Terrifying in its premise and heart-wrenching in its execution, The Long Walk achieves a gripping story with dynamic characters.
The Long Walk is a devastating story that remains possible, but it also mirrors aspects of societal conditioning. Within the film, there is beauty, sorrow, and laughter as we witness people in tragic circumstances and how the human spirit navigates that. Terrifying in its premise and heart-wrenching in its execution, The Long Walk achieves a gripping story with dynamic characters.
Directed by Francis Lawrence (Constantine), the story, based on a Stephen King novel, with a screenplay by JT Mollner(Strange Darling, Outlaws and Angels), takes an innocuous long walk and makes it foreboding. Walk till you drop is literal here. At its center are two men, Raymond Garraty, played by Cooper Hoffman (Saturday Night, Licorice Pizza), and Peter McVries, performed by David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus, Rye Lane), marching for different reasons. As all 50 men walk till one is left standing, the two forge a powerful friendship that remains with your tears after the credits roll.
The Long Walk Is Vague But Possible
The movie keeps the backstory that led to this death march vague, but that increases the familiar fear while focusing on the cast to build the world. The environment becomes its own entity, too, filling viewers with dread. Sure, there is one winner, but like many contests of this nature, people must sacrifice too much.
The Long Walk is a Polaroid of a dystopian world. Its obscurity heightens the sense of how genuine and possible it feels. We are in a world where hate and greed reign supreme, and more countries turn away from dealing with the United States. It’s horrifying. From the gender biases, bans on music and books, to the rhetoric that laziness destroyed the country, the U.S. in the movie is so chillingly close to where we currently are.
Outstanding Casting
There are plenty of superb performances in The Long Walk. But at its core, it’s only as good as the two main characters, Raymond and Peter. The pair is dynamite, playing off each other with ease, building a believable rapport. It’s easy to connect with Cooper Hoffman as audiences start the film with him. His openness to talk with others leaves you wondering if it’s a ploy. But soon you realize there is little room for schemes.
David Jonsson, as his counter, Peter, with no family but an innate goodness nonetheless, is phenomenal. He brings warmth, hope, comedic moments, and sorrow as the group gradually dwindles. Jonsson’s performance tinges every interaction with tragedy. Charlie Plummer (Lean On Pete, The Clovehitch Killer), as Gary Barkovitch, gives a spellbinding performance. He balances a sorrowful clinginess with a pitiable persona that feels creepy and suspicious.
Another memorable performance is Ben Wang (Mean Girls, Karate Kid: Legends) as Hank Olson, who is funny with a distinct accent. Joshua Odjick (It: Welcome to Derry, Wildhood), as Collie Parker, is another one. Despite limited screen time, he utilizes every second on screen. I hope to see him in more feature film roles. Plus, Tut Nyuot (The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Dumping Ground) as Arthur Baker is another standout, adding to the emotional maelstrom in the movie.
A Devastating Yet Inspirational Movie
The Long Walk balances hope and grief as those in power continue their unsustainable hoarding at the expense and subjugation of the masses, while those struggling gradually hit “to hell with it” levels. It’s a film that focuses on characters, shows how the government views people as nothing more than numbers, and conditions society to believe the same, even about themselves. The Long Walk is an emotional, reflective journey where viewers can reflect on who they consider “lazy,” deserving of care, or how hustling and grinding in a capitalist society is not only expected, but celebrated.
