The Walk (A True Story), Blu-ray 3D (2016)

by | Mar 4, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Am amazing acted, feature version of the previous Man On Wire documentary. The 3D version is not for acrophobics.

The Walk (A True Story), Blu-ray 3D (2016)

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Benedict Samuel, Ben Kingsley, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Schwartz & others
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 46397 (1/5/16) [2 discs]
Video: 2.40:1 for 16:9, 1080p HD color
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1. DD PCM stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Thai, Indonesian, Spanish
All Regions
Extras: Deleted scenes, The Amazing Walk, Learning to Walk the Wire, Pillars of Support, Previews
Length: 123 min.
Rating: *****

Only one man – the obsessive French wire-walker Philippe Petit – ever walked on a wire between the 140 ft. twin towers of the former World Trade Center in NYC. Guided by his real-left mentor, Papa Rudy (played by Kingsley here) and aided by band of international recruits, Petit and his group overcome terrible odds, betrayals, dissensions and close calls to execute their really mad plan – which must  be done while the contruction workers are still building the towers and before the workmen arrive early in the morning. On top of everthing, the whole process was illegal, and Philippe is arrested after he finally comes off the wire into the arms of the police.

The film starts with considerable backstory about how the young Petit began as a juggler and street magician in Paris. He meets another young busker, Annie, and she accompanies him on this “dream” to walk between the two towers in NYC. Petit’s friend Jean-Louis – a phtographer – makes it a trio that heads for New York City.

3D is the perfect choice for helping to tell this highly unusual story. Zemeckis holds off on many shots looking straight down while Petit is crossing the wire, but I still wouldn’t recommend this version for acrophobics. The visual side of the film is amazing, and supported by the fine acting and the fact that this actually took place, the result is a terrific feature film.  The whole atmosphere is similar to the great caper movies, but although we know already how it turns out, the suspense and excitement is palpable. For my money, this film makes unusual and completely appropriate use of the 3D presentation much as Herzog’s glorious Cave of Forgotten Dreams documentary had done in 2010.

—John Sunier

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