Look, up in the sky! It's a wacky french dude and he's killing it!

Man on Wire

This Philippe Petit dude is off his rocker. I mean he crosses the Sydney harbor bridge on a tightrope wire, does the same thing for Notre Dame and repeats this stunt by crossing between The World Trade Center towers. This guy is as skilled as he is crazy, however, and watching him perform is like watching any great artist. In these clips you do not see the wire that supports Pitet. You only see him floating miraculously in the air.

The inherent danger of his stunts is so great that even though Petit himself is in the film describing his life and the various crossings he has made, the viewer is still afraid for Pitet's life every time the movie shows you a clip of him hundreds of feet in the air supported by little more than a wire.

The archival footage of a young Petit carrying his girlfriend across a wire in his backyard, the interviews with his “gang” as they recall planning the stunt and Petit’s own insights as to why he took such risks are all fascinating. When the movie gets to the footage of Pitet floating across the distance between The Twin Towers the film becomes sublime and you, watching, float with him.

You should rent this movie if

1. You enjoy well-crafted, fascinating documentaries.
2. You want to see a movie that is uplifting.

You should buy this movie if

1. You like real life stories that transcend real life.
2. You own any other documentaries.
3. You are thinking of wire walking as a career choice.

If you are interested in buying this DVD here is a link to Amazon where you can get it at a reasonable price: