Man on Wire
Discovery Films | Release Date: July 25, 2008
8.2
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 144 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
123
Mixed:
14
Negative:
7
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
8
grandpajoe6191Oct 15, 2011
"Man On Wire" is a documentary filled with joy and tension. It makes you feel as you are the characters and in the situation they are experiencing. The film's light pace also doesn't disappoint other movie geeks who expect fast ones. A"Man On Wire" is a documentary filled with joy and tension. It makes you feel as you are the characters and in the situation they are experiencing. The film's light pace also doesn't disappoint other movie geeks who expect fast ones. A amusing documentary in general that you might want to see.… Expand
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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10
AilbheS.Nov 23, 2008
Moving captivating and highly entertaining.
1 of 1 users found this helpful
5
CecilT.Sep 22, 2008
Geezers reminiscing about their glory day -- overlooked in the drama of Watergate -- isn't enough to fill 90 minutes.
1 of 1 users found this helpful
2
RichardSFeb 26, 2009
I don't understand why people like this movie at all. The best I can think of is that it involves some kind of symbolic recoding of the WTC event of 2001. I thought the movie was overwrought and that everyone in it seemed stupid. I was I don't understand why people like this movie at all. The best I can think of is that it involves some kind of symbolic recoding of the WTC event of 2001. I thought the movie was overwrought and that everyone in it seemed stupid. I was not surprised when one of the accomplices said his memory was foggy because he used to smoke too much pot; they all talk like pot-heads. This film is like an exercise in mind control; you have these lunatics histrionically telling you how amazed you're supposed to be and then they don't give you anything to be amazed at. If the tone had been less strident, it would have been a better film. In fact, I feel that the filmmaker's tendency to blow up every detail out of proportion deflates any value that might be inherent in this dumb story.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
10
jdicksteihnApr 14, 2012
It's about a man's pursuit of his dream to walk on a tight rope between the World Trade Center towers. The story and characters are compelling enough on their own. But Marsh matches visuals to music in a way that makes this story more aIt's about a man's pursuit of his dream to walk on a tight rope between the World Trade Center towers. The story and characters are compelling enough on their own. But Marsh matches visuals to music in a way that makes this story more a work of art than a retelling. This movie owned me the first time I saw it. And I watch it again from time to time to remind myself how to dream.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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9
EpicLadySpongeAug 26, 2016
Visual, inspiring, creative, and filled with so many surprises, Man on Wire doesn't mean it's just a documentary. It had amazing results from the start to the end. You'll love it.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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3
SaraMAug 14, 2008
This movie had a really great CONCEPT and a super STORYLINE but it was simply wayy too long. Occasionally funny and moving, it was a 90 minute movie that could have been done in 30 min.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
0
BadMovieMay 1, 2009
Worst movie known to man. Dramatizations really ruin a documentary and this one is full of them. Main character is completely full of himself and makes you want to hate him despite his semi-cool caper. The recent doc on Joy Division was 100 Worst movie known to man. Dramatizations really ruin a documentary and this one is full of them. Main character is completely full of himself and makes you want to hate him despite his semi-cool caper. The recent doc on Joy Division was 100 times better. I am a democrat and I now use the term "freedom fries" instead of "French fries" after watching this. Dont be fooled by the reviews like I was, the emperor has no clothes.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
2
AndrewDJul 11, 2009
The story is mildly interesting, but is told in such a self indulgent way that it is hard to stomach. They talk about breaking into the WTC and setting up their wire as if they were pulling off some great robbery, sorry but it's more The story is mildly interesting, but is told in such a self indulgent way that it is hard to stomach. They talk about breaking into the WTC and setting up their wire as if they were pulling off some great robbery, sorry but it's more like the time my buddies and I snuck into the Dolphins stadium to take pictures of ourselves with "GO CUBS" painted on our chests. The tight rope walker, Phillipe, wants to martyr himself so badly that he says, the police threw him down a flight of stairs and that he didn't know if he would be put in jail for the rest of his life or what. He continued on because he had to fullfill his dream no matter the cost. Give me a break, his punishment for this feat was to put on a street show for some kids and the city dropped all the charges. Oh and look what he does to his mates and his girlfriend once the feat is completed. He comes off to me as self absorbed, self-centered jerk. The wire walk between the towers in itself is a beautiful site to behold, but I don't see why it warrants 90 minutes of contrived build-up. I still don't understand why they couldn't just ask to setup the wire instead of all the cloak and dagger BS. People shoot movies in NYC all the time and it would provide great publicity for the towers which had just been built at the time. Why would the city say no? The Notre Dam walk I understand not asking there since it is church, but come on - NYC? Sign a few waivers and go knock yourself out, why not? This doc is a waste of time.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
