Film Review: ‘The Long Walk’ is an Effectively and Intentionally Exhausting Experience

When you find out that The Long Walk is adapted from one of the earliest works of Stephen King, you’d be forgiven for worrying that Hollywood has started scraping the bottom of the barrel. Luckily, that’s hardly the case, and if this film isn’t the masterpiece that is The Life of Chuck, or the batshit crazy fun that is The Monkey, it’s very much a compelling piece of cinema. Is the movie a tough watch? Yes. Is that the point? Also yes.

The Long Walk takes a premise that does not sound very cinematic and makes it almost hypnotic. Despite the static nature of what’s going on, you keep getting more and more drawn in, to the point where the ending almost feels abrupt, even with how punishing getting there has been for the characters. The experience is not especially fun, to be fair, but it’s the sort of flick you definitely want to think about once it ends. This one lingers, folks.

Set in a dystopian future America being ruled by a totalitarian regime (so, loose fiction), one glimmer of hope rests for the country’s young men. It’s a walking contest, though hardly one meant just for exercise. “The Long Walk” is held annually and offers participants the opportunity of a lifetime. “Walkers” must follow very strict rules, enforced by The Major (Mark Hamill), which if they don’t follow, result in execution. They must maintain a speed of at least three miles per hour or be executed after three short warnings. The contest only ends when one walker remains alive. Then, they receive “The Prize” in all its glory, allowing them to get whatever they want. Essentially, a free wish.

As this year’s contest is getting ready to start, we meet Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), a genial and good hearted guy who has mysterious reasons for doing this, as well as a secret plan for if he wins. Despite it being every man for himself in theory, Ray quickly forms a bond and a friendship with the optimistic Peter McVries (David Jonsson). Ray and Pete support each other, as well as some of the other guys, especially once the shots begin ringing out, with the body count rising. As the herd thins out, they start to wonder who among them will end up winning, as well as what that life will ultimately look like.

The cast is led by the excellent Cooper Hoffman and especially David Jonsson. Both have great chemistry with the other and will likely be who audiences are rooting for. Hoffman has a quality that does recall his late father, while Jonsson just has a charisma that shines. As for Mark Hamill, he’s not in it a whole lot, but as the villain, he does manage to make an impression. The supporting cast also includes Roman Griffin Davis, Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Garrett Wareing, and more.

Francis Lawrence directs this King adaptation penned by JT Mollner with a determination to make you feel what the boys are going through. There’s some impressive filmmaking on hand, with long shots requiring strong acting, as well as some directorial precision. Now, Lawrence and Mollner also fall into some long conversations that go nowhere, as well as become fascinated with how walkers void their bowels, but it’s all about wearing you down. Much like the contestants, by the end, you’re exhausted.

The Long Walk will prove to be exhausting to the point or annoyance for some, though that does seem to be the point. King fans curious about this adaptation will certainly be fulfilled, that’s for sure. General audiences? That’s a different story and remains to be seen, but just in terms of quality, this is well worth checking out.

SCORE: ★★★