If You're Scared of Heights...

...don't go see "The Walk."  Hell, the theatrical poster alone can be tough to look at.

But, barring any vertigo, this is a film you definitely want to check out.  Of course, it's loaded with CGI but, then again, most movies today are.   And it's not like they could have done this on location because, well, the buildings aren't...

You know the rest.

Back in August of 1974, there was this crazy circus tightrope guy named Philippe Petit who somehow strung a wire across the courtyard between the recently constructed World Trade Towers and pulled off a marvelous, if not lunatic stunt.  This became the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary a few years back that was terrific.   Well, "The Wire" is the fictionalized version of that story and is almost as good.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who frequently can do no wrong in any movie he's involved, plays Petit and he narrates the saga from, of all places, the torch of the Statue of Liberty.   Okay, right from the get-go, you know this is going to be computer graphics heavy.   But the story commands it and, well, once again, the buildings aren't...

The best part of the 2009 documentary was the elaborate recreation of how Petit and his cronies rigged the wire on the roofs under the cloak of darkness.   It was as elaborate a heist as the Brinks job and totally riveting.  These people are breaking the law and you still root for them.

In "The Wire," we take a while to get to that.   The first forty-five minutes or so are spent on Petit and his mentor, played by Ben Kingsley.  Since I knew the story to come, I was anxious to get past this exposition which was fairly dull.   Plus Gordon-Levitt's French accent sometimes wandered around to Pepe LePew land which was a bit disconcerting.

But, as soon as director Robert Zemeckis gets us to New York and the planning of the stunt, we're on a runaway train of exhilaration.  And, of course, the walk itself is completely mind-blowing.   Sure I know it was all green screen and the actor himself was probably no more than twelve feet off the soundstage floor. This is movie magic at its best.

Naturally, you can't do this movie without mentioning what really happened down there in lower Manhattan on 9/11.   And Zemeckis handles that epilogue with wonderful aplomb that will evoke tears from most of the audience.

While "Man on Wire" was perfect, "The Wire" is a little less so.   But not by much.  See it.   And remember to not look down.

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night:  Chicken noodle soup.