The Walk

In a fictionalized account of events, this fictional version of Parisian street performer Philippe Petit, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, narrates the story of his attempt in 1974 to orchestrate and execute the very illegal high wire walk between the roofs of the then tallest buildings in the world, the World Trade Center in New York City. While he in general performed what his estranged parents considered circus tricks, such as unicycle riding and juggling, it is wire walking without what he considered unnecessary for him safety measures to which he was most drawn, he never viewing such as flirting with death, but rather living life to the fullest. This account details his attraction to this specific act ever since he became aware of the construction of the towers, and putting together the pieces to accomplish it. Those pieces include amassing a team who he calls his accomplices, which includes people chosen for their specific attributes, but also includes new friends who just want to support him on this unprecedented act. It is a time sensitive issue in that he knows it has to be done before the towers are fully open for business, and especially setup within certain hours of the day to avoid detection not only by security but by anyone who may question his or his team's presence in the buildings. Beyond they getting caught beforehand, a potential hurdle is the mentality of his own team who may not either be able to carry out their role, especially acrophobic Jeff who is one assigned to be on the roof, or buckle under the threat of the consequences, all the while meeting his exacting standards, he who will only do the walk on his own terms.