Man on Wire Review

      

Man on Wire 

Director: James Marsh

    Starring:  Philippe Petit, Annie Allix, Paul McGill, Jean François Heckel 

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

Man on Wire was by far an extraordinary film. It captivated me at first glance. Personally, I am terrified of heights, so for me to see someone who's walking, running, and jumping on a wire, between buildings is insane. It made me want to keep watching and see how the hell he did it. Philippe Petit, a French man, is the main character and focus throughout the film. Petit is basically on a journey of self fulfillment. Ever since he was young he wanted to do this. It's his passion. His ultimate goal here is to get through any and every obstacle and walk that wire between the Twin Towers in NYC. He knew walking into this that what he wanted to do was definitely illegal, but did that stop him? Nope. Honestly, I can relate to this level of dedication to do something despite the consequences. Sometimes I make the sound decision to watch Netflix instead of doing homework. The result? My grade drops! Did I know that would happen? Yes. Did I still play that episode? Yes I did. The point is, this film depicts purposefulness and willpower. Petit didn't go from walking wires in his backyard to the World Trade Center overnight. In this invigorating film, the viewer literally gets a front row seat in the life and events of Petit's life and preparation to achieve his goal.

In order to really admire this film, you've got to acknowledge a few things. One, being that Petit literally taught himself how to wire walk. No one sat him down and showed him or instructed him. His talent comes from pure ambition, practice, and dedication. If that type of love for something isn't inspiring to you, I don't know what will be. Also, can we talk about the fact that he was bold enough to walk 140 across one of the tallest buildings in the world, to the other one? This man had no harness, no safety net, no back up plan, nothing. The only thing beneath him was a 110 story drop into certain death. My first reaction is, "Does he have a deathwish?" He must really trust himself because you'd never see me even attempting any foolery of the sort. 

All in all, Man on Wire was an overall great film. The timeline it covers and story it told was one of success through triumphs. I'd rate the film an overall 6.5/10. That may be confusing considering the fact that I said it was a great film, but to me, it lacked enough action and became a bit repetitive. I still do recommend anyone to watch this if they'd like to watch some crazy dedicated guy complete a risky "heist".