Robert Zemeckis who was a consummate craftsman of pop entertainment, that the flickers we see here of that talent somehow elevate the whole enterprise. He adapts the true story of Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the French tightrope artist who launched a daring, highly illegal attempt to walk across the span between New York’s as-yet-unfinished Twin Towers in August 1974. That story was already told in James Marsh’s wonderful Oscar-winning documentary
Man on Wire, and Zemeckis unfortunately proves far clunkier in setting up Petit’s fascination with his dangerous “coup” during the first hour. It’s far more engaging once it becomes a de facto heist caper, re-creating the dizzying perils of sneaking in and setting up for this feat 110 stories above the ground. And the walk itself is a breathtaking piece of filmmaking, even if Alan Silvestri’s heavy-handed score almost ruins the tone of exhilarating accomplishment. Zemeckis and his visual effects team revive the Towers themselves as characters—modern man-made peaks inspiring “because it’s there” exploration, now just ghosts—while also reviving memories of Zemeckis’ own peaks as a director.
By
Scott Renshaw