The Long Walk
The Long Walk
Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Mark Hamill
Directed by Francis Lawrence
After a second American Civil War has ravaged the country, the regime's leader The Major (Mark Hamill) hosts a yearly competition known as The Long Walk where one boy from each state is selected for a seemingly easy competition: walk, and the last one standing wins. There's certain rules: they can't drop below three miles an hour, can't interfere with other walkers, and can't fight. Other than that, the only rule is to survive - because after you receive three warnings you're killed, and in the end only one participant will win, earning a vast amount of riches.
Two of the walkers are Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter McVries (David Jonsson), who immediately form a deep friendship that only grows on the walk. They're joined by Art Baker (Tut Nyout) and Hank Olson (Ben Wang) to become the Three Musketeers, who help each other out in the walk and stay alive as long as possible. Other participants, including Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing) and Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer) have their own struggles and personality traits to work out along the walk, and as the numbers dwindle, the chances increase for those left behind, but so too are the memories and horrors that they witness along the way.
"The Long Walk" is based on the 1979 novel by Richard Bachman, a pseudonym of the great Stephen King - a story he wrote long before becoming the most prolific horror author of his generation. "The Long Walk" is the staple for many modern day young adult novels, including "The Hunger Games" which shares many of the same ideas: a dystopian future, kids being pitted against one another to the death, and an evil organization running it all - so while many compare "The Long Walk" to "The Hunger Games," it's actually the other way around: but both share one thing - Francis Lawrence, who directs "The Long Walk" and also directed the last four "Hunger Games" films. Utilizing his knowledge of this subgenre, he crafts a compelling story that has you drawn in from the very start to the soul-crushing conclusion, and proves the adage that it's not about the destination, but the journey.
We get to see this journey through the eyes of the participants, who both couldn't be any different but any similar, as all the boys participating have the same goal in mind: to win, get the money, and make their lives and the lives of their loved ones easier. It's a noble pursuit that's only heightened by the boys' stories, as they talk about their lives and why they're participating in something they know will likely end their lives. Yet it's not just about them one on one, but we get to see how they interact with one another and the special brotherhood they form along the way, almost like "The Outsiders" if each of the members were killed off one by one.
Typically in movies like this we get the archtypes: the jock, the worrier, the douchebag, the main character, the supportive friend, and so on. "The Long Walk" changes trajectory by including these archtypes, but not sticking to them entirely. Some guys who come off as the douchebag of the jock early on get redemptive arcs that makes them as sympathetic as anyone else. There's not really a worrier in the group, and we get two main characters who share the role of supportive friend. We also get the jokester and the futurist (the one who talks about what he'll do with the money), and even they aren't confined to their group. Each character is given a well-rounded, three-dimensional story that makes each of them compelling, relatable, and rootable, and their deaths all the more tragic.
These deaths come with shocking violence, as kids are seen getting their brains blown out, legs crushed, and other heartless methods of death thanks to the evil Major, played by an almost invisible Mark Hamill (invisible meaning you wouldn't know it was him if he wasn't listed in the credits). Seeing Luke Skywalker so thoroughly ruthless and diabolical is fascinating (and even the Joker would shudder at the sight), and Hamill plays it with a stern steadfastness that is all the more powerful.
Yet the film rises due to the talent on screen and the screenplay by JT Mollner (who also wrote and directed the equally compelling 2023 thriller "Strange Darling"), and the actors selected are at the top of their game. Garrett Wareing and Charlie Plummer play Billy and Gary, the jock and douchebag who get their redemptive arcs and both excel at both ends. Ben Wang (standout star of the recent "Karate Kid Legends") and Tut Nyuot play Hank and Art, the comedic relief and futurist respectfully who also both get fully fleshed out characterizations. Yet the heart and soul of the movie is with Cooper Hoffman (star of the stellar "Licorice Pizza" and son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and David Jonsson (breakout star of 2024's "Alien: Romulus"), who play Ray and Peter, and whose friendship takes center stage. The two never met before the race began, but by the end their friendship is as strong as lifelong friends, and their compelling backstories only add to their depth of characters. They equally rely on one another and hold each other up, pushing the other to go further despite knowing one of them will die in the end. It shows what true friendship is that's forged in the most bleakest of situations, showing that hope does prevail against such dark times.
When you have a movie that seems very cut and dry and, dare I say it, boring, you need that special something to make it spectacular. "The Long Walk" has that special something in spades, offering compelling narratives told by amazing young talent that blends the bleakness of the movie's theme with the hope that friendship can endure.
The Score: A
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