The Long Walk Review: An Emotionally Bleak and Powerful Adaptation of Stephen King’s Book

We’ve seen a flurry of adaptations of Stephen King’s work, with some considered great while others just didn’t hit the mark. The latest adaptation, The Long Walk, is not only one of the most raw and bleak films we’ve seen, but it is also one of the greatest films based on one of his books we’ve seen so far.

Here’s a little background on the book: King wrote this story during the 1970s under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. He published The Long Walk at a time when the US was recruiting young men into the Vietnam War through a lottery. It was only a matter of time before they were chosen to be shipped out, which is the inspiration behind the plot of the story.

The Long Walk depicts a dystopian America where a war has devastated the country financially and has left young teens from each state entering a lottery for a grueling trek to the death, where the last man standing would be given riches beyond their wildest dreams.

Broadcast live to the whole country that is run by the Major (Mark Hamill), the rules of the competition are that each competitor must maintain a pace of 3 miles per hour. If they go below the speed or run off course, they risk being shot by the militants escorting them in the race.

The story follows Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), the latest recruit in the Long Walk, which takes place in his hometown, giving him a home advantage. He meets his fellow competitors and makes fast friends with orphan Peter (David Jonsson), religious Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot), and Brooklynite Hank Olsen (Ben Wang). He also makes a few enemies, including the disturbingly troubled Barkotvich (Charlie Plummer) and the mysterious Stebbins (Garrett Wareing).

The film itself follows pretty faithfully to King’s book. We get some great performances from the cast, thanks to the brilliant screenplay by JT Mollner. It is also a perfect fit for a filmmaker like Francis Lawrence to adapt this book into a movie since he has experience in the dystopian genre thanks to his work on The Hunger Games movies.

There are some similarities between those films and The Long Walk, but the difference lies in the higher emotional stakes, where audiences learn to care for and empathize with these characters, knowing that any one of them could end up dead.

The death count rises pretty early in the movie. However, it’s the central core of characters that everyone ends up growing attached to throughout the film’s runtime.

Thanks to the cast led by the innocent Hoffman, we get some brilliant performances from these young actors. The brotherly friendship between both Ray and Peter is done so well because of the chemistry shown on screen with Hoffman and Jonsson.

Despite their limited screen time, we do also get some great acting from both veteran actors Judy Greer and Mark Hamill. We see the pain in Judy Greer’s eyes as she portrays Ray’s mother, Ginny, watching helplessly as her child is taking part in the grueling walking competition, where she can possibly lose him if he fails.

Mark Hamill is a man with many voices, but this one is where he plays the stern Major as he takes up arms to keep the competitors in top shape, even though he is menacing behind those army glasses.

The score done by Jeremiah Fraites of The Lumineers makes the movie much more powerful in telling this heart-wrenching dystopian thriller.

The dialogue is fully enriched by the strong musical score that is as grim as it gets when things take a turn for the worse and feels a lot like what one would hear on a road trip. Even the cinematography presents audiences with a much bleaker view of the American landscape in this modern-day dystopia.

There is no way to soften the blow when it comes to the brutality and hard-hitting themes that The Long Walk tackles. We see how totalitarian and fascist the regime running this walking marathon is, showcasing just how capitalism is running the country, mirroring the real world.

It makes the harshest truth that just because anyone can make it if they try, it isn’t always the case for most people. Once these boys make their first step on the long walk, their death becomes imminent.

With another win, The Long Walk stands tall as another great Stephen King adaptation worthy of seeing on the big screen. Even with the changes made from book to screen, it is a film that is a must-see thanks to the emotional depth of the story and the brilliant performances by the young cast.

It is truly a match made in heaven that Francis Lawrence got to direct this feature, proving that he knows his way around the dystopian film genre. The film tests the endurance and cruelty thrown at these characters, but also captures the hope of humanity for them.

The Long Walk is now playing in theaters.

 

 

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