Man on Wire Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Man on Wire Blu-ray Movie Review

A life in perfect balance.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 5, 2025

In what would be regarded by many as the artistic crime of the 20th century, Philippe Petit successfully performed a tightrope walk between the newly constructed Twin Towers in 1974. In what would be regarded by many as the best-reviewed film of its release year, director James Marsh constructed a documentary of the "crime" in 2008. Featuring interviews with the aging artist, as well as those who helped him execute such a daring act, Man on Wire is as much a tribute to the World Trade Center as it is to the stunt itself. Absolutely no mention of the building's 2001 fate weighs down the proceedings, a creative decision that gives this reflective piece a truly timeless feeling.

Those familiar with Petit should know his 45-minute walk wasn't the only amazing part of the story, especially when keeping building security in mind. Post-9/11 measures will undoubtedly prevent a similar event from taking place in America for the foreseeable future, so the planning of Petit and company's "heist" actually gets the most attention. Dressed as construction workers, his ambitious team toted in the equipment needed to pull off Petit’s high-wire act piece by piece but, even after years of preparation and several delays, theirs was still an extremely risky undertaking: Petit's last-minute encounter with a rooftop security guard nearly destroyed everything, for example, but his formidable "hide-and-seek" skills prevented an early arrest and serves as one of many suspenseful highlights, some of which are obviously re-enacted. In comparison, Petit’s actual high-wire walk plays as a somber, quiet coda during the film's third act as Man on Wire simply lets a few original clips, photos, and piano chords bring it back to life.

Such a brazen performance wouldn't be complete without legal action afterwards but, as Petit himself professed, his actions were in no way mean-spirited or harmful. Authorities on duty that day in August 1974 are presented as people simply doing their jobs by arresting a trespasser, though it's obvious that many were too stunned -- or impressed, more likely -- to treat the Frenchman as a common criminal. He eventually underwent a series of psychological tests (during which time Petit uttered his famous defense, "There is no why") and performed for children in Central Park in lieu of jail time, though other members of his entourage weren't treated as graciously. Other post-walk moments are recalled as well, from Petit's relationship troubles to his spontaneous celebration with an enthusiastic groupie.

Several members of his team recall the event with enthusiasm and nostalgia, but no one tells the story more vividly than Petit himself. 60 years old at the time of filming and then an Artist-in-Residence at New York's Cathedral of St. John (a position he's held since 1982 and, as far as I know, still holds), Petit recounts the story with childlike wonder, demonstrating certain key moments with prop models and exaggerated body language. These segments contrast nicely with filmed clips of a young Petit practicing in empty fields and on street corners, performing dexterous balancing acts while remaining perfectly calm. These two eras merge completely with a closing scene of the aging Petit performing a balancing act with the same precision and skill as his younger days, which serves as a perfect representation of the artist’s enduring energy and enthusiasm. Now 75 at the time of this writing, he's probably still got it.

Worth watching for the core story alone, Man on Wire is also elevated by its wealth of vintage footage and a fine original score by composer Michael Nyman. Several stretches of this documentary are nothing more than impressive photos paired with music, reminding us that we don't always need voiceover narration to maintain viewer interest and focus. Director James Marsh keeps things moving at a pace that moves quicker than his debut documentary Wisconsin Death Trip (a personal favorite from 1999) and, though Marsh has since pivoted to “regular” movies, he briefly returned to the genre in 2011 with Project Nim. Although Man on Wire might remain his undisputed masterpiece, it’s somehow taken nearly two decades to earn this domestic Blu-ray release from Magnolia Pictures. This sadly isn't the definitive effort the film deserved, but it might still worth seeking out if you don't own it on home video yet.

NOTE: Region-free fans might remember that Man on Wire was already released on Blu-ray in the UK by Icon Film Distribution all the way back in 2008 (reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov here, who offers a similarly favorable take); it’s a disc I proudly own that features different and possibly better 1080p visuals as well as more bonus features.

Man on Wire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

At first glance, the only difference between this Blu-ray and the older one by Icon Film Distribution (reviewed here) is its aspect ratio: much like Magnolia's own 2008 DVD, Man on Wire is presented here in 1.78:1 open-matte rather than the slightly cropped original 1.85:1 format of Icon's disc. After spot-checking a handful of direct-from-disc screenshots with similar ones from Svet's linked review, I can say with confidence that the obvious differences end there. Besides for minor encoding variances (which are too minor to make a difference, in my opinion, at least considering the large amount of lower-quality source material), this looks to be the same DVD-era master used by Magnolia and Icon for both earlier releases. It's not terrible; in fact, it's well within reasonable expectations for a documentary of this type, but nonetheless shows room for improvement. Svet's linked review and these new screenshots should suffice for an overview of what to generally expect, but I've awarded it a more fitting 3.5/5 despite its overwhelming similarity to Icon's Blu-ray transfer due to the aspect ratio differences and higher expectations this time around.

Man on Wire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Based on a spot-check comparison during several key scenes, I've no reason to believe that the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track included here differs from the one included on Icon Film Distribution's region-free Blu-ray, reviewed here. Please note that Icon's Blu-ray also offers a 2.0 Descriptive Audio track that hasn't been carried over.

As before, optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only.

Man on Wire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This MOD (pressed) disc ships in a keepcase with artwork similar to Magnolia's own 2008 DVD. Sadly, the extras are actually a step backwards from that 17 year-old DVD as well as Icon's region-free Blu-ray linked above, retaining one animated short but losing footage of Petit crossing the Sydney Harbor Bridge in 1973, a then-new interview with Petit, and an audio commentary with director James Marsh, producer Simon Chinn, and executive producer Jonathan Hewes. This is a truly missed opportunity that, in my opinion, makes Icon's Blu-ray the better of the two.

• The Man Who Walked Between Two Towers (10:11) - This animated short film, narrated by actor Jake Gyllenhaal, basically re-enacts Petit's daring WTC walk in storybook fashion, making sure to conclude with his arrest and trial (i.e., "Don't try this at home, kids!"). It's fine, I guess, but hardly essential.

Man on Wire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Marsh's Man on Wire is an essential documentary that recounts Philippe Petit's daring tightrope walk between the newly constructed Twin Towers in August 1974. Later dramatized in Robert Zemeckis' The Walk, its thrilling core story easily steers the narrative while being supported by vintage photos and filmed clips of Petit's earlier exploits as well as retrospective comments from the team that helped him pull it off. This was one of my favorite documentaries of that decade and has been available on region-free Blu-ray from Icon Film Distribution since 2008 (review here), while this belated domestic Blu-ray from Magnolia follows their own DVD from the same year. It's sadly not much of an effort, though, with the only real differences being a slightly taller open-matte 1.78:1 presentation and fewer bonus features; even a few from their own DVD are missing. I'd strongly recommend Icon's Blu-ray over this one (especially since it's not just easily obtainable, but cheaper), though anyone terrified of importing may want to pick it up.