The Walk - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

I’ve gotten to that point in this gig that I genuinely forgot that I reviewed The Walk on Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D ten years ago! Between seeing this film in theaters and reviewing it twice, I haven’t had much need to revisit it very often. So this return to the antics of Philippe Petit and his wire in 2160p was a relatively fresh experience. Looking back at my old review, some of my enthusiasm has waned a little, but otherwise I still think it’s a great film. There is a creative energy and enthusiasm aimed at wowing the audience that is impossible to ignore. 

The intensity and abruptness of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s French accent still take some getting used to, and the first act can drag. However, once the film gets rolling, it switches gears into something of a heist flick, getting into the nitty-gritty of pulling off one of the greatest, most insane, and highly illegal stunts of all time. It’s here where Zemeckis shows he can still create visual splendor while delivering a captivating character piece.  

From here on, this is what I had to say about the film ten years ago, and I largely stand by those old feelings, even if I'm not quite as enthusiastic about it today. 

There's something about playing witness to an incredible feat or skill that connects people. When you see someone do something truly amazing, you can now be one of the few people to actually say "I was there when…" and capture the attention of an audience. I was at the old Tiger Stadium in Detroit for an early birthday present on June 22, 1994, when big Lou Whitaker knocked out a bottom of the ninth grand slam home run against the Cleveland Indians, winning the game 7-5. Few people can say they had a grand slam home run hit on their birthday - but I'd be willing to bet that an even smaller number of people can say they actually saw a fearless tightrope walker cross the span of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on August 7, 1974. Robert Zemeckis' visually arresting film 'The Walk' will make you feel like you were one of the awestruck people there that day. 

Life is an experience, at least, it is for performance artist Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). As he busks in Paris streets, grabbing the attention of locals with his sleight of hand cartoon routine, he thrills them with a high-wire act as he spans the admittedly shallow distance between two trees. But his dreams are not limited to street lamps and trees; his vision, his "coup," is far greater. Ever since he read an article about the construction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, he has dreamed of walking a wire between them. In order to pull off his coup, he's going to need a lot of help. 

At first, everyone believes Philippe is crazy, a madman bent on killing himself, but as his energy and passion become infectious, it isn't long before he has assembled a small army of people to help him. At his side through the entire endeavor is his girlfriend Annie (Charlotte Le Bon). She not only helps him achieve his dream of walking a high-wire between the Twin Towers, but also keeps his feet on the ground and reminds him not to forget his friends. Of course, without the help of Papa Rudy's (Ben Kingsley) training, none of Philippe's high-height hijinks would even be possible. And, with his personal photographer and friend Jean-Louis (Clément Sibony), Philippe has the foundation for his grand coup. The only problem is logistics.

Not only is Philippe going to have to use a special type of cable with specialized support wires, but he's also going to have to learn everything he can about the day-to-day happenings of the construction crew who are racing to complete the north tower. To do that, he will need even more "accomplices" to take part in his grand scheme. These people will risk their lives and limbs, and even the possibility of jail, to help one man. But before Philippe even takes one single step on the wire, he's going to need everything perfectly in place and a whole lot of luck if he even hopes to pull off one of the most dangerous feats of human athleticism ever performed. 

For a long time now, Robert Zemeckis has been panned and criticized for his love affair with motion capture CGI animation. From 2004 through 2011, he directed 'The Polar Express,' 'Beowulf,' and 'A Christmas Carol,' and produced the awful 'Mars Needs Moms.' As the quality of these movies was at best hit or miss, fans were worried that the man who brought us 'Romancing the Stone' and the 'Back to the Future' Trilogy,' 'Cast Away,' and audience favorite 'Forrest Gump' may never return to live action filmmaking. While 'Flight' proved to be a nice return to form, 'The Walk' proves that Zemeckis' time in the land of CGI animation wasn't wasted. While this film is largely made up of practical sets and locations, the incredible CGI work is what completes the picture and makes you believe that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an experienced tightrope walker making the death-defying trek between the Twin Towers. But that's just the "wow" moment of the film. The first two acts of 'The Walk' play as an expertly crafted heist film, only instead of watching someone try to steal something, we're watching a team of people as they help one man perform one of the greatest feats of human athleticism and tenacity.

