The Long Walk

Grade: B

Most of the main actors in The Long Walk weren’t born yet when I read the book in 1997. I haven’t revisited it since then, but I remembered it enough to recognize that this was a movie from it, the first time I saw the trailer, before the title was displayed. I had it as one of four novellas in an anthology called The Bachman Books, that also included Roadwork and The Running Man. Those two went unread by me, because I loved the first two so much. Rage, my favorite, is about a teenager who breaks into a school while it’s in session, with a gun. I’m not seeing that Rage has ever been adapted into a film. Making one now would either be too close to home, or might be absolutely perfect for the times.

Richard Bachman, we all now know, was the pseudonym that Stephen King used. After The Monkey and The Life of Chuck, The Long Walk is the third of at least four King adaptations out this year (The Running Man, starring Glen Powell, is coming soon). The Long Walk was written in the 60s, likely inspired by the Vietnam war, but it could take place anytime. It’s probably the future. Teenage boys from all over the country apply to participate in the long walk. Only 50 get chosen. Supervised by a couple tanks, and broadcast in real time around the world, these young men walk until there’s only one left. The winner is granted one wish, and receives an unspecified amount of money, that is repeatedly described as “more riches than you can ever imagine.” They must maintain a speed of at least 3 miles per hour. Going under, stopping, and a few other rules gets you a warning. Three warnings and you “get your ticket,” which is being shot to death. You can do the math. Everyone has a 98% chance of suffering the ultimate loss.

Since we stay with the walkers almost the whole time, that makes the experience of watching it a bit repetitive. This is where it’s better on the page. From a continuity standpoint, this must have been a nightmare to film. If an actor flubs a line, and they pick up from there without resetting their position, you run the risk of problems with backgrounds being different from shot to shot. For this reason, it would be difficult to cherry-pick bits from multiple takes. You’d almost need to film whole chunks of dialogue in one go.

Our main character is Ray Garraty, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son Cooper Hoffman, from Licorice Pizza. He has likable star-power, and it was a pleasure to walk with him. The camaraderie and friendship between him and Peter (David Jonsson) reminded me of Andy Dufresne and Red from The Shawshank Redemption. These guys have chemistry, assisted by supporting performances from Ben Wang (Karate Kid: Legends) and Charlie Plummer (Words on Bathroom Walls, All the Money in the World) – who gives us a classic King bully/villain. As the Major who barks out the instructions and is along for the ride, Mark Hamill returns to the King universe so soon after giving one of the best performances of the year in The Life of Chuck.

The kills are surprisingly and jarringly graphic, and so are the details of bodily functions. Nothing is left to the imagination when a walker’s bowels aren’t cooperating. It’s fitting that Francis Lawrence is the director. He has experience with a franchise set in a dystopian future, where hungry people are selected for games, and the odds aren’t ever in most peoples’ favor. As the hours turn into days, the miles approach the number in that Proclaimers song, and the walkers go from 50 to less than 5, it’s chilling to see people willingly lay down and take their ticket, as the comrades are increasingly more casual about it – sending them off with a simple “It was a pleasure walking with you.”

In trying to call upon my memory of this thing I read just once 28 years ago, I felt like the movie’s ending was different from the book’s. It indeed is. I like the film’s ending better. Upon my reading in 1997, I was confused as to why what seemed like a happy conclusion was colored with so much gloom and pessimism. Now, in 2025, there was no confusion from me. The different outcome, what happens immediately after, and being able to see it helped matters. We don’t have the next Stand By Me or even The Life of Chuck here, but The Long Walk certainly succeeds at what it’s trying to do, and I hope it does well this weekend. My early screening had a large but very respectful audience. Now let’s get someone to bring Rage to the silver screen.

Grade: B