Petit is a climber who believes nobody can stop him. He also thirsts for escape---a chance to see the world from a new perspective.
The public reaction to Petit’s wire-walking is revealing. Wanting to understand the mystery and practicality of Petit’s endeavor, the public asks, “Why?”
For Petit, “there is no why.” The public cannot accept it. While Petit’s act gives them a breath of fresh air in the middle of their grueling and tiresome lives, a man driven by love and passion is alien to them.
The images of the World Trade Center are now tainted with what occurred on 9/11, but Man on Wire carries itself from beginning to end in a manner that does not let the tragedy overshadow the magnificence of the towers or the daring scheme which Petit carried out in the 1970s.
A combination of stills, stock footage, and drama reconstruction move the liberating and powerful film from beginning to end in a first-rate manner that makes this thrilling.
Wrapped in the story of passion and beauty lies a finely crafted heist film for all to enjoy as Petit and crew had to plot their way into the towers and meticulously prepare supplies so that the wire could be extended from one tower to the other for Petit to walk on.
The score by the Michael Nyman Band provides a lush, tender, and anxious atmosphere for the film’s characters to tell their refreshingly subversive tale in.
Based on the book “To Reach the Clouds” by Phillippe Petit, Man on Wire compels one to consider living his or her life as if it is a work of art like Petit did. And, when you think about it, the sky’s the limit if you shed your doubt and approach the world with confidence like Petit did when faced with the unlikeliest of inspirations.
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