As a Stephen King adaptation, The Long Walk belongs in the echelon occupied by Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption. As a movie, it’s a gruelling endurance test that’s also an immensely moving privilege.
Battle Royale, The Hunger Games, Squid Game – three pop-culturally pervasive IPs united by one fundamental aspect: nations in decay that promise riches (if not merely survival) to the few to balm, or simply distract the many. We’re not there (yet), but you’d need to be blind, deaf, or dim to not understand why these stories are so popular; we root for the few, but we are the many.
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You could say The Long Walk is a little late. Ultimately, it’s another dystopian tale that revolves around a deadly contest, and it’s even directed by Francis Lawrence, who helmed most of The Hunger Games films. What else is there to say or see, other than echoes and reflections of misery?
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Well, through Lawrence, writer JT Mollner, and King (or Richard Bachman, for the fans), it manages to feel like a movie for now. Also, and this part is important… it could be the best film you’ll watch this year.
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What is The Long Walk about?
Nineteen years on from a war that “tore this nation apart,” the US is decrepit and impoverished, with free-spirited books and music banned under the country’s totalitarian regime.
Each year, the American dream is distilled down to its cursed essence with a nationwide competition: The Long Walk, in which young men are required to walk at a speed of at least 3mph. As the Major (Mark Hamill) booms, there’s “no finish line” – the contest only ends with one man standing, and those who slow down or stop are point-blank executed. It’s not compulsory to enter, either: those who want to take part volunteer their names in a lottery, and they’re offered a “back out day” before the walk begins.
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If they win, they get “a gazillion dollars” and one wish. Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) has big plans for his wish, with hopes to rid the country of the contest once and for all, while Peter McVries (David Jonsson) has even nobler aspirations. They quickly find kinship with each other as one foot follows another and tens of miles turn to hundreds; bantering, laughing, confiding, and at times, carrying (almost literally).
There is one distinct detail: despite the Major’s best, gravelly efforts to sensationalize the contest, there’s no glory in it. They walk from town to town past endless fields, greeted by little more than dead cattle and sullen-faced families. “Pretty f**king desolate,” Garraty even says.
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That’s what makes it all so affecting: there’s very little exposition about the conception of the walk or why boys who take part need to die, but it’s the result of stubbornness (for the government) and desperation (for the boys, even if they don’t know it). Even the worst participants (Charlie Plummer’s Barkovitch is especially loathsome) are easy to pity: they may have agency with each step, but they’re all pawns in a game that’s indefinitely rigged.
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The Long Walk isn’t for the faint of heart
Lionsgate
King asserted that there was no point in making The Long Walk if it wasn’t true to the brutality of the book. Lawrence never hesitates in showcasing its horrors, nor is it gratuitous; when you see a young boy’s face get splattered over the ground, it’s a clear, present, and anxiety-inducing danger.
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The movie doesn’t shy away from your inevitable questions, either, whether it’s one guy sacrificing his speed to take a sh*t, sleepwalking, or shoes giving in to the extraordinary distance. It’s a thoroughly thought-out piece of storytelling in every regard, and the character work is second to none.
Hoffman and Jonsson are sensational, two leading men with immediate chemistry; in an instant, you’ll be thinking, “They’re my boys.” Their presence is reminiscent of Stand By Me’s Gordie and Chris; not in the dynamic (both are self-assured and commanding in their own ways), but in how lived-in and honest their friendship seems as the nightmare darkens. These are two natural, but hugely charismatic performances – make them (even bigger) stars.
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Similar praise could be given to the supporting cast (Tut Nyuot’s Arthur is another standout), and credit is due for both King and Mollner: it’s hard to think of another movie where young men have been this aptly written (sorry to cite Stand By Me again, but it’s the strongest comparison). It’s not a spoiler to say many of them die, but there’s not a single death that feels inconsequential: each one is absolutely heartwrenching. I cried multiple times. I could cry just thinking about those who “get their ticket.”
The Long Walk is the peak of Francis Lawrence’s career
Lionsgate
It’s no small compliment to say this is the best movie Lawrence has ever directed. Catching Fire is revered by many as the best Hunger Games film (because it is), and Constantine and I Am Legend are underrated.
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There’s not one component here that’s out of place; each performance is perfectly pitched, its blocking and “moment to moment” sequencing is sublime, and he shows restraint where it matters (a tiny bit more detail about the wider world would have been good). Also, it has an elite title card drop.
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The cinematography, courtesy of Jo Willems (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night, and Catching Fire), is grim and beautiful; some images are hard to shake, others briefly numb the barbarity. It’s a little reductive and broad to say this, but even when its palette is as dreary as the clouds above the boys, it looks like a real film, not an exercise in plot.
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A special shoutout to composer Jeremiah Fraites (who’s part of The Lumineers), whose first film score is sophisticated and emotive. It’s almost Moby-like in some scenes, but it’s diverse, capable of ramping up suspense and leaning into his folk sensibilities in more tender, quiet moments.
The Long Walk score: 5/5
Harrowing, heartbreaking, and near-flawless, The Long Walk is one of the greatest Stephen King adaptations ever made; walk – nay, run – to watch it as soon as possible. This is an all-timer.
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The Long Walk hits cinemas on September 12. Until then, check out our list of the best horror movies ever made and what else is dropping this year with our 2025 movie calendar.
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