The Long Walk (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – A group of teenage boys compete in an annual contest known as “The Long Walk,” where they must maintain a certain walking speed or get shot.

My Take – What a year this has been for Stephen King adaptations! First, Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) sent us through the grinder to experience his insanely bloody adaption of ‘The Monkey‘, and then Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep) did a surprise switcheroo by reminding us about the wonders of love, the heartbreaks of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us in his delightful adaption of ‘The Life of Chuck‘.

And while we wait for Andy Muschietti to terrorize us again with the prequel HBO series ‘It: Welcome to Derry‘ next month, Francis Lawrence, the visionary director of ‘The Hunger Games‘ franchise films, delivers a cinematic gut-punch that mixes horror, humanity, and heartbreak into one unforgettable journey by adapting King‘s grimmest novels.

Written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and published in 1979, the intense, emotional, and haunting story about brotherhood is brutal, uncompromising and contains several shocking scenes viewers won’t see coming.

Sure, the film doesn’t entirely escape its narrative limitations and doesn’t reach the melodramatic highs for which it aims, yet, the material could easily have proven tiresomely repetitive in lesser hands. As screenwriter J.T. Mollner’s screenplay perfectly captures the spirit of King’s chilling vision, while Lawrence’s direction turns it into a visceral experience that features generous amounts of emotion and heart.

Aspects that linger long after the credits roll.

Set in a dystopian post-war USA, where people are poor and most seem to be struggling, the story follows Raymond “Ray” Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) who despite the pleas of his distraught mother, Ginnie (Judy Greer), enters the 19th annual iteration of a televised walking contest known as “The Long Walk” that is held annually. A competition that has been created to help boost morale and give everyone the chance to be rich. A representative from each of the 50 states is selected, and only young men can participate.

The game is simple: maintain a steady walking pace of three miles per hour without stopping. Anyone who slows down or veers off the path is given a warning. After three warnings, the contestant is executed on the spot by soldiers under the command of The Major (Mark Hamill). The contest ends when only the last walker remains alive, for which they receive a grand cash prize and one wish, allowing them to get whatever they want.

Among the other brave, foolhardy participants are the affable Peter McVries (David Jonsson), with whom Ray forms an immediate bond, the wisecracking Hank (Ben Wang); optimistic Art (Tut Nyuot); solitary Stebbins (Garrett Wareing); rage-filled Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer); and underage Curly (Roman Griffin Davis). Though real and tangible friendships form in the miles long walk, but in their hearts they all know they want to be the last man standing.

Here, director Lawrence maintains a firm grip on the proceedings, managing to make them visually interesting even if most of the action consists of the characters trudging through barren country sides. To make a film with largely one type of action i.e. walking, with the occasional gunshot in front of straggling spectators, presents a unique challenge, but director Lawrence and cinematographer Jo Willems meet it with aplomb. We see them grind through poverty-stricken towns and rural desolation with the forlorn poor gathered on the roadside to watch the carnage in progress.

We get to know the ensemble quickly as their different personalities clash and some find kindred spirits. Some of the men are more troubled, and have anti-authoritarian streaks. Others are simply desperate for cash. And some, like McVries and Garraty, have more mysterious and esoteric motives, the gradual unspooling of which over several exhausted days and nights helps shape the story’s mood of rebellion backed into a corner. As a viewer, you find yourself sympathizing with them, even when you start to resent some of their choices.

But the most heartbreaking element come from getting to know these young people, hearing about their struggles and hopes, only to see most of them die a violent and vicious death. The film doesn’t shy away from graphic moments, some of the most shocking I’ve seen in a while. One of the contestants shockingly becomes the first victim a mere 20 minutes into the film, and it’s only then that the title flashes onscreen.

The sound design adds to the intensity, with every gunshot rattling your core, as if it went off right beside you. It’s an experience that demands your full attention. Even when the flaws of world-building tend to take a back seat, the characters are well-rounded and fully-formed, thanks in no small part to the actors playing them.

Performance wise, both Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson are in brilliant and emotional form here. At every turn, we are rooting for the pair, despite knowing that only one, if successful, will win and survive. Both characters lean on the other for emotion and physical support, making them a superb pairing. Judy Greer is emotionally wrenching every moment she’s onscreen and Mark Hamill’s turn is far removed from the hero types we are used to seeing him play.

In supporting turns, Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick and Roman Griffin Davis add excellent weight to the proceedings. On the whole, ‘The Long Walk‘ is a harrowing Stephen King adaptation that delivers a brutal, uncompromising, and heartbreaking experience.