The Long Walk Spoiler Movie Review

Long Walk adaptation is both heartwarming and devastating.

In a dystopian, alternate-America ruled by a totalitarian regime, 50 teenage boys take part in a deadly annual walking contest, forced to maintain a minimum pace or be executed, until only one survivor remains. Director Francis Lawrence and Writer J.T Mollner bring to life maybe the bleakest Stephan King book with this bleak version of the future with incredible ensemble cast that is sadly relevant to today even though King wrote this book in the late 60s early 70s as a Vietnam allegory in how a government can exploit young men to give risk their lives with the promise of something only to lose them for nothing but certain higher ups in the government’s desire to make money and maintain power.

Francis Lawrance does a great job directing this film which is a high bar of difficulty how do you make young men walking in one direction almost the whole film cinematic and compelling he does that by having an incredible cast top to bottom you feel every death that happens in gruesome ways that do not pull punches that horrify you and make you angry to see these characters you come to love taken away its devastating. The way Lawrance shows the deaths is the biggest example of that it’s not thrilling violence its ugly disgusting violence that makes you sick to your stomach like when of the boys gets their leg crushed by one of the tanks that makes you realize the major who is overseeing the walk has no humanity. The pacing of the film is amazing because of how it starts with the boys bonding but as the walk progresses the horror of the situation they are in hits them in the face which I thought was brilliant on Lawrance’s part along with having the boys look out for one another.

The cast of the film is what makes this film as great as it is so let’s start with Cooper Hoffman as Ray Garraty is phenomenal it is crazy to see him come in as his own as an actor but in a different way than his father he brings humanity as one of the boys that becomes like the co leader with Peter but also has complicated reasons why he entered the long walk not just wanting to get him and his mom out of the desperate situation they are in but revenge on the major for killing his father. David Johnson as Peter is a scene stealer he is hilarious, thoughtful, and empathetic to the other boys in the long walk which makes him endearing to you as an audience member like I love when he gives Hank shit about wanting to be with 10 naked women if he wins it is so funny or when he is calling Ray out for wanting to use his wish to kill the major for revenge he is incredible and telling Ray to instead to use it to inspire change along with getting back to his mother their friendship that forms is amazing so when the ending happens it rips your heart out of your chest I was crying in the theater when that happened. Ben Wang as Hank is a standout seeing his progression of constantly talking lecturing the guys about, they need to do to when his boy is slowly breaking down is one of the hardest deaths in the film. Charlie Plummer as Gary who starts out as an asshole who gets someone killed is someone you ending having a little sympathy for seeing him be consumed with guilt ending up taking himself out is shocking but made complete sense for this character. Judy Greer as Rays mother ripped my heart out of my chest from when she is saying goodbye to Ray at the beginning to when they see her on the sidewalk and ray goes up to her to tell her he is sorry and wished he didn’t enter and her telling him its ok and not break the rules. Mark Hamil as the major who is overseeing the long walk is a great scumbag in the film saying lines you have heard certain members of congress say which are bullshit but sadly accurate to what people like say, feel, and think it is satisfying to see him get killed at the end but that is my one criticism of the film I wish Ray was the one who survived not Peter because of how Peter wanted to give himself up so Ray can get back to his mother and inspire change in my opinion that would have been the better ending but I can see other points of view on that.

Final thoughts is wish I have seen this film sooner it is now of my favorite films of the year if you have a chance to see in theaters still, please do if not, please buy on 4k Blu-ray and or on VOD I will give this film 4 and half out of 5.