10
GarrettC.Jan 5, 2009
Viseral, real, inspireing, true artistry. I loved this movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
D.L.W.Oct 9, 2008
A bizarre story of a bizarre man... told perfectly. Definitely see this.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
StuMAug 22, 2008
The best documentary I've seen. Totally gripping and inspiring.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
AvidH.Jan 6, 2009
If this movie were made up, it would be rubbish. As a true tale, it achieves the state of magnificence. What an event. Bravo.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
SibylJul 25, 2008
Though I recall Phillippe Petit's walk between the Towers and also sat under his high wire one New Years at St. John the Divine (yes, I'm a fan), I was moved, enthralled, dazzled, by the film's story of how he and his gang so Though I recall Phillippe Petit's walk between the Towers and also sat under his high wire one New Years at St. John the Divine (yes, I'm a fan), I was moved, enthralled, dazzled, by the film's story of how he and his gang so carefully plotted and planned their stunt. Yes, thank you Phillippe and thank you James Marsh, for inspiring us to art, freedom, joy.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JimR.Aug 10, 2008
A truly great film about an inspiring human being! I'm speechless.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
SkiltyL.Aug 12, 2008
One of the most life-affirming films ever! Thanks, Philippe Petit for reminding me that life should be lived to the edge!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
EvanC.Sep 12, 2008
Before I went, I couldn't imagine how a documentary about a tight rope walker would be this entertaining and engrossing. I was dubious when all the critics were so enthusiastic, but they were right.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
RobertI.Jan 10, 2009
An daring act that evokes emotion, even now.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
[Anonymous]Jan 10, 2009
I normally love documentaries, but this bored me. I just don't understand why this was so well-reviewed.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JeremyV.Jan 23, 2009
Philippe is a emotionally captivating story-teller, and meeting him through the film is worth every penny. The story was surprisingly moving, and beautifully personifies the French ideal of "beauty" and "art". Upon completing the feat, Philippe is a emotionally captivating story-teller, and meeting him through the film is worth every penny. The story was surprisingly moving, and beautifully personifies the French ideal of "beauty" and "art". Upon completing the feat, people kept asking why they did it and with their French ideals they didn't understand why there had to be a reason - it was art-beauty, nothing more.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
williamCJan 28, 2009
Very watchable. I was surprised since the subject matter is something I had no interest in.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
hollycFeb 23, 2009
This is a thoroughly awesome yet subtly moving documentary on Phillip Petit's wirewalk of the WTC towers in 1974. I think Ebert's review log line kind of sets the right description for the way "Man on Wire" sits with you. 9/11 is This is a thoroughly awesome yet subtly moving documentary on Phillip Petit's wirewalk of the WTC towers in 1974. I think Ebert's review log line kind of sets the right description for the way "Man on Wire" sits with you. 9/11 is understood throughout but never explicitly mentioned and with good reason. It is a story of the triumph of creativity, art and life in the face of death and destruction. Bravo Marsh.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
JimmySoDec 21, 2008
Song of Innocence
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MarkH.Dec 25, 2008
Best documentary of 2008! Very entertaining! A good caper flick, not a boring "how they did it" History Channel program.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
RiaR.Dec 28, 2008
Extremely unusual, extremely inspiring. In a Prozac era, it is so uplifting to see someone with such a lust for life; someone who really experiences life as beautiful. What an unusual person!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
LisaSep 21, 2008
Mesmerizing, incredible photography, incredible conception.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
HarryP.Dec 17, 2008
The fact that the Twin Towers are there no more lends this film a depth and weight it would not have had were it simply the celebration of a self-absorbed artist's biggest caper/production. Moments of pure magic - the walk itself - are The fact that the Twin Towers are there no more lends this film a depth and weight it would not have had were it simply the celebration of a self-absorbed artist's biggest caper/production. Moments of pure magic - the walk itself - are its redemption.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
JimmyD.Dec 21, 2008
Surprisingly exciting. A great thriller.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
Christopher_G2Apr 14, 2014
This documentary about the amazing process in how a very compelling man managed to tight rope walk from one World Trade Center building to the other decades after the event is my favorite documentary of the entire decade from 2000 to 2009.This documentary about the amazing process in how a very compelling man managed to tight rope walk from one World Trade Center building to the other decades after the event is my favorite documentary of the entire decade from 2000 to 2009. The whole sequence of events is fascinating, and every character, not just the main one, is interesting to watch. A must see.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
SimoneRApr 23, 2011
This movie is all about what art is : When somebody says something is impossible - let us begin with it. The artistic creativity of an artist is always a balancing act over the rules in human society.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
napstrpsxMar 19, 2013
8.5/10 Despite a couple of flaws, relatively speaking a great film.

