Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'The Walk'

WRITTEN BY JOHN EDWARD BETANCOURT

Every single one of us out there, have a dream of some kind. They drive us, they guide us and everyone out there seems to understand the peace and joy that comes to us on an internal level when we are finally able to live them day in and day out, often times as a career.

But not all dreams have to be giant. Sometimes the things we seek are simple in nature. It could be we want to be loved by someone special in our lives. It could be we want to finish something we walked away from years ago. Or, it could be something as simple as validation in our respective field, and the latter of those possibilities is recounted in the 2015 Biopic, The Walk.

The plot for this film takes us back in time to 1974, to recreate the iconic moment when 24 year old wire walker Philippe Petit, set up a wire between both towers of the then recently completed World Trade Center and walk between them on a fine August morning, and well, the plot really is just that simple. Everything in this film is building and leading to the grand day when he walks between the Towers and while that initially seems like it could be a let down, it most certainly is not. 

This is a motion picture that actually features a lot of charm, and that's largely in part thanks to the wonderfully manic performance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his portrayal of Philippe. You're simply drawn into Philippe's life by way of his honesty and simple view of the beauty of the world and quite frankly, with the simplicity of his dream. He doesn't long to walk on the moon or become the next big thing in Hollywood. He just wants to be remembered as the best in his field and a stunt such as this cements his status as just that and finally validates years of struggles and setbacks in his life.  That alone makes this film entertaining and fun but really, the big pay off in this story is the iconic walk between the Towers because it is simply breathtaking.

Sure you know it's CGI. Sure, you know it’s a reenactment, but thanks to the wonderful direction from Robert Zemeckis, by Philippe's third or fourth step onto the wire, you're holding your breath over the majesty of the act and the fulfillment of a dream come true and really, that makes any slow spots or weaknesses in the story fade away. It's a feel-good ending from a feel-good story and oddly enough, it kind of leaves you pumped up to go out there and do something with the dream gnawing at the back of your mind. Because if this man was willing to risk life and limb without a second thought to achieve his dream...what the heck is holding us back? Either way, this is a delightful little movie to watch and definitely worth your time.

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