TL;DR – A brutal, uncomfortable film that is anchored in some of the best performances I have seen all year.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

The Long Walk Review Introduction –

Few people have had as many adaptations to their name as Stephen King. Indeed, we already got The Running Man this year. However, before I wrap up my 2025, I knew I needed to explore the other adaptation out this year. A film full of brutality and also camaraderie in a combination that I don’t think I have watched before.   

So, to set the scene, after suffering a brutal civil war in the 20^th century, America now lives under a brutal military regime amidst an economic collapse. As a way of ‘bringing the country back together’, every year there is The Long Walk, where one boy from each state has to start walking and keep walking at three miles an hour until there is only one left. If they win, they win money for their family; if they stop, they “get their ticket taken”. Raymond “Ray” Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) is assigned number 47 under the harsh visage of the Major (Mark Hamill). One gunshot, and the slow march begins with all 50, but it doesn’t take long for the first ticket to get punched.

Setting

At its heart, this is a film of a bunch of people walking down the road in a rural area, and that’s about it. There is a sameness that could be bland in lesser hands. But here, every frame is being used to tell a story. It doesn’t take long for you to care about the people and their stories, because they take the time to let you know about what is in their hearts. Bonds of adversity, forged in fire, and all that bull that they were likely told before they started. You also get a bit of exposition at the start, but then the rest of the world is brought to you through the scenery, the clothes they wear, the towns they pass through, and the propaganda that get spewed at them. It captures you before the first bullet and holds you through the carnage.

Cast

The casting in this film should win awards, because there is not a weak link in the cast. You need to care for every single, okay, not Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer), but also you do care a bit for Barkovitch. Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson have such a clear bond, and their camaraderie jumps beyond the frame. If you didn’t care for these people, the film would not work if you didn’t believe their bond, their performance. The story is all about them, and you feel that pain, knowing that there is only one end coming. Every performance is so raw that you feel every loss.

Uncomfortableness

Having a scenario where young people are killed off for sport to satisfy the cravings of a fallen society is not a unique concept. What I think shifts this away from similar films in this space is that at no point in the runtime is it there to comfort you as the audience. You are not shielded from the realities of this walk; there are shots offscreen, and you are saved from the carnage. The lens is shown back at you, and it reveals an uncomfortable visage. You watch one after another die, horribly, as a villain twists his moustache. The pain is intentional, and you feel it.  

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend The Long Walk? Yes, but with a big asterisk. This is not an easy film to watch; indeed, it is entirely unpleasant at times. However, I am not sure I have watched a movie like this before, acted with such pain and distinction.   

Have you watched The Long Walk? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked The Long Walk, we would recommend One Battle After Another to you because it is another perfectly cast film from the last year. Full of emotive moments and harsh realities.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Long Walk
Directed by – Francis Lawrence
Screenplay by – JT Mollner
Based on – The Long Walk by Stephen King
Music by – Jeremiah Fraites
Cinematography by – Jo Willems
Edited by – Mark Yoshikawa
Production/Distribution Companies – Studio Canal, Vertigo, About:Blank & Lionsgate
Starring – Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer & Mark Hamill
With – Noah de Mel, Daymon Wrightly, Jack Giffin, Thamela Mpumlwana, Keenan Lehmann, Dale Neri, Teagan Stark, Sam Clark & Emmanuel Oderemi
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 14A; Germany: 16; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R