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I heard about this movie via Rotten Tomatoes, as it was heralded as the second highest rated movie, second to Toy Story. I found it hard to believe that a documentary could reach near the top of the list, so I decided to buy and watch it. If there's anything I've noticed with documentaries, it's that the story-tellers often exaggerate their accomplishments and obstacles to build suspense and wonder. 'Man on Wire' begins with a very enthusiastic Phillipe Petit, the star of the movie, retelling the night before he walked across the Twin Towers with only a steel wire and a quarter-mile of free-fall space underneath him. Like the beginning of most other documentaries, the viewer is thrown into the thick of the moment and left asking one question: "What is going to happen?" But what 'Wire' does differently is that there is no secret to what Petit has done. The viewer knows that he successfully danced back and forth the towers for nearly an hour with only a wire under him. Yet through the entire movie, I found myself sitting on the edge of seat wondering what Petit and his crazy mind will do. What this documentary does so well is that it does not rely on the incredibility of the act. Instead, it focuses on the beauty of Petit's crime, his unabated energy, and the development of his and his friends' lives and character. The documentary benefits from Petit's enthusiasm, as it seems that Petit was a born story-teller. There is hardly a moment where Petit is not moving around in his seat or waving his arms when he talks to the camera. There is no doubt the man still possesses a child-like wonder and imagination. Petit's friends are equally strong story tellers, and they speak with an air of respect (and at time, regret) for their crazy friend. The documentary contains a strong mix of photos, videos and reenactments. The videos and photos follow Petit and company as they plan and execute his wire walks (as well as provide proof that these walks actually occurred.) I found the videos of Petit conversing with his cohorts to be especially strong, as they better detail his relationship and friendship, including the frictions and arguments he faced during the planning. What pale in comparison are the reenactments, shot in black and white with actors that barely resemble who they're trying to portray. The reenactments also seem heavily exaggerated, which detracts from the documentary. Many of the most unbelievable parts of the story were not captured by Petit and his friends, so unfortunately we can only rely on their word and the reenactments. A small dissappointing fact I found out only in my second viewing was that there was no actual video footage of the Twin Towers walk, save a helicopter shot that could not make out Petit. His friends managed to take many breathtaking pictures, but I feel that the lack of video footage takes a little bit away from the movie. I had not been born when this walking had happened, but I had read about it before I watched this movie. Still, the documentary manages to recapture the magic and suspense of the event and is able to share that to everyone. This is why documentaries exist.Read full review
I really loved this movie for many reasons but especially because it gave me one more glimpse of two of the most famous buildings New York was known for. Since the destruction of these buildings back in 2001, I have sought out any pictures, stories and videos that shared these beautiful building with us. I have an empty feeling that I can never visit them, standing in their tremendous shadows, peering straight up. Hopefully anyone from New York can understand and relate to my feelings but enough said about the Twin Towers. I'll admit that I had never heard of Philippe Petit until I saw a preview for this movie months before it was released. I began to research him and quickly learned that he accomplished some incredible feats. Watching him preform on a high wire is mesmerizing. You will become fascinated watching him move about the wire as if he is only a few feet above the ground. The movie gives you great insight to what the characters were thinking at the time with interviews and reenactments placed within the film with actual footage of the breathtaking event. There were so many obstacles for this team of people to pull off such a stunt, yet they did it with such grace and amazement. I fully recommend this documentary for any who enjoy watching out of the ordinary events or acts.Read full review
This documentary is great. It tells a very interesting story and has wonderful footage of the World Trade Center and wire walking.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Love documenting movies. Was very good
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Awesome documentary
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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