Movie Review: THE LONG WALK

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: September 12th, 2025 / 01:25 AM

THE LONG WALK movie poster | ©2025 Lionsgate

Rating: R
Stars: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Mark Hamill, Roman Griffin Davis, Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton
Writer: JT Mollner, based on the novel by Stephen King
Director: Francis Lawrence
Distributor: Lionsgate
Release Date: September 12, 2025

The tag line for THE LONG WALK provides a brief but accurate summation of the plot: walk or die.

In a dystopia that is either our future or an alternate reality, the United States is in what looks like the throes of a new Great Depression. The annual Long Walk is, according to propaganda, meant to counter this by rewarding hard work, determination and diligence.

This is nonsense, and everyone seems to know it. Even so, every year, one young man from each of the fifty states in the Union is selected to take part in the Walk. The Walk is supposedly voluntary, but when the participants confer, they don’t know of anybody who ever refused to submit an application. (Apparently they are allowed to back out; we never hear the statistics or consequences for this.)

The rules are simple. The young men must keep up a pace of three miles per hour, until only one of them is left. That one gets a financial fortune, plus a wish. Anyone who drops under the three miles per hour pace is given one warning, then a second if the pace is not resumed. The third warning results in a gunshot to the head from either the Major (Mark Hamill), who is in charge of this operation, or one of his men, who accompany the walkers in jeeps and a tank rolling along before and behind.

Directed by Francis Lawrence and scripted by JT Mollner, THE LONG WALK is based on Stephen King’s first novel, completed in 1974 when the writer was in college, although it was his sixth to be published (in 1979, under the pseudonym Richard Bachman). King has said he was inspired by Shirley Jackson’s short story THE LOTTERY; the film, at least, has hints of the Viet Nam War, along with some depressingly contemporary resonance.

Our focus is mainly on Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), aka # 47, and secondarily on Peter DeVries (David Jonsson), aka # 23. Although they are theoretically competitors, Pete’s philosophy is that it’s better to make friends even for a short while than not at all.

Peter’s warmth and easy sociability appeal to Ray. It doesn’t take much time for them to see the benefits of having a buddy on the unstopping trek.

Both Ray and Pete are demonstrably good people, reaching out to and encouraging other walkers, including Arthur (Tut Nyuot), Hank (Ben Wang), aspiring writer Harkness (Jordan Gonzalez), and uncommonly young Curley (Roman Griffin Davis). Others are loners, and at least two may be actively dangerous.

Much of THE LONG WALK is literally a walk and talk, punctuated by occasional physical incapacitation and gunfire. The dialogue is agreeable and companionable, although it would probably play differently without the undercurrent of peril throughout.

Hoffman and Jonsson are undeniably good company. Their characters’ bond is what provides the biggest suspense, as neither we nor they know what they will do should they both survive until at least near the end of the walk.

Mollner’s script brings up everything that could physically go wrong on such a punishing test of endurance, including exhaustion, muscle cramps, dealing with the call of nature and more.

Lawrence’s direction succeeds in having us identify with the rigors of the walk; we start to experience weariness on behalf of the characters. At the same time, he seemingly easily composes one shot after another that combines natural beauty with the stark, suspicious expressions we see in photos of Depression-era migrants.

THE LONG WALK works as a metaphor for Viet Nam, or any other war or endeavor in which young men are called upon to put themselves in harm’s way for a cause that seems nebulous at best, but in which they feel obliged to participate.

Where the metaphor falls apart, of course, is that the Army and other such organizations encourage teamwork and camaraderie among the group, rather than leaving comrades behind. Then again, it seems in keeping with the divisiveness so prevalent in contemporary real-world rhetoric.

Here, though, is where THE LONG WALK gets a little blurry. By the time we’re done, we are moved emotionally, but more intellectually puzzled that either satisfied or challenged. Despite all its discussion of big ideas, we wind up not contemplating much beyond what happens in front of us. That could be the existential point – the journey is the destination – but the build-up is such that we come to expect more than what we ultimately get.

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