One of Stephen King's very first novels, The Long Walk, has finally been adapted for the big screen and it is as gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, and emotional as ever.
The Long Walk Review
Written in 1967 and published in 1979 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, The Long Walk is one of Stephen King's first novels. With so many of his works already made into feature films and TV shows it might be surprising that this one, often thought of to be one of his best, has never been made for the big screen. It could be said it is what inspired other dystopian horrors like The Hunger Games, as those stories share commonalities with King's. In a time when the Squid Games –also about financial desperation– has become popular, it seemed like the perfect time to bring this tale of a national walking competition where the winner receives unimaginable wealth (and trauma) to life.
The Long Walk is about more than just walking for days without sleep, hope dwindling with each step. It's an intimate story of survival, friendship, heartache, and despair. JT Mollner's script has updated certain aspects of the source material while leaving others in place. Adding in a change to the ending that, in this reader's opinion, drove home the point he was making even more so than the original. With expert direction by Francis Lawrence (fittingly the man who helmed all but one of The Hunger Games) and heartbreaking performances by the cast, The Long Walk deftly regains the title of the ultimate dystopian fable of survival.
Set in an alternate America, The Long Walk is a yearly competition where 50 young men (one from each state) are chosen to participate in a game whose winner will be granted a wish and given untold wealth. It's not the miles that will be the difficult part, it's the almost certain death that awaits. Every one of the men must keep a pace of 3mph no matter what. That means no stopping to use the bathroom, tie your shoe, or rest. If they fall below that speed for more than 30 seconds, they will be executed by one of the soldiers herding them down the road. As the Major (Mark Hamill) gruffly proclaims, there is “no finish line.” They must keep walking until only one of them is left alive. Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter McVries (David Jonsson) quickly become friends, the former an even-keeled young man with secret motivations and the latter a wise, steadfast man who is under no illusion as to what is about to happen to them, win or lose. Together they assemble “the musketeers,” hoping to encourage one another to keep moving for as long as possible.
Of course not everyone wants to be friends, after all only one person is making it out of this alive so why bother? There is Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer), who antagonizes everyone around him but seems to be suffering from some sort of mental disorder, Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), who enjoys pointing out the greatness of the rules, and Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick) who is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. But Garraty and McVries do find fast friends in Arthur Baker (Tut Nuyot) and Hank Olson (Ben Wang). Still, these friendships are doomed from the beginning and as the number of walkers begins to dwindle, these guys are forced to come to terms with the fact that they're not all going to make it.
None of their trials, deaths, or defiance would have any impact if the cast wasn't committed to telling this story. This motley crew of young men from all over the fictional United States, come with their own hopes, dreams, and baggage. Each young actor digs his feet in (no pun intended) to give the audience someone to root for (or despise but still not wish death upon). Some of the characters come across as caricatures, but it is mostly forgivable given the way in which the film is surprisingly restrained in how it showcases King's work. The real heavy lifting lies on the shoulders of Hoffman and Jonsson. Their forged brotherhood is beautiful, yet heartbreaking. You will be drawn to them instantly despite knowing what lies ahead. Not that it should be any surprise to anyone who knows his work outside of Star Wars, but Hamill is coldblooded, gruff, and pure evil as the Major.
Though the film rarely strays from the open road, Lawrence and cinematographer Jo Willems make an effort to create striking imagery to elevate the environment without making it seem otherworldly or odd. The backlit nighttime shots highlight just how downtrodden these people are getting as each day drags on. The slumped shoulders, the staggering to walk straight, as their shadows stretch before them almost as endless as the road itself. The deaths do get a fair amount of screenplay which is to be expected, yet I can't help but imagine how much more impactful they would be had Lawrence not opted to dwell on each one equally.
Verdict
Ultimately, The Long Walk is gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, a near perfect adaptation of King's novel. It's a nuanced character study, one that shows the loss of innocence, the grit of determination, and the despair of hopelessness take over in real time. This is a horror film that isn't delivering terror from a clown or aliens, rather its dread is born of just how close to reality it lies. It's a war story, just not in the conventional sense. Elevated by the powerful performances of Jonsson and Hoffman, it's a film that will stick with you for a long time.
The Long Walk is in theaters now. It is rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, suicide, pervasive language, and sexual references with a runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes.
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