The Long Walk

In an unspecified dystopian future, fifty boys must compete for an arduous 350-mile walk livestreamed to a nihilist Americana. If they falter as much as below 3 miles per hour, they get three warnings. On the third strike, they’re shot dead. This is The Long Walk, Francis Lawrence’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name.

Much more than just a Hunger Games-style dystopian gameshow. At first glance, The Long Walk doesn’t seem unique enough to stand out among other films with similar concepts. Director Francis Lawrence is a veteran of Hunger Games-like dystopian thrillers, having directed every film so far (barring the first one). And with Stephen King’s other “satire on American totalitarianism disguised as a gameshow gorefest,” The Running Man, being adapted for a Glen Powell-starrer later this year, the publicity materials and trailers can’t help The Long Walk step out of the crowd. But if you try this grim, gory, and sporadically inspiring journey, it can grab you by the legs in its disturbing world from the very start. Lawrence’s outdoor direction through the heart of a crumbling America is jarring ever since the first unfortunate walker dies for stopping for a cramped leg. The Long Walk doesn’t hold back on the bodily harm.

Some serious teen camaraderie that will win over Stephen King fans. But instead of punctuating the violence with screeching music and invasive zoom-ins, the fatal walk is underlaid with sensitivity and sadness that one wouldn’t expect from a film with such a premise. The Long Walk isn’t just a shocking, exploitative genre work, but rather a shocking, tragic coming-of-age tale that makes you shed a tear. With a young cast powered by the camaraderie between Cooper Hoffman (more mature than his breakout role in Licorice Pizza) and David Jonsson (yet again showing A-lister potential after Rye Lane and Alien: Romulus), this is a King adaptation that’s less supernatural terror and more loss of innocence. Think of something similar to The Losers Club’s adolescent struggles in the It movies or the life-changing journey in Stand By Me (adapted from King’s novella The Body). Mark Hamill is also delightfully wicked as a jingoistic order-barking military commander overseeing the boys with his perpetually sunglasses-worn stare. But it’s Hoffman and Jonsson’s chemistry in finding common ground over their tragic pilgrimage that makes The Long Walk a truly endearing watch. As the miles increase, friendships are forged and tragic pasts are rekindled (thankfully in controlled and not-too-expository flashbacks). It’s an experience that barely demands a smile, but even in the grimmest and bloodiest of times, our teen heroes’ cheeky banter and rebellious cries keep the human spirit running.