Robert Zemeckis, a director whom I associate with making reliable blockbusters in the spirit of the Hollywood of way back when, strikes again with the visually satisfying tale of Phillipe Petit's audacious and incredible wire-walking stunt between the Twin Towers.

Like the recent Brangelina film By The Sea, a large majority of the film is, surprisingly, in French. Unlike By The Sea, Joseph Gordon Levitt's French is more than understandable and adds a believable element to his portrayal of the loud and flamboyant man whose passion is often mistaken as arrogance. The film's success lies in two places: celebrating the death-defying act as a work of art rather than the fever dream of an adrenaline junkie, and revving up to the act - effectively creating a heist film. If only Peyton Reed and the Marvel team had watched The Walk before creating Ant-Man, the film would have been far more entertaining and exciting with higher stakes. After all, how can putting a wire between two towers create a more exciting film than a man who can shrink to the size of an ant who has to infiltrate a high-tech facility to destroy technology that might change the face of military warfare for the worst?

Zemeckis deserves respect as a filmmaker because he manipulates and uses the medium of cinema in a way that would be impossible to apply in any other art form. Ever since seeing his brilliantly cinematic and digitally manipulated shot of a young Jena Malone running to get meds from her father's medicine cabinet in the underrated Contact, Zemeckis established himself as a director with a clear style and tone (even if it is somewhat syrupy).

At a running time of two hours, The Walk does not feel tedious and retains a remarkable and strong sense of pacing - a constant building crescendo to the final and incredible feat. Unfortunately, the first hour or so is tedious and repetitive, probably much like training for wire-walking. The coloured contacts and orange-brown hair on JGL sometimes feel unnatural, and the running monologue that is delivered through the fourth wall seems like a cop-out, despite the nice touch of the lighting reflecting the time of day in his recollections.

In the end, what truly makes this film soar is Zemeckis' signature style, consisting of a child-like wonder expressed through the screen, a clear passion for his projects. Zemeckis is as close to a time-travelling director from the early 1900's now working at the highest levels of Hollywood productions, firmly rooted in the principles of the "Cinema Of Attractions". Dariusz Wolski's consistently impressive cinematography combined with good performances all-round elevate the film. Even the generic soaring Hollywood soundtrack helps the film in establishing it as a spectacle for all - much like Phillipe Petit's incredible ouvre.