Miss: While not a long movie, it could have been trimmed up a bit. It's an undeniably beautiful story, but I did find it a bit self-indulgent at times. Hit: Everything8.5/10 Despite a couple of flaws, relatively speaking a great film.

Miss: While not a long movie, it could have been trimmed up a bit. It's an undeniably beautiful story, but I did find it a bit self-indulgent at times.

Hit: Everything else about the film is very good, and I would recommend it to anyone. It's pretty amazing how much vintage footage is used in the film documenting everything from the construction of the twin towers to Phillipe practicing his tightrope skills and interacting with his friends. Everyone involved with the events being told gives are able to give some fascinating first-hand accounts. I enjoyed watching this film because it is an intimate look into the mind of someone who is very different than the average person. Phillipe had life-long goals and relentlessly pursued them, doing things that most of us could never imagine doing ourselves. This is a film I will remember for quite some time.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
spielbrick90Oct 27, 2011
'Man On Wire' is and interesting story about an interesting man who is doing interesting stuff. I watched the documentry on the television and was pulled in to the film and actually couldn't turn the television off, I kind of couldn't walk'Man On Wire' is and interesting story about an interesting man who is doing interesting stuff. I watched the documentry on the television and was pulled in to the film and actually couldn't turn the television off, I kind of couldn't walk over to the remote, I was just so concentrated, I was just staring at the television. A epic in documentry history.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
TyranianDec 13, 2019
Very good documentary about Philippe Petit and his daring plan to walk between the Trade Center towers on a wire.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
lasttimeisawAug 15, 2012
From UK director James Marsh, this Academy award BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE winner is a distinguishing of its own kind, it marvellously mends the interview with a re-enactment of the electrifying tightrope routine performed in World Trade Centre
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
AutiTakahashiAug 1, 2012
I look at the movie's poster and instantly notice a man whose life is dependent upon that thin, almost invisible wire. That man is Philippe Petit, and on August 7, 1974, he was arrested for trespassing. More specifically, he walked, knelt,I look at the movie's poster and instantly notice a man whose life is dependent upon that thin, almost invisible wire. That man is Philippe Petit, and on August 7, 1974, he was arrested for trespassing. More specifically, he walked, knelt, and danced on a wire he and his friends connected between the Twin Towers. I have a curiosity for extraordinary human feats and a phobia for heights, and the sight of Mr. Petit on that wire was one of the most beautiful and freighting things I have ever seen.
I think that it's obvious that he succeeded since you cannot arrest a dead man. We all know that what he did was truly remarkable but what confounds many is his reason in doing it. Before I saw "Man on Wire", I stared at the poster, wondering what type of individual would do this, to risk a life so much that a wrong step could end it. Crazy was the word I thought of that would describe it the best, and then I watched the movie.

Read more here: http://localmoviereview.com/man-on-wire-movie-review/… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
JwvFeb 3, 2014
Great documentary with a delicious directness

A great documentary that left me thinking about my own life and dreams. Not only the content and larger-than-life feat performed in the movie are its strong points, but also the directness andGreat documentary with a delicious directness

A great documentary that left me thinking about my own life and dreams. Not only the content and larger-than-life feat performed in the movie are its strong points, but also the directness and authenticity of the interviews with the people involved in the stunt. The strength in this is that it doesn't make the documentary something far-off, distant and unrealistic idealistic, but rather something very close.

In my opinion, the scenes should have been rearranged. It would have been better to work chronologically toward one climax instead of flashing back and forward in time. This killed the tension. The whole should more closely reflect the natural accumulation of tension Philippe and his companions experienced when coming closer to their performance, not only making it a climax for Philippe, but for the viewer too.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
CasuallyFeb 1, 2017
This remarkable tale of one man's undying determination to realise his dream is uplifting but not inspiring. The anecdotes are hilarious and the emotional investment of his team is stirring. Unfortunately, however, the inspirational sentimentThis remarkable tale of one man's undying determination to realise his dream is uplifting but not inspiring. The anecdotes are hilarious and the emotional investment of his team is stirring. Unfortunately, however, the inspirational sentiment that the story attempts to achieve is let down by Philippe. He is driven by arrogance over bravery and achieves his goal through luck over skill.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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3
FilipeNetoMar 1, 2021
I am not an expert in evaluating documentaries (or anything else, I do not consider myself an authority on any particular subject), but I confess that I did not feel particularly excited about this documentary. For an Oscar-winningI am not an expert in evaluating documentaries (or anything else, I do not consider myself an authority on any particular subject), but I confess that I did not feel particularly excited about this documentary. For an Oscar-winning documentary, I think something was missing.

To begin with, the topic is quite alien to me. I am not a fan of acrobats, and I hate the circus and almost everything related since I was a child. I don't know why, it's something that I always carried with me. Furthermore, I liked the way Philippe Petit pursued his dream, but that's it. As a person, Petit seemed repugnant: an unreasonable man, who does not listen to anyone when making a decision, an artist driven by his own desire for self-assertion, with an overly dominant and self-centered personality. In the documentary, his wife says a phrase that, for me, sums up Philippe Petit's personality and way of being: "We became inseparable and, in his life, I completely forgot mine, and he didn't even care about realize if I had my destiny to follow. It was evident that I had to follow his." I rest my case.

The documentary addresses the topic correctly and is technically well done, it makes everything clear to those who are watching. However, it starts from an incorrect premise: that the public knows in advance what Philippe Petit did in the towers of the World Trade Center. The American public, perhaps, and fans of funambulism will surely know this acrobat quite well... but I, like most people in Europe, no longer even remember the World Trade Center for any reason other than the tragic way how it ceased to exist.… Expand
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