The Walk

This review may contain spoilers!

This is quite possibly the worst film Joseph Gordon-Levitt has ever done. I would give The Walk a 5.5/10.

This film really had a good aspect of it's plot when it focussed on Philippe's drive to make his walk on the wire happen; the minute the focus was on him getting ready to cross the Twin Towers was when the film really picked up and became interesting. Ultimately though this film was about style and it was the style of the film that served it. The score has quite whimsical at times which fit into the tone, but as the feature progressed it really became quite beautiful as we see him engage in his walk between the Twin Towers. Ultimately the best thing about this film was the cinematography; the jaw dropping scenic shots that just took in the sheer magnitude of this feat.

James Badge Dale, who played Jean-Pierre, was great in this film; he was incredibly convincing as this man who could talk and convince others of his intentions on the fly.

However the best performance in this film came from Steve Valentine, who played Barry Greenhouse. Valentine was full of energy and enthusiasm within his role, you felt he was giving a performance that was genuine. This was something you didn't really realise was missing from the film until he appeared. His humour in scenes really brought the film up and was one of the few times I found enjoyment in this film.

This film is long and it feels it, you get bored the minute you realise Gordon-Levitt is going to narrate/monologue for the entire film. In fact this use of narration feels cheap, it's such a basic way to provide exposition but you lose credibility in how you show your story to an audience. Then the story itself presents us with characters who aren't developed enough to be interesting alongside a protagonist who isn't very likeable. The entire first act of this film is boring while the second is meant to provide a sense of nostalgia for the Twin Towers. Sadly you don't believe in this at all because every time the film attempts to connect to it's themes or important messages it just comes across as artificial; no performer in this movie really seems to connect to the ideas of the film.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played Philippe Petit, puts on quite a terrible French accent in this film; his entire performance felt hollow and empty as if he couldn't quite convey what the film was trying to show and in this regard he failed the film as it's protagonist. Ben Kingsley, who played Papa Rudy, gave an even worse accent; worse than this he had no presence and you don't really feel like he fulfilled his mentor role well. Charlotte Le Bon, who played Annie, feels like a love interest that is wedged into this film; you could take her out of the film and wind up with a finished product that isn't any different. Clement Sibony, who played Jean-Louis, had no presence in this film; worse yet his chemistry with Gordon-Levitt needed to be a lot better for this film to work. Cesar Domboy, who played Jeff, fell into the background quite quickly in this film; he was utilised for his character's fear more than he was used as a character. Ben Schwartz and Benedict Samuel, who played Albert and David respectively, had no presence at all in this film; in fact their erratic character traits and odd personalities didn't even really fit in with this film.