Now, if you've already gone down the road of watching the incredible Oscar-winning documentary 'Man on Wire,' then it's certainly understandable to question the necessity of this film. The best way to answer that concern is to state that 'Man on Wire' is the accurate staging of events, 'The Walk' is the fictionalized retelling of said events. 'The Walk' may not be entirely accurate to the blow-by-blow happenings of what happened where and when and involving whom, but it does grab your attention and take you on a grand journey in ways that the documentary simply can't. Where the documentary is only capable of making you feel the passion of the real-life Philippe Petit, 'The Walk' makes you feel like you're on that wire with him. Sure, it's a cavalcade of computer-generated trickery, but it's done so well, with such an impressive level of photo-realism, that it's impossible not to get caught up in the moment, and at the same time feel more than a little dizzy anytime the camera tilts down to view the ground over 100 stories below.

While it may take a little effort to get used to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's French accent, his passion and commitment to the role are infectious. You see in his wild and crazy eyes the mad dream of a man who has an impossible idea in his head, and you want to help him make it happen. Just as impressive is Charlotte Le Bon as Anne, who not only serves as the love interest but also helps keep the character of Petit grounded and relatable. Also delivering a fun turn is the always reliable Ben Kingsley. More than a teacher, you feel like he's a man who is training one of his sons to do something that even he wouldn't have the courage to do, and the relationship he strikes with Joseph Gordon-Levitt hits a number of emotional chords. 

'The Walk' may not be a perfect film, it does drag a little during the opening, but I will say that the film is a perfect visual feast. I was pinned to the back of my seat when I saw this film at the Navy Pier IMAX during its short theatrical run, and I am happy to say that while the screen size may have shrunk, the visual effect and emotional impact that comes from seeing the Twin Towers alive again and Petit's grand coup reenacted is just as palpable. While 'The Walk' is most certainly a love letter to the Twin Towers, it is also a grand tribute to the human spirit and proves that anything is possible - even the seemingly impossible - if you put your mind to it and just try.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Sony delicately steps back out onto the home video wire for the first 4K UHD + Digital release of The Walk. A single-disc release, the film is pressed onto a UHD100 disc; the included digital copy slip is Movies Anywhere compatible. The disc loads to a standard static image main menu with basic navigation options.

Given that the film was intended for large-scale 3D viewing, I haven’t had much call to see the film in two dimensions again. In the last ten years, I may have watched this film only two or three more times so I was ready to see it again in 2160p Dolby Vision with fresh eyes. And amazingly enough, it’s pretty damned impressive! I still stand by the 3D as the absolute best way to watch the film; that intention is very obvious with how so many shots were composed, but in Dolby Vision, the film picks up its own visual kick. While it can’t muster that same sense of image depth and dimension, the uptick in detail clarity and the color, black levels, and contrast with the HDR grade offer their own welcome enhancements. It’s a damned good 4K experience. 

On the audio side of the show, we have effectively the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 track as before. Which isn’t bad at all. I gave it full marks ten years ago, and I’ll stand by that. But, funnily enough, looking back at that old review, I did wonder why it wasn’t given a bigger audio spread to play with an Atmos mix. I think the film does wonderfully as is, but again, given the spatial spread, it’s curious. As is, the dialog is still clear, sound effects and music cues are just as robust. Even if the main event is relatively silent, the judiciously spaced sound effects put us right out there on the wire.

On this disc, we have all of the archival extras from the past release. Joining the fun is a short four-and-a-half-minute featurette detailing the visual effects work that went into recreating New York in the 1970s while the towers were still under construction, as well as the CG face replacements of stunt doubles. All in all, not a bad little grouping of extras, not much exciting or deep, but worth picking through. 

• Deleted Scenes (HD 5:37)
• First Steps - Learning to Walk the Wire (HD 9:11)
• Pillars of Support (HD 8:27)
• The Amazing Walk (HD 10:48)
• New-ish High Wire Act (HD 4:36)
• Theatrical Trailer

The Walk is a grand accomplishment. The film effortlessly transports us back in time for an event like none other. JGL delivers a solid, enthusiastic performance as Petit (even if that French accent is still a stick in the ear at times). Zemeckis proved again that he’s a fastidious visual filmmaker who is capable of delivering a heartfelt character-driven story. Through all of that, I still think Man on Wire is the superior telling of the tale, but for pure visual splendor, The Walk wins. And to that point of the visuals, Sony has delivered an excellent 4K Dolby Vision disc of the film. I will still always pull the 3D disc off the shelf first, but for a two-dimensional experience, this is a nice upgrade for those who aren’t keen on wearing glasses to fully enjoy their films. Recommended 

Click to Order: