Man On Wire (2008)

A highly entertaining and extremely accessible film.

Cleverly assembled like a heist thriller, this film documents the 1974 wire-walking stunt between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Not only does it have a remarkable resonance seven years after 9/11, but it's a cracking good story.

Cleverly assembled like a heist thriller, this film documents the 1974 wire-walking stunt between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Not only does it have a remarkable resonance seven years after 9/11, but it's a cracking good story.

Marsh presents Petit as a kind of acrobatic Werner Herzog, talented, eccentric and perhaps slightly crazy.

James Marsh’s film is brilliantly achieved and assembled.

The astonishing tale, told like a well-paced heist movie, is illustrated by film footage and breathtaking photographs taken by the group.

Gripping stuff, for sure, but you may fall asleep waiting for that big walk, while the juicy stuff – a fall-out between Petit and his co-conspirators – is glossed over at the end.

Marsh’s film is an achievement in itself, beautifully constructed and carried off; and that’s only fitting when his subject epitomises the soul-lifting power of that perpetual human hunger to do the impossible.

Marsh ably captures the irresistible story of a visionary and a dreamer, a man who was defined by this one act. If there's one gripe, it's a shame there's no film footage of Petit conquering the towers.

It's an incredible story, and in Man on Wire, Marsh has made a documentary that's worthy of his walk.