The Long Walk

by Mike McGranaghan

Stephen King’s The Long Walk has often been considered an allegory for the Vietnam War. That may be true, but the tale is no less relevant to other issues. Director Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2) and writer JT Mollner (Strange Darling) bring it to the screen so that it isn’t clear when the story takes place - a smart choice in allowing the timelessness of the themes to be more apparent. The film can certainly be enjoyed as a thriller about people taking part in a grueling endurance test; you’d have to be blind to miss the bigger ideas at play, though.

America has become a totalitarian state. Most folks are impoverished. That’s part of the reason why Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) has agreed to participate in “the Long Walk,” a contest that alleges to offer a huge cash prize to the winner. He does this despite the protestations of his mother (Judy Greer). The rules are simple. Fifty young men must walk until there’s only one left. If their walking speed drops below 3 MPH, they’re shot and killed by soldiers under the command of The Major (Mark Hamill). Ray quickly bonds with another contestant, Pete McVries (David Jonsson). The others are an eclectic mix of personality types, from the quirky Hank Olson (Karate Kid Legends’ Ben Wang) to the antagonistic Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer).

Perils on the walk are many. Physical exhaustion is just one of them. Sleep deprivation, excessive heat, and Charley horses are additional problems. You have to feel especially bad for the walker who develops a case of diarrhea during the contest. (Eating snacks during this scene is not recommended.) The march goes on for several days and hundreds of miles, with the majority of contestants having their tickets punched for various reasons. Ray and Pete persevere by helping each other.

As a survival story, The Long Walk is sufficiently unnerving to get you squirming in your seat. This is literally 107 minutes of guys walking. The longer the movie goes on, the more tired and beaten down the characters look. That psychologically transfers off the screen, letting you vicariously feel their fatigue. Many of the deaths are harrowing, too. Whenever somebody begins to stumble, you might feel yourself growing tense. Additional suspense comes from not wanting to see Ray and Pete lose yet knowing at least one of them will.

Under the surface, The Long Walk is about standing up to fascist regimes. Ray’s true motivation for participating is eventually revealed. Like Pete, he’s hoping to institute change. Their manners of accomplishing that are different, however. The movie ponders whether it’s possible to find hope in times of suppression and, if so, how to point it in the right direction to make the biggest impact.

Cooper Hoffman gives another winning performance as good-guy Ray, showing how he cares for his fellow walkers even though they’re competition. He’s matched by David Jonsson, who provides Pete with an unflappable demeanor. The situation is dire, but he never abandons a sense of optimism. All the supporting actors are well-cast, and interactions between the varied players are compelling to watch.

Stephen King works have inspired adaptations that are all over the place quality-wise. On the high end, you get pictures like The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist, and Misery. On the low end, you’ll find the 2022 Firestarter remake and The Dark Tower. The Long Walk is definitely on the high end. It’s a thoughtful work that stimulates your nerves and your mind equally.

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