“The Long Walk” has a premise that undoubtedly sounds silly on the surface. But as director Francis Lawrence (“The Hunger Games” films) begins to plow deeper, we see a wealth of themes sprout up, most explored through the film’s young characters. Yet despite the strong performances and its surprising thematic heft, “The Long Walk” is hampered by several minor annoyances that together turn into bigger frustrations.
“The Long Walk” is based on a 1979 Stephen King novel of the same name. Written for the screen by JT Mollner, this survival thriller takes place in a dystopian America where a nebulous collapse of society has led to mass poverty and famine. The country is seemingly ran by a totalitarian regime which is embodied in the film’s almost cartoonish antagonist known only as The Major (Mark Hamill).
In this visually captivating America, The Long Walk is an annual “contest” where one young man from every state is chosen by lottery to participate. The “walkers” gather at a designated starting line and then walk until only one remains standing. The winner then receives a huge cash prize and one wish to be granted by The Major. Of course the walk comes with some pretty strict rules. First, the walkers must maintain a speed of 3 mph. Second, they cannot step off the road. Here’s the kicker – breaking the rules results in immediate execution.
One of the last participants to arrive is Raymond (Cooper Hoffman) who immediately forms a bond with fellow walker Peter (David Jonsson). As the event is set to begin, we’re introduced to several other competitors including the potty-mouthed Hank (Ben Wang), the physically imposing Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), the religious Arthur (Tut Nyuot), the obnoxious bully Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer), the quiet and austere Collie (Joshua Odjick), and the nervous Curley (Roman Griffin Davis).
Essentially this is a movie that solely follows young men walking which makes the characters the centerpiece. Lawrence does a fine job propelling the story forward despite the clear limitations in the premise. And the performances are top-to-bottom impressive from what is a predominantly twenty-something cast. Everyone is onboard and committed, and they do everything they can to breathe personality into these characters.
But the script doesn’t make things easy, often oscillating between brilliant and disappointing. Most of the issues revolve around the characters who all seem to be cut from the same societal cloth. Aside from their physical appearances and on-the-nose personality traits, there’s not much to distinguish them. The only differences of substance are found in vague personal testimonies that often come right before a character is offed. There was certainly time to flesh them out more, especially in the first half. But too much of it is wasted on shallow adolescent banter coming from cast members who look much older than they’re made to sound.
Now there are a few exceptions with some characters standing out more than others. The growing relationship between Raymond and Peter is especially compelling. As for the story, it touches on such rich themes as survival, nihilism, humanity, and brotherhood (just to name a few). And it is unflinchingly brutal in ways that fit firmly within the bleak world we’re thrust into. But the abovementioned character issues never go away. And it isn’t helped by an ending that frankly doesn’t make much sense. It’s a shame because there is much to admire, despite its shortcomings.
VERDICT – 2.5 STARS
Keith & the Movies 
Looks like Hamill has thinned down from that picture. That’s good. I’m not a fan of seeing some of my favorite actors go completely to seed, it just isn’t healthy.
I get what you mean. It’s kinda hard to tell because he’s wearing such bulking clothes. 🙂
Keith dismisses The Long Walk as “silly” and thinly written, but that misses the point. The premise is meant to be extreme! Dystopia thrives on pushing absurdity to reveal human truth. Lawrence doesn’t just “propel” the story forward; he and the screenwriter immersed us in the exhaustion, paranoia, and moral strain of the walk.
The claim that characters blur together is unfair. They’re not meant to be neat archetypes with tidy arcs; they’re boys stripped bare under impossible pressure. Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, in particular, carry genuine weight in their bond. The dialogue may skew adolescent, but that fits the heightened, allegorical tone. I’m sure he said the same of Stand By Me!
Most importantly, the ending isn’t “nonsensical”… it feels deliberately ambiguous, a mirror forcing us to wrestle with what survival and freedom actually mean. Far from a misfire, The Long Walk is a bold, haunting meditation on spectacle, brotherhood, and the brutality of systems that feed on human suffering.
As the “He” in the your comments let me offer some observations.
I never dismissed the movie as silly. I specifically said it sounds silly “on the surface”. I follow it by saying “as director Francis Lawrence…begins to plow deeper, we see a wealth of themes sprout up”.
