The Walk

For someone who doesn't like dramas and Robert Zemeckis in particular, this was a pleasant surprise. I was worried that the whole film would be boring and it wouldn't be until the last 15 minutes that Joseph Gordon-Levitt gots on the rope, I was wrong. Nice and entertaining pace from the start, Gordon-Levitt is great, I can see him as a future star who will be fighting for golden statues, all the preparation and motivation was quite engaging and the ending itself was surreal. I witnessed something truly great, spectacular, my legs ached, I felt dizzy, I almost went mad and Gordon-Levitt has my admiration. Great. 80%. (22/12/2015)

The scenes on the wire are incredible, and the highlight of the movie is truly the transition between the towers of the World Trade Center. I felt dizzy in places, and I didn't even see the film in IMAX. However, as there are great moments in terms of visual effects, there are also flaws, such as the terrible American accents of the actors, the predictability of the story, which is essentially a boring plotline that only wins through the sheer determination of the human will and what it can achieve. (21/12/2015)

Zemeckis is a master of extraordinary human stories like this, because it takes a lot of skill and dexterity to cut out such an entertaining, well-thought-out and life-beating story puzzle from a colourless sketch with a single dramatic arc. Thanks to the humorous journey with many imaginative interludes, we fully connect with Levitt and his hero, accept his life values and root for his bringing his crazy plan to a successful end, even though such a happy ending cannot be doubted for a moment. And when the camera slides gracefully from the top of the World Trade Center into the silent depths of acrophobia, we almost feel the enormous power of the moment with the hero. There are flaws, and I personally regret that we don't actually get a chance to genuinely worry about Petit's life, but that doesn't change the fact that as an unorthodox celebration of human will and courage, the film works perhaps as well as it ever could... 85% (17/12/2015)

Homage to a fallen monument. Another masterpiece from Zemeckis with a great story, breathtaking effects and a heart thumping inside. Gordon-Levitt brings Petit to life just fabulously. He chatters, recounts and there’s never a dull moment. Digifest, sure. Over-Americanized, sure. But if it all benefits the story, I don’t care. Let me introduce myself, my name is Philippe Petit and I’m a tightrope walker. (14/10/2015)

It's like I went back in time fifteen years. Robert Zemeckis tells the extraordinary story of an ordinary dreamer at his usual unpretentious pace, leading the main character to a breathtaking catharsis in the final moments. And yet it doesn't reach the quality of the similar Cast Away and Contact, mainly because this is exactly what I expect from him, and therefore the surprising or even seat-raising moment is missing. On the other hand, The Walk referenced in the movie's title is arresting, and shows in full force what could be sensed from the beginning: that Philippe Petit is not at all petite as artists go, but more with the heart of Le Petit Prince, far above us in his head and desires – in the heights that remain forbidden to mere mortals like us. (08/10/2015)