LONG WALK, THE
(director/writer: Francis Lawrence; screenwriter: based on the novel by Stephen King, JT Mollner; cinematographer: Jo Willems; editor: Mark Yoshikawa; music: Jeremiah Fraites; cast: Mark Hamill (The Major), Charlie Plummer (Gary Barkovitch), Judy Greer (Ginnie Garraty, Mother), Cooper Hoffman (Raymond Garraty), Davis Griffen Jonsson (Peter McVries), Joshua Odjick (Collie Parker), Tut Nyuot (Arthur), Ben Wang (Hank Olson), Roman Griffen Davis (Thomas), Josh Hamilton (William Garraty), Jordan Gonzalez (Richard Harkness), Gareth Wareing (Stebbins); Runtime: 108; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Francis Lawrence, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Cameron MacConomy; Lionsgate; 2025)
“It’s another successful King novel whose screen adaptation is not as good as the book.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Francis Lawrence (“Slumberland”/”Red Sparrow”), who also filmed the Hunger Games sequels, directs a confounding psychological thriller based on the 1979 Stephen King novel. Lawrence co-writes it with JT Mollner. At the time it was considered an allegory for the Viet Nam War.
Once a year, in this futuristic tale, after America has suffered an economic collapse, each state picks a lottery winner to represent them in an endurance contest called “The Long Walk.” The 50 young men keep walking until there’s only one left, as there’s no finish line. The winner has his wish granted and collects a large money prize. The losers are those walking less than 3 mph. They are shot by a military squad if they fail to speed up after warned. The rules are set by the contest’s authoritarian creator, “The Major” (Mark Hamill), who wants ‘to make America great again.’
The event begins in Maine. To capture the full emotional effect on the walkers, it’s filmed in close-ups of the featured players showing their facial expressions.
The walkers focused on are Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman, son of Seymour Philip Hoffman) and the orphan Pete McVries (Davis Griffen Jonsson). They converse and make a connection, as they also reach out to other contestants such as the eccentric Hank Olson (Ben Wang) and the volatile Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer).
There are existential and mindless discussions carried out among the young men as they never stop walking or talking.
It’s a strange movie that’s filled with chilling violence, pointing out life lessons that the young men are going through as to why things have become so bad for them and their country.
Raymond’s mother (Judy Greer) worries about her son, while the country’s military ruler, the establishment figure of The Major, is indifferent to all the suffering he caused by his fascist policies.
It’s a chatty film with a simple story, whose flag is the human spirit that must prevail if there will be any hope for the country’s future.
The character-driven story is certainly provocative, has its intriguing moments and offers the right anti-war message. But its well-meaning story was too heavy-handed, and its final wishful resolution was absurd. It’s another successful King novel whose screen adaptation is not as good as the book.
REVIEWED ON 11/30/2025 GRADE: C+
dennisschwartzreviews.com