As for the characters, I never advocated for archetypes. In fact, I clearly explain that I was wanting the exact opposite. And I specifically say Hoffman and Jonsson’s relationship is “especially compelling”. As for “Stand By Me”, its characters were over 10 years younger than these. So that’s where “adolescent” fits.
As for the ending, I’m not going to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it. But I stand by it being nonsensical. Not in its ambiguity or thematic points. But in its storytelling, more specifically the final shot that begs some glaringly obvious questions.
Keith, fair enough on clarifying, but I’d argue your wording does matter. Calling the premise ‘silly on the surface’ suggests the film’s extremity is a gimmick that needs to be justified. But that extremity isn’t a quirk, it’s King’s conceit, carried over by JT Mollner and Lawrence. The absurdity is the crucible, not a defect.
On the characters: you may not have asked for archetypes, but by criticizing them as indistinguishable, you imply a failure where the film is actually making a statement. The blurring isn’t sloppy… it’s the whole horror. When survival strips identity, the boys should feel like they’re bleeding into one another. That’s the design.
And the ending, this is where I think your critique misses the forest for the trees. To call it ‘nonsensical’ because the final shot raises questions is to treat ambiguity as bad storytelling. But those ‘glaring’ questions are exactly what give the film its afterlife. They’re not plot holes; they feel like scars. If the film tied everything off cleanly, it would be far less daring.
So I’d argue the very things you call weaknesses are what make The Long Walk stick in the gut instead of fading as just another dystopian exercise.
“Silly on the surface” doesn’t suggest what you think it does. It means the premise is silly if you only look at it from a surface level perspective. Again, that’s why I followed it up by pointing out how much more there is to it once you look deeper. All sorts of themes suddenly come into view.
As for the characters, it seems as if you’re looking at them only as thematic pieces. I, on the other hand, make a point to reference how many of the film’s themes are seen through them. But I also look at them from a storytelling perspective which is where I feel many of them are shortchanged.
And the ending is somewhat similar. I understand the thematic statement being made. It’s actually pretty obvious. But that still doesn’t make the particular lack of action (trying to stay spoiler-free) make any more sense. Again, a storytelling blemish, not thematic.
But hey, you’re definitely with the majority on this one. I certainly don’t think it’s a bad movie by any stretch. But I can’t get on board the high praise train.😁
But hey, I won’t hold it against you… you also gave The Conjuring: Last Rites a 4/5 when it’s a 2/5 at best. We all have our blind spots.
100% behind that 4/5 on Conjuring. But I get why some don’t like it. It’s far more traditional than much of the horror that comes out today.
I was curious to see your thoughts about this one. The trailers do a great job selling it that is for sure I am going to see it, but when they have movies like this you can see quickly how it does not seem logical.
The good thing is any concerns with logic are quickly tossed aside. While it’s not particularly well defined, the movie does a good job putting you in its bleak dystopian world and locked into the walk itself.
I love dystopian movies but I can’t think of anything worse than spending 2 hrs watching a herd of 20 year old boys plodging about. Obviously I’m not the target audience, so I’m sure the director won’t mind if I give it a miss.
Also, interesting discussion in the thread, but being ‘anonymous’ rattles my cage, if you’re going to spout your opinions on someone else’s patch, at least have the decency to put your name to them. IMHO 😁
Keith i may skip this not only due to your review but also because of the premise and the trailer. Hunger Games, Divergent, and Snowpiercer have deeper themes but I suspect it is the cruel violence they are trying to sell. For Dystopians, I prefer something like Brazil or Gattaca where the violence comes secondary.
With that said, this year is not living up to its excitement. I finally caught up and saw Materialists, 28 years later, and Weapons, and thought that they fell short. And to think how they get very high approvals in rotten tomatoes
The Long Walk is quite gruesome in spots. They definitely lean into it.
As for other three movies you mentioned. I completely agree on Materialists and 28 Years Later. Both were…fine. Neither have left an impression. I will say I really enjoyed Weapons. I’m excited to give it another look to see if it holds up.
Weapons is the one I saw most recently. Just yesterday. It won me over for the first 30 minutes or so. The set up and mystery. And then I grew concerned about the rearrangement of events, but went with it anyway. And then the final act came and it just went off the rails. Overall it was fine, but it seemed the elements were right there in front of them to make a classic horror movie.