7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
The story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Clément SibonyAdventure | 100% |
Biography | 55% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48 kHz, 16-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Perhaps in no other film can moviemaking's magic be better experienced than in The Walk, Director Robert Zemeckis' touching, funny, and in every way inspiring and spectacular true-to-life recreation of the Philippe Petit story. Petit is a French-born man who, in 1974, walked on a wire tightly strung between New York's Twin Towers, crossing back-and-forth to the awe of spectators far below and the angst of law enforcement closing in on him. The towers have long since fallen but Zemeckis' film lovingly returns them to life in a fitting, heartfelt cinema experience that explores their majesty set against one man's determination to fulfill a dream. The film elicits all kinds of emotion -- everything from deep sadness to overwhelming joy -- in what can only be described as a movie as monumentally satisfying as the wire walk performance itself, capturing a spirit of accomplishment in the shadow of tragedy that will undoubtedly stand as tall as the towers as a loving tribute to not only fallen steel and concrete but man's persistence, the power of hope, and the joy of seeing a dream fulfilled.
Walk.
The Walk's digital photography yields a decidedly flat-looking image, but its inorganic and mildly pasty nature doesn't do it any harm. Details are very strong. The image's overall and far-reaching clarity -- evident upon real-life details and digital renderings alike -- is its best asset. General environmental details, particularly dense city elements, are terrific. Facial and clothing textures fare well but never quite find the same level of absolute, lifelike, tangible exactness as seen in other feature films. The Walk takes on a fairly cold, blue-gray dominant color scheme. Various shades stand apart nicely enough -- yellow hard hats and a yellow New York cab, bold natural greens, warmer reds and oranges -- but the cooler look prevails throughout. Black levels are impressively deep and rich. Flesh tones hold a natural shading within the movie's color scheme. Light noise dances across some backgrounds, but the image is otherwise free of any serious, troubling artifacts or compression issues. This is an excellent presentation from Sony.
The Walk's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack isn't a classic example of aggressive, assaulting reference audio, but it's terrific in its own right and a perfect example of refined, supportive sound. Musical recreation is terrific. There's a nice cross-section of styles, each of them presented with exemplary attention to detail, perfect volume and stage balance, strong supportive bass, and natural surround envelopment. Ambient effects are terrific and filling, effortlessly recreating dense Paris and New York streets. Lighter elements gently surround the listener during the upper atmosphere high wire walk. A few examples of more aggressive sound -- tightly pulled and springy wires, a whirring helicopter near film's end -- enjoy precision placement and superb definition. Dialogue drives the film, and delivery is naturally focused in the center. Clarity is strong and prioritization is perfect.
The Walk contains three featurettes and several deleted scenes. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.
Who can say whether Philippe Petit's story would have been made into a film were it not for the events that transpired on 9/11. But that day did happen, and for all that's followed The Walk is, at least cinematically, perhaps the most important. The film is a triumph. While it's a bit slow out of the gate, that sluggishness becomes a sense of anticipation becomes a nearly unbearable wait and hope, and all of that is only matching Philippe Petit's own unquenchable thirst to live his dream. Once the action shifts to New York and the film spends much of its second half in the actual preparations for, and recreation of, the walk, it takes flight like few films before it and commands the audience's full attention not only as visual spectacle but emotional triumph. It's a beautifully crafted film, breathtaking in every way, and a treasure of the cinema world and certainly in the post-9/11 era. Sony's Blu-ray 2D release of The Walk delivers dazzling video, expert audio, and a few good supplement. The Walk earns my highest recommendation.
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