The Walk (2015)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: The Walk attempts a tricky balancing act between thrilling visuals and fact-based drama -- and like its wire-walking protagonist, pulls it off with impressive élan.
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Philippe Petit
as Papa Rudy
as Annie Allix
as Jean-Pierre
as Jean-Louis
as Jean-François
as Albert
as Barry Greenhouse
as Guy Tozolli
as Tessio
as David
as Outdoor Cafe Man
as Outdoor Cafe Woman
as American Tourist
as Woman in Chalk Circle
as Boy in Chalk Circle
as Gendarmes
as Gendarmes
as Young Girl with Candy
as Dental Office Receptionist
as Robert Bourdage-Dental Patient
as Dental Patient
as Dental Patient
as Dental Patient
as Boy Petit
as Martin-Circus High Wire Performer
as Petit's Father
as Petit's Mother
as Texan Tourist Woman
as Texan Tourist Man
as Fisherman
as Fisherman
as Fisherman
as Fisherman
as Fisherman
as Fisherman
as Marie Montbarbut-Fisherman
as Portly Photographer
as Notre Dame Police Officer
as Notre Dame Police Officer
as Notre Dame Police Officer
as WTC Construction Worker
as US Customs Agent
as WTC Architect
as Port Authority Officer
as WTC Lobby Guard
as WTC Visitor's Concierge
as Officer Foley
as Dock Foreman
as Elevator Operator
as WTC Rooftop Guard
as Mysterious Visitor
as Sgt. O'Donnell
as Officer Genco
as Officer Clemenza
as Officer Washington
as Officer Hagan
as Main in Plaid Sports Coat
as Bearded Man
as Earbud Guy
as Officer Daley
as Officer Sollozzo
as Engineer Cop
as Construction Worker with Blow Torch
as Officer Cicci
as News Reporter
as News Reporter
as News Reporter
as News Reporter
News & Interviews for The Walk
Critic Reviews for The Walk
All Critics (251) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (210) | Rotten (41) | DVD (1)
The Walk turns what is a relatively straightforward act - albeit a scarily placed one - into something stunning by restoring a sense of physicality to what's happening onscreen.
Zemeckis's failing is his inattention to every other detail, but The Walk undeniably exists for its climax: one stunt it does manage to pull off flawlessly.
It's two-thirds of a great film but the slow start and unremarkable first hour hold it back. Still, for those who buy into the precept that "good things are worth waiting for," The Walk unquestionably delivers.
The walk itself is the film's central, and only, real achievement, but it's a doozy.
For at least the duration of the 25-minute wire sequence, The Walk is a breathless, exhilarating moviegoing experience. It's just not much of a movie.
Even in its greatest moment, The Walk breaks the spell with an unnecessary narration about how Petit felt in that moment, how the sky looked to him, how a bird came soaring towards his head.
Audience Reviews for The Walk
Most people have probably heard of Petite's walk between the Twin Towers, so the film doesn't shy away from having the protagonist narrate the entire story in a somewhat unexpectedly quirky way standing on the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately even way before the big stunt, some of the surroundings seem oddly unreal and can easily be identified as special effect shots. Thankfully, no such thought crosses your mind during the dizzying finale. Sure, they may have added some complications here or there. but it's still wonderfully done. Overall maybe a bit too quirky at times, but the mind-blowing ending makes up for it.
Super Reviewer
Zemeckis displays his usual inventiveness with breathtaking visuals in 3D and stylish camera movements, offering us a nerve-wracking climax that should cause a heart attack on anyone afraid of heights, despite an unwelcome tendency towards corniness in the end.
Super Reviewer
Zemekis and Gordon Levitt endeavor to enliven the already substantive documentary Man On Wire (about Phillippe Petit's fabled wirewalk between the former Twin Towers) with the latest in modern tech cameras and a middling French accent. You'll be unimpressed until the central event occurs, after which you might need a place to sit down.
Super Reviewer
The Walk Quotes
| Petit's Father: | The carrots are cooked! |
| Annie Allix: | ....the carrots are cooked! |
| Philippe Petit: | This is Impossible. But I am still going to do it. |
| Philippe Pettit: | People always ask me "why do you risk death"? For me, this is life. |
| Philippe Pettit: | I was always searching. Looking for the perfect place to hang my wire. |