The Long Walk
After viewing Raymond Garraty's letter advising him he'd won his state's lottery to compete in an annual challenge, we'll see his distraught mother Ginnie (Judy Greer, "The Descendants") drop him off at a military base. There Ray (Cooper Hoffman, "Licorice Pizza") will be given #47 and be told the rules of the competition. One must maintain a pace of 3 mph or receive a warning. If one doe not reach that pace within 10 seconds, a second warning is issued. One can only receive 3 warnings and must walk for three hours to wipe the slate clean. If one goes over the warning limit or leaves the asphalt at any time, one will be immediately eliminated during the televised endurance test that can only have one winner, "The Long Walk."
Laura's Review: B
Director Francis Lawrence returns with a film that has many surface similarities to his "The Hunger Games" franchise, a dystopian world where kids compete against each other to the death, but where "The Hunger Games" is rooted in fantasy, "Strange Darling's" JT Mollner's adaptation of the first novel Stephen King wrote is more rooted in reality. The story itself isn't anything new and most will predict exactly where it's heading, but an extraordinary ensemble invests us in characters coming to grips with a dark fate.
Raymond immediately introduces himself to Peter McVries (David Jonsson, "Rye Lane") and the two will build a strong friendship over the course of the film, revealing the vastly different back stories which color their world views. They are the heart of this tale and both actors are reason enough to see the film, but there is also a notable cast of supporting players, some of whom are declared the Musketeers by Pete. These include Tut Nyuot's Baker, who grew up poor and dreams of going to the moon; "Karate Kid: Legends'" Ben Wang as the smart-mouthed, gum chewing Olsen; and Harkness (Jordan Gonzalez), who believes he's going to write an insider's book about the walk. Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), although the most athletically prepared, exhibits early signs of illness but keeps on going, his late breaking revelation only surprising in the character it is attributed to. Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer, "Lean on Pete") is the group instigator, strategically attempting to psyche out his competitors then tortured by guilt in the aftermath of his actions. Native American Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick, "Darkest Miriam") is stoic, occasional bursts of anger covering his fear.
These are some of the young men from each of fifty states who will walk along a road followed by military vehicles bearing armed men all led by The Major (Mark Hamill, doing his best Jeffrey Dean Morgan impression), who stands barking out commands and instructions with a bullhorn from behind his aviator glasses. The Major tells them this walk is a morale booster for people who have little (yet need to be shaken out of their laziness!), but the reality of the situation slams home when the youngest of their group, Curley (Roman Griffin Davis, "Jojo Rabbit"), suffers a debilitating leg cramp. Ray tries to coach him through it, desperate not to see the younger boy fall, but Curley eventually cannot walk through the pain and receives a gun shot to the head after the third robotic sounding warning is issued. Ray is shaken to his core.
Lawrence does not hold back on the violence, the 'eliminations' brutal and bloody, the boys' bodies left lying in the road as the group marches on through depressed rural areas, occasional onlookers and even a fan showing up along the roadside. At one point, Ray's mother appears, the march occurring in his home state, but the brief reunion is more traumatic than supportive, leaving his mother weighing heavily on Ray's mind. The film is mostly about the evolving and shifting relationships among the boys, most trying to keep each other alive until their deaths become more and more inevitable, day 5 finding a handful still trudging along after have walked hundreds of miles, some while literally asleep (and yes, bathroom needs are addressed as well and it isn't pretty). The film's highpoint is delivered by Jonsson after Ray confesses his reason for participating and what his wish will be if he wins (in addition to still being alive as the last one standing, the winner receives a large cash prize and is given one wish to be fulfilled), his response defining the difference between the two boys, a burst of light in the darkness.
While the film hits the beats we expect it to while often stretching credulity (Ray's hiking shoes give out and he walks a great distance in socks which never shred), it boasts one of the best ensembles of the year wrestling with issues heavy and light in organic conversation. Production wise, the film is flat and dingy looking, a drawback that actually plays into the movie's bleak reality. "The Long Walk" tackles recognizing the things that make life worth living when facing mortality, an assignment Cooper and Jonsson handle with grace.
Robin's Review: B
In a dystopian near future world, young men apply for a spot on the annual walk, limited to just 50 contestants. The reward is untold wealth and one wish, for anything. There is a catch – they must maintain a pace of no less than three mile an hour. If they fail, each is given three warning then, unceremoniously, shot to death in “The Long Walk.”
Director Francis Lawrence made a name for himself as helmer for several of the lucrative “Hunger Games” franchise - including the upcoming “The Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reaping.” Here, with JT Mollner adapting Stephen King’s 1979 story, instead of rambling along with five films, the story is told succinctly in 108 minutes.
The central character in an ensemble cast of equals, Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), walker #47, plans on using his winnings to take care of his widowed mother (Judy Greer). Each of the other “contestants” all have their own back stories for entering a competition that means certain death for all but the winner – the last man walking.
The annual Long Walk is marked by the miles journeyed and the numbers of the contestants that fail to keep up the grueling pace. The miles become measured in the hundreds and there is no rest allowed, only food and water. Along the march, Ray bonds with other walkers, especially Peter #23 (David Jonsson), but all get their shrift to one degree or another.
With a relatively brief run time, it is hard to give all of the players a full back story but the director and writer flesh them all out enough that sympathy is evoked for every victim to the bullet. It is also a character study, by all the players, of desire, need, exhaustion and the promise of impossible wealth and privilege.
The cast is made up by a variety of known and unknown young actors, plus some veterans, with Cooper Hoffman first among equals with David Jonsson, Charlie Plummer, Roman Griffin Davis and the rest of the large cast of walkers. Besides Greer, the vets include Mark Hamill (as the Major) and Josh Hamilton. None except for the principle players gets much time but each has a distinct personality and you feel remorse when the walkers are gunned down by the ever-present military hit men.
Somehow, I do not think that Stephen King, when he wrote this story over 40 years ago, thought that he invented an idea that may not be, at the rate we are going, fiction. I wonder what he thinks now.
Lionsgate releases "The Long Walk" in theaters on 9/12/25. Click here for theaters and tickets.
