Man On Wire (2008)

07Feb09

Man On Wire IMDB Link

Directed By: James Marsh

Written By: *void*

Starring: *void*

Man On Wire is a heist film where the impenetrable fortress is  the World Trade Center towers and the prize is being able to tightrope walk between them.  And man do I love heist films.

Philippe Petit, who looks like Malcolm McDowell, was the man crazy enough to do it (there is even a A Clockwork Orange reference in the film). He tells a story about how he was 17 and waiting for the dentist when saw a picture in the paper about the two towers being built. He drew a line between the two of them and knew he had to do it. But like all good capers, wanting was just the beginning.

Man On Wire is a documentary that is aware it is telling a story and what better way to tell a story then to present it as if it were a fiction film. We are shown from the start the beginnings of the heist but are then transported back in time to the beginning when Petit tightropes across Notre Dame. The characters involved tell the story overlayed with beautiful music by Michael Nyman, real footage meticulously captured by Petit’s request and re-enactments.

Like all great heist films there is the awesome moment where we learn about the specialists involved and their role in the process. Curiously enough, there are even unstable members where we question their loyalty and stability to be able to execute the tasks at hand. There are tests, diagrams, tiny models, tracing of guard paths, all that good stuff and all the while there is the lingering excitement of “I can’t believe they are going to do this”  And when they need to actually execute all the planning with impeccable timing and silent communication, the tension rises as you pull more and more for them to succeed in their crazy plan.

Man On Wire is an excellent documentary that tells the tale of a joyous moment on the twin towers and evokes all sorts of emotions one usually only receives from a fiction film. There are moments of tension, of despair, of fear, of laughter and triumph. I would recommend this film to just about anyone.

Filed under: Documentary   |  1 Comment
Tags: Heist, Man On Wire, movie review, Philippe Petit, World Trade Center