For long-time fans of Stephen King, the anticipation for adaptations of his novels and short stories to film is always high. The task of replicating what King has written is not an easy one, as evidenced by the range of outcomes from all-time hits like The Shawshank Redemption or The Shining to bottom-of-the-barrel misses like Dreamcatcher or the original Children of the Corn. The key lies in the concept and its execution. With the latest adaptation, The Long Walk, it could be another success story. True fans know that while this story was the first he wrote during his early college days, it was published in 1979 under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. One can’t help but wonder if there’s enough here for director Francis Lawrence to get out of for a simple premise that must’ve taken forever to make into a movie. But even if I haven’t read the book, I couldn’t believe I walked out of The Long Walk believing it’s one of the best films based on King’s stories that’s equal parts depressing and intense throughout.
What’s the Story: In a dystopian totalitarian regime in America where economic times are a struggle, 50 teenage boys from each state apply to participate in the annual Long Walk. The challenge: They must walk at a speed of three miles per hour without stopping, and whoever’s left standing receives a monetary prize and a one wish they can request. All this under the watchful eye of The Major (Mark Hamill), a mysterious figure who oversees the event and broadcasts it nationwide. Contestants like Raymond “Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), Peter McVries (David Jonsson), and Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer) are in for a surprise. Once someone reaches three warnings, their ticket is punched, and there’s no turning back.
When you watched the trailers or even read the overall premise, you probably wondered how to make a two-hour walk enjoyable without it feeling repetitive. However, suppose you enter The Long Walk unaware that it’s based on one of King’s stories. In that case, it quickly establishes a tone that makes you feel the characters have confidence in making this walk manageable, only to discover the brutal truth of the consequences of not following the rules on time. You’re looking at the darkest, yet profound survival stories that will make anyone second-guess their decision to take a walk on a nice day ever again. For me, I’d probably last eight miles in mid-70-degree weather.
And it’s a testament to the great work of Lawrence behind the camera and screenwriter JT Mollner, fresh off his overlooked thriller Strange Darling, in capturing his bleak society. Lawrence is no stranger to making films where teenagers are getting killed, as he’s responsible for helming the Hunger Games sequels/ prequels. This was his way of not holding anything back whenever it gets violent, not shying away from the deaths that made me feel sick, to experience what these boys have gone through. Brutal without question, but Lawrence knew when to pull back and linger on the emotional state of how everyone else is reacting in a tense manner. But it’s never got to the point of being boring when it’s mostly long takes of characters talking with little flashbacks.
Much like Stand By Me, it’s another non-horror King story that allows us to find a connection with these people who aren’t perfect but grow to appreciate as time passes. As they go through it all, from the laughter, pain, and inevitable mental toll on them to keep going, you certainly feel like you’re part of the journey too. Plus, it’s fascinating how this was filmed chronologically, as if you feel as if the actors are out on the deserted road for miles, not just looking tired as hell, but it felt like the best way for them to know each other under the deadly circumstances. Just learning how it was inspired by the Vietnam War and the draft, making it feel like they’re making a difference for their country, feels all too real.
Cooper Hoffman has slowly become one of the best young actors working today, having delivered standout performances in both Licorice Pizza and Saturday Night. As his character, Ray, he has a clear goal in mind of what he’ll do if he finishes and understands his motivation. He truly bears shades of his late father, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, which has contributed to his best work of his early career. And it’s not just Hoffman; I couldn’t get enough of how amazing and talented David Jonsson was as Peter McVries. Everyone, including me, thought he stood out from Alien: Romulus last year, and he’s even better here with a character who’s very charismatic and the one who would bring a sense of hope to his surroundings. The chemistry we see between him and Hoffman is the beating heart nobody saw coming, where you would’ve believed Ray and Pete have been friends forever. You also get to have this group of guys that I enjoyed following around, including the comic relief of Ben Wang as Hank Olson, Charlie Plummer as Gary, and Tut Nyuot as Arthur, who you hope will be there the whole time and have each other’s support.
And Mark Hamill, in his second role in a King movie this year following The Life of Chuck, shows that he has a way of playing villains. The Major is meant to be over-the-top and is never seen as a person showing no remorse for whoever is behind, so it was never a problem when he delivers a memorable performance behind those sunglasses the entire runtime.
One of the few changes I’ve heard that’s different from here to screen is how they initially had 100 boys for the walk, and thankfully cut it down to half. That was probably a smart move, since who knows if I could take more gun firing off, which is a credit to the effective sound design work. But never did I think I would come out getting teary-eyed about twice, and part of this came from a fantastic score from Jeremiah Feaites of the indie folk band The Lumineers. I can argue that I wanted to know more about where they are in this part of America, though the lack of backstory helped keep this world ambiguous. Maybe there were probably a couple of scenes that dragged the pace down, but I can see where the ending doesn’t work for everybody unless you read what happened in the novel, and it’s not what I had expected.
Overall, The Long Walk will go down as one of the most unforgettable Stephen King thrillers in some time. Anchored by two outstanding performances from Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson in a powerful and truly intense thriller, it’ll stay with me until I get to rewatch it again.
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