Why We Should Talk 'The Walk'

For starters, I think it's a bit strange and upsetting that the name Robert Zemeckis doesn't come up in conversation as much as it should. This is a guy who has been successfully and consistently churning out great movies for over 3 decades. Zemeckis is a name that should be in the same echelon as Spielberg save for one crucial aspect, he doesn't make nearly as many films as Spielberg does. 

Now as far as the 80's and 90's go, this man was on top of his game. He gave us classics like the Back to the Future films, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Death Becomes Her, and Forest Gump. Approaching the millennium we got Contact and Cast Away which are both superb. But the 21st century has not quite been a banner century for Zemeckis, that is to say not until now. But I believe this film could change the course of his career.

Zemeckis aside, 'The Walk' should be at the top of everyone's list as most anticipated for 2015. JGL, Ben Kingsley, and Ben Schwartz instill staunch firepower in the acting department, and I'm very excited to see what Charlotte Le Bon brings to the table. Levitt will be playing Philippe Petit, who's true story was already told in the phenomenal documentary 'Man On Wire'. Petit is a passionate dreamer who seems to draw others into his wake. Those around him feel inspired by his drive and his focus and it makes them feel alive to be part of it. When illegally walking a wire between the Twin Towers, unharnessed, becomes his life goal, he will stop at nothing to achieve it. I don't know that I've ever seen a documentary so riveting, and I think that it's feature film adaptation is in the right hands. 

I'm elated to see Zemeckis and Levitt working together. Zemeckis needs a new big hit, and while Levitt has been steadily acting in great movies, he hasn't really had a big starring role in a few years aside from Don Jon, which I feel flew slightly under the radar. The film made money but it also had a very low budget. This could be the big one that ignites some oscar buzz. Also, playing off of Kingsley, I think that JGL is going to rise to the challenge and really show his chops with this performance. As long as he can nail that french accent...

The teaser they have released sets an excellent tone (aside from the big flying letters, chill with that) without showing much of anything. Not even a word of dialogue spoken. I hope the future trailers won't reveal too much as well. I will probably not watch them as I know that I will be seeing this opening weekend, regardless. My only other fear is with this great team of artists working together that they don't try to make this film more of an action movie. It is imperative to keep that noir, dark motif that the documentary had, especially in the reenactments. It's a wonderful story and it should be told in a minimalistic way without adding explosions or unnecessary pulse raising. The story is exciting without all that. This should be a suspenseful nail biter that, at times, makes you forget to breath, and they have all the ingredients to give us just that. I believe in you Zemeckis. Don't let me down!