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Director Robert Zemeckis has done it again. Another very flawed movie with just enough magic to make it worth your while.

The boringly-titled “The Walk” stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as high-wire artist Philippe Petit, a free spirited french busker with dreams of walking between the twin towers in New York City on a steel cable. Levitt hones his skills in France, forms his team, moves to New York, and attempts this “coup” (this is the script’s favorite word, given its ubiquity).

For those that saw the much better version, the documentary “Man on Wire”, much of the story will be familiar. Maybe it’s unfair to compare the real-world personalities with actors attempting to recreate them, but I found myself wishing I were watching the actual, crazy Petit. Regardless, the characters in “The Walk” range from very good (racial chameleon Ben Kingsley and the adorable Charlotte Le Bon) to distractingly bad (the comic relief team members who will likely put Cannabis legalization a few decades back).

What’s so bad? Zemeckis continues his infatuation with the uncanny valley, stringing his wire across the void that is Levitt’s thoroughly and consistently distracting accent, hair, and blue eyes. This hair alone should have delayed production until they found something slightly less ridiculous. The score, unfortunately, is better suited to a made-for-TV sports movie, and randomly placed hammy scenes bring the film down a notch or two.

On the other hand, seeing the twin towers, which this reviewer never got to experience in person, managed to really connect emotionally. The film even gives the World Trade Center a slight dramatic arc of it’s own, with one New Yorker describing them as “giant file cabinets” before Petit’s attempt to span them.

This all leads up to the finale and I’m glad to say it does not disappoint. There were many moments where I flirted with covering my eyes, the heights were so convincing. There were real moments of joy on the wire and I’m glad Zemeckis and Levitt were able to take us up there.

Reviewed by: Chad Toney on September 29, 2015