CRITICS’ PICKS

This intoxicating new documentary about Philippe Petit’s 1974 walk between the twin towers of New York’s 110-story World Trade Center offers many pleasures, but one of the most satisfying is that it delivers exactly the film you’re expecting when you look at photographs of this amazing event. A rare double winner of both Sundance’s jury prize and its audience award, this picture is made with the human interest of a psychological drama, the “You Are There” factor of a classic documentary and the pace of a thriller. Petit continues to live by the philosophy that “life should be lived on the edge of life.” “Man on Wire” is a primer on just what that means.