mike_olley

The Walk (2015)

Let me start by saying this: The Walk is a simple, almost whimsical film - but it stirred something in me I wasn't expecting. And I'm every bit the testosterone-driven male. I like my films tough, grounded, preferably with a few explosions. So admitting I was moved - really moved - by a film about a bloke prancing on a wire between two buildings... well, that's not easy. But here we are.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Philippe Petit with a commanding, boyish charm. He doesn't just act - he dances through the part, full of impish arrogance and vulnerable obsession. The supporting cast - Ben Kingsley as the mentor Papa Rudy, and the rest of the tight-knit rogue crew - all deliver sharp, committed performances. There's not a weak link among them. You believe this gang could smuggle a steel cable up the World Trade Center under the noses of New York's finest.

But the film's greatest triumph is how real it feels. I knew it wasn't filmed on the actual Twin Towers - of course not - but the final act feels like it was. It's so beautifully shot, so quietly reverent, that you forget yourself. And that's when it hit me: this film scared me to the bone. It's not horror, not suspense in the usual way - but my gut clenched, my hands sweated, and I was left peering between fingers. It brought me as close to fear of death as any film has - and that's no easy trick.

And yet... I loved it. I was utterly swept up in its gentleness, its danger, and its hope.

Now, let's talk about the wig. Whoever signed off on Petit's hairpiece must have had about £2.50 and a prayer left in the props budget. It looked like a cross between a startled hedgehog and a regional magician. But do you know what? I forgave it. The rest of the film is so well-meaning, so carefully crafted, that even a budget wig couldn't ruin the charm.

If I have one small gripe - it's that the film skims past much of Petit's broader career. The man walked wires across Notre-Dame, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and more. The film gives us the big one (and rightly so), but there's a rich life there that only gets a glance.

Still, The Walk is a wonderful film. It's a love letter to ambition, risk, and beauty. Thank goodness it all turned out well.

And as for the ending? He was arrested, sure - but his punishment? He was made to entertain children in Central Park.

American justice - don't you just love it.

Review: Inside Man: Most Wanted

Let's be honest-when you fire up Inside Man: Most Wanted, you're not expecting Inception. You're probably expecting some hostages, some shouting, and maybe a SWAT van crashing through a marble atrium. What you get, however, is something a little cheekier, a little cleverer, and-thanks to the cast-surprisingly fun.

Front and centre is Rhea Seehorn, fresh off turning spines to jelly as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, where she delivered law with a flick of the wrist and enough restraint to make a monk look emotional. Here, she's Dr Brynn Stewart-a negotiator from the world of books, ethics, and likely a punishing schedule of peer-reviewed journals. She's sharp, principled, and looks like she could write a dissertation while defusing a bomb. Possibly does.

Backing her up (or occasionally winding her up) is Aml Ameen, playing NYPD negotiator Remy Darbonne-a man who juggles crisis management, sarcasm, and having great teeth all at once. You might remember Aml from The Maze Runner or Kidulthood, where he spent more time running from danger than calmly talking to it. Here, he swaps trackies for a badge and brings just enough swagger to make you believe he's done this before-even if his negotiation style sometimes borders on "shout first, ask later."

Then there's Roxanne McKee, turning in a chilly, charismatic performance as one of the head baddies. Yes, that Roxanne McKee-once of Hollyoaks, where she honed the art of delivering dramatic exits in stilettos. She's also popped up in Game of Thrones (very briefly-it's Westeros, after all), but here she gets far more screen time and makes the most of it, smirking just enough to suggest she's having a good time being bad.

Plot-wise, we won't give too much away. There's a museum, some very serious people, an impossible situation, and-of course-a twist clever enough to make you feel like you just passed a pop quiz you didn't study for. The tension bubbles, the stakes rise, and somewhere in the background, a soundtrack desperately tries to keep up (honestly, the music's a bit pants, like they let the intern compose it on a Casio keyboard).

Now look-does it have its flaws? Yes. Could everything be slicker, sharper, and a tad less serious? Sure. But this is mid-budget genre cinema that knows what it is: a nicely bottled bit of cat-and-mouse, with good performances, passable dialogue, and a few surprises along the way.

As for the IMDb score (somewhere below six, bless it), don't let that stop you. This is a perfect wind-down movie-put it on after a long day, lean back, and enjoy watching people try very hard not to get shot while talking at high speed.

You may be surprised to learn the star of this gritty little sci-fi thriller is a former German special forces operative who served in Afghanistan. Yes-German special forces did fight in the Afghan war. They weren't just brewing beer and designing efficient cars; they were out there in the dust with US and British units, kicking down doors in classified joint operations. Just don't expect Berlin to tell you much about it-German military missions are about as secretive as your nan's naughty black-and-white photos.

And that quiet professionalism makes Exterritorial all the more intriguing. Here we've got a hard-as-nails ex-Kommando Spezialkräfte soldier-a woman with a backstory the script only hints at, but which radiates from her weathered expression like desert heat off tarmac. She's the good guy. Mostly.

Add to that a villain who speaks like he's read too much Nietzsche and smells like petrol, and a wild card sidekick, Irina (played by Lera Abova), whose apparently shifting loyalties make for some proper "what the hell is happening?" moments. It's got that familiar European sci-fi mood: part haunted tech lab, part black-ops bunker, with a dash of Black Mirror unease. There's a small but clever plot about weaponised memory, a mysterious object from the stars, and a question mark over who's really telling the truth.

And yes-there are high-tech gadgets galore. Some are clearly intended to help us suspend disbelief about the starlet's erratic behaviour (don't worry, she's not losing it-just temporarily synchronised with a pulsar from Andromeda or something). The techy stuff gives it pace and that sense of "maybe this is happening just five years from now."

It's a German film, dubbed into English. But worry not: modern dubbing isn't the comedy gold it used to be. This isn't like those classic Bruce Lee numbers where the lips would finish the sentence sometime after the credits rolled (don't you just miss them though? Real class...). No, this is slick, well-timed, and the voices match the mood beautifully.

Overall, Exterritorial is tight, satisfying, and a bit mad in the best way. It's one of those foreign gems that streamers are increasingly brave enough to show us-and we're better off for it. There's grit, action, sci-fi smarts, and a lead actor who probably still carries sand in her boots from Helmand Province.

Definitely worth a watch. Just maybe don't ask the German government what it's really about.