Man on Wire (2008)

Believe it or not, the artistic crime of the century is not considered to be Bride Wars.

Man on Wire is a remarkable documentary about Frenchman Philippe Petit, who in 1974, illegally walked a tightrope between the two towers of New York's World Trade Center. There's no denying that it's a mind-blowing act in and of itself, but the incredible amount of planning and preparations that went into staging the feat, make for equally captivating and empowering viewing.

Told through a series of interviews, original footage and stylish re-enactments, Man on Wire intersperses a brief history of Petit's life with a re-telling of the measures he and his team went to in order to infiltrate the two towers and stage the dazzling performance.

The film's story begins as Petit – who, 35 years on, remains a charmingly eccentric showman, physically re-enacting key parts of his tale during his interviews – shares the amusing circumstances that planted the idea in his mind: as a boy, Petit saw an article about the construction of the World Trade Center in a newspaper in a dentist's waiting room. Fascinated, Petit faked a sneeze while tearing out the article and fled from the waiting room.

A street performer by profession, Petit planned and executed a number of illegal high-wire acts before conquering the World Trade Center, including tightrope walks at Notre Dame de Paris and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, both of which are wonderfully documented here (upon his arrest after the Australia stunt, Petit swiped a policeman's watch, unbeknownst to its wearer). But with one eye constantly on the construction of New York's Twin Towers, Petit set about planning his thrilling act.

With all the excitement of a classic heist film, Man on Wire director James Marsh engagingly retells the complex preparations Petit and his collaborators undertook in order to safely plan the stunt's execution. Part of this film's real thrill – which I won't spoil for you here – is seeing the ingenious plot unfold as the team overcame various obstacles, from smuggling more than a tonne of equipment to the highest floors of the towers to figuring out how to secure a cable between the two buildings over 400 metres above ground level. As a fictional film, it would have made for entertaining viewing; knowing that the whole affair is true makes it spellbinding.

The moment Petit steps out onto the high-wire was sadly not caught on film, but the series of photographs capturing this extraordinary act are breathtaking, particularly accompanied by Man on Wire's brilliant soundtrack. When the police arrived, Petit's collaborators recount how he moved toward the safety of the buildings to give himself over before cheekily turning around and heading back out along the tightrope.

His subsequent arrest and admittance to a mental asylum adds an extra layer to this entrancing documentary. An amazing story amazingly told.