Man on Wire (2008)

Director: James Marsh

Starring: Philippe Petit

More info: IMDb

Tagline: 1974. 1350 feet up. The artistic crime of the century.

Plot: A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century."

My rating: 9/10

Will I watch it again? Hell, YEAH!

Remarkable! Exhilarating! MAN ON WIRE is one of the finest, most emotional documentaries I've seen in a long time. I was 5 when he did this and I seem to recall seeing something about Petit's feat on TV. It was huge. This documentary is an amazing piece of work. It's very playful in that the setup of the "feat" is treated like a caper picture. Mychael Nyman's wonderful score, the style, the works. It's delightfully funny and tense as hell. You know he succeeds because it's right there on the poster but it's the 'how' and 'why' that pull you in and keep you glued for an hour an a half. Petit's a very charismatic man who's voice is filled with joy and wonder. When he tells you it was his destiny to walk between those towers you couldn't be convinced otherwise. I was moved by the film makers decision NOT to say a single word about 9/11 or the now absence of the towers. It spoke volumes to me as any mention of it would have taken the focus off of this man's insane achievement. MAN ON WIRE is an emotional, edge 0f your seat ride that will have you standing in line for a second trip.