[Review] The Walk film (2015)

For weeks I have been waiting for this film from the moment I was told that I scored a ticket to the opening film for the Tokyo International Film Festival (read:TIFF). I might be one of the first to even reserve the tickets for this film when it became available on the 10^th of October. Actually that was a lie. My very amazing friend gave it to me as a birthday present. A very very thoughtful birthday present. 

Let me start with this, whenever I have the time, I would contribute to a open contribution site where all sorts of creators are given the chance to collaborate and find their path, and some even get paid (which I am not apart of them) for it. the site is called HitRecord. The founder of the company or the site is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. So this film was partly a basis of a project he started over on HitRecord called the Impossible Dream. So I have known about the film from months ago.

The Walk working poster (Pic Cred: Imp Awards)

Though I walked in high with expectation, I came out slightly disappointed. I was warned before hand that the only amazing thing about this film is the way it was filmed and how it changed 3D for the future. The visual was awesome nothing to dispute there, but… maybe I was just expecting too much.

(Video Cred: Sony Pictures Entertainment YouTube)

3D films are not new but this film certainly did push it to the next level. The play of depth of height, perception and all that jazz was quite awesome. I am usually not squeamish when dealing with heights. I do have a fear of height but I love the rush of being on a high places, or being on the rollercoaster or even looking down for a high platform just for the fun of it. This film certainly awaken that sense of fear of height and stomach churning adventure through the pure genius of art of filming and the advancement of technology. But having pure genius of art of filming and technology would never work without the right players to make the film live.

Most if not all of the films that I usually sought for are ones either with a good to great review or has at least one from the list of actors that I like in it. That being said, my loyal readers (I know there are at least one or two of yous people here), would know that this film would not get less than half rating from me just on the basis of the actor. Which is right. There were in total of three points that I loathe in the film.

One, the cheesy Pepe le Pew impersonation from Gordon-Levitt through out the story when he was speaking in English. His French however was mesmerising for me. Two, the chemistry between Gordon-Levitt and his girlfriend in the film Ms Le Bon. And three, the non stop unnecessary narration that borders to annoyance.

Other than those three points, the film was very enjoyable. I enjoy the fact that the journey for Phillippe Petit from a childish show off to a legend that crossed the void between the twin tower of the New York World Trade Centre in 1974 was shown seamlessly like a grandfather telling the amazing life journey to a wondering grandchild. Ignoring the impression of Pepe le Pew from Gordon-Levitt and the excessive narration of things that was already visualised, the whole 123 minutes of those were just like a dream sequence that you never want it to end.

Because of the usage of 3D, and being done at amazing heights, this film literally have you at the edge of your seat. Though the end was known from the very beginning since this is somewhat a biopic as well, but the journey he had to deal with was quite demanding. I found myself grabbing the side of my seat and holding on my friend’s hand, hoping that Mssr. Petit would not fall from the wire suspended in the nothingness between the twin towers even though knowing that he is safe and sound in his older age now. 

Gordon-Levitt was amazing at portraying the exuberant and fearless Philippe Petit. Besides his corny accent speaking english, and the almost unbearable narration, he held the film together despite lack of chemistry between himself and Ms Le Bon. In a class of his own, a clown in his own right, I think Gordon-Levitt managed to capture the essence of being Mssr Petit. One of the best moment of the story was the walk itself. The moment where Gordon-Levitt, stopped talking to the audience and let his body and eyes speak was, in my opinion the best acting and the one of the seminal moment in cinema history. 

The cinematographer also brought one of the best visual I have ever seen in a film set in New York specifically. Never have I seen New York so majestic as he had captured it (and I was not yet alive in 1970’s, and in the years of 1990’s and beyond New York is not that amazing anymore to me) and lower Manhattan had never looked so graceful.

Going to the film I suppose, I was expecting the whole entire film having me gripping the edge of my chair like some kind of action adventure film, instead, the case was the first half, almost an hour of the film was quite missable with the cartoonish narration from Gordon-Levitt to the despite seamless flow of him narrating Petit’s past, it was just not memorable. 

Having a Czech friend helps. Another glitch I guess in the film was from the amazing actor Sir Ben Kingsley. He is an amazing actor with a whole lot of character in him, but his accent as a Czech person was just appalling. It was almost like he was made to sound like he was from a a few different country. Unless he was trying to do that, then congratulations, he succeeded. 

Just because I saw this as an opening film at the Tokyo International Film Festival, I was expecting it to be an amazing film with superb story telling (I would say the previously released Man on Wire about the same character was more of a story teller than this one) and superior image, just because it was the opening film for an International Film Festival. 

Well, I did enjoy the film greatly in the end. With a well casted ensemble and amazing usage of 3D technology, This film deserve an eight out of ten (8/10) stars. Though it was not moving, this film had the right touch to just prod you at the right place at the right moments. Fans of IMAX and 3D films, this is not to be missed. For a flat 2D version, wait for it to be released on DVD, even without the 3D effects, there are some quality that you can take from this film such as: Never let other people tell you what you cannot do because, if you try hard enough, you can do anything. 

Love and Kisses,

GWRL