The Walk (2015)

In 1974, high-wire artist Philippe Petit recruits a team of people to help him realize his dream: to walk the immense void between the World Trade Center towers.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Robert Zemeckis (screenplay), Christopher Browne (screenplay)

Stars:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, Guillaume Baillargeon

2 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Philippe Petit
Guillaume Baillargeon	...	Outdoor Café Man
Émilie Leclerc	...	Outdoor Café Woman (as Emilie Leclerc)
Mark Trafford	...	American Tourist
Inka Malovic	...	Woman in Chalk Circle
Lucas Ramacière	...	Boy in Chalk Circle
Martin Lefebvre	...	Gendarme
Philippe Bertrand	...	Gendarme
Laurence Deschênes	...	Young Girl with Candy
Patricia Tulasne	...	Dental Office Receptionist
Jean-Robert Bourdage	...	Dental Patient
Sylvie Lemay	...	Dental Patient
Sasha Dominique	...	Dental Patient
Soleyman Pierini	...	Boy Petit
Jade Kindar-Martin	...	Circus High Wire Performer

Storyline

Twelve people have walked on the moon, but only one man - Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) - has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan. Robert Zemeckis, the director of such marvels as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Back to the Future, Polar Express and Flight, again uses cutting edge technology in the service of an emotional, character-driven story. With innovative photorealistic techniques and IMAX 3D wizardry, The Walk is true big-screen cinema, a chance for moviegoers to viscerally experience the feeling of reaching the clouds. The film, a PG-rated, all-audience entertainment for moviegoers 8 to 80, unlike anything audiences have seen before, is a love letter to Paris and New York City in the 1970s, ...

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | 1970s | skyscraper | tightrope walker | based on true story | 

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Taglines:

Every dream begins with a single step

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements involving perilous situations, and for some nudity, language, brief drug references and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

French English

Release Date:

9 October 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

To Walk the Clouds

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,560,299 (USA) (2 October 2015)

Gross:

$10,137,502 (USA) (6 November 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), TriStar Productions, ImageMovers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The names of six of the NYPD rooftop police officers, Genco, Tessio, Hagan, Sollozzo, Cicci and Clemenza, directly refer to The Godfather (1972).

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Goofs

The characters are seen exiting a subway station of the J M Z line. The Z line didn't exist until 1988.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Philippe Petit: "Why?" That is the question people ask me most. Pourquoi? Why? For what? Why do you walk on the wire? Why do you tempt fate? Why do you risk death. But, I don't think of it this way. I never even say this word, death. La mort. Yes of okay, I said it once, or maybe three times, just now... But watch, I *will* not say it again. Instead, I use the opposite word. Life. For me, to walk on the wire, this is life. C'est la vie.
Philippe Petit: [now standing in the torch of the Statue of Liberty] So, ...

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Connections

Version of Man on Wire (2008)

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Soundtracks

Suzanne
Written by Leonard Cohen
Adapted by Graeme Allwright

User Reviews

One of the most visually striking movies I think I have ever seen. The type of of movie 3D was made for. I really liked it.

"The coup has begun. My life is no longer in my control." Philippe Petit (Gordon-Levitt) is a tight rope walker who doesn't do anything small. After being told he can't do something he makes it his goal to accomplish the feat. He begins my showing his skills in the streets of France, then to the Notre Dame cathedral. When he sees a picture his life, and the world is changed. Philippe enlists a group of men to help him accomplish his dream, to hang a wire between the twin towers in New York and walk across it. This is not a typical biopic if that's what you are looking for. This deals with a specific event in someones life. The most amazing thing about this movie is that it doesn't have to embellish the actual events because there is enough drama on its own. If you don't think a movie about a man walking on a tight rope can be tense and exciting I challenge you to say that after watching this. The movie itself is really good and I liked it, but this is one of the most visually striking movies I think I have ever seen. The way the movie is filmed it really makes it easy to feel what he is feeling and you really get the sense of the danger he is up against. I was looking forward to watching this and was not disappointed, I just wish I would have saw it on the big screen. Overall, tense and visually appealing, the type of of movie 3D was made for. I give this a B+.