Fantastic documentary film chronicles Philippe Petit’s 1974 high wire walk between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center. The film, based on Petit’s book “To Reach The Clouds” is literally breathtaking. To be honest, I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. It could have been easy for director James Marsh to focus only on the incredibly entertaining planning process for the audacious climactic act, but he doesn’t. Instead, he gives us a chance to get to know Petit and his commitment to this dangerous, illegal and courageous act, through interviews and rare unseen footage. But at the same time, the movie questions the sanity of this gutsy artist whose arrest report (he was arrested and taken for psychological evaluation the minute his daredevil act was over) provides the title. You might think this is troubling, and you might be right, but Petit is also wise, and knows exactly what he’s doing. When asked why he’d done it, he said: “If I see three oranges, I have to juggle. And if I see two towers, I have to walk.” Every day for him was a work of art,” says his girlfriend. And all of this is thought provoking, inspiring even. “Man On Wire” provides thrill after thrill, yet it’s all real, and it’s all fantastic. It’s a work of art.
Rating: 3.5/4
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