THE WALK, almost begrudgingly, engages in the twee-fictionalization of the story of Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the man who infamously snuck into the Twin Towers and walked a tightrope between them in 1974. It's clear that Zemeckis may be not as interested in the origin story of Petit as we rapidly tumble through a fourth-wall pummeling first half of dissociation-inducing storytelling. Things really take off when planning and scouting for the titular walk begins, as Zemeckis investigates how something like this could have ever taken place, employing his usual filmmaking prowess to ramp up the tension, attaining the energy of a heist film. It doesn't take too much of a stretch to start seeing the connections between this story and 9/11 (along with Zemeckis’ potential riffing on his good buddy Spielberg’s MUNICH), creating at the very least a fascinating, almost investigative post-9/11 film. The pay-off of the movie, the walk itself, is nothing short of breathtaking and a truly singular cinematic experience for every second. Though it can be easy or tempting to dismiss THE WALK in the canon of Zemeckis, there's plenty to chew on if you're open to it, and as always, no one in Hollywood can pull off special effects and keep you strapped to your seat like Bobby Z.