THE LONG WALK (2025) review
written by: JT Mollner
produced by: Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Francis Lawrence, and Cameron MacConomy
directed by: Francis Lawrence
rating: R (for strong bloody violence, grisly images, suicide, pervasive language, and sexual references)
runtime: 108 min.
U.S. release date: September 12, 2025
Back in the mid-80s, I recall picking up a paperback called The Bachman Books, a collection of four short stories by Richard Bachman, to read during a family trip to Florida. Yeah, I was that kid. It was a daunting read, primarily due to its sheer thickness, but knowing there were four stories made it mentally manageable, as if I had an end in sight for each story. The only reason I picked it up is that Bachman was a pseudonym for Stephen King. After reading a previous collection of four of his novellas, 1982’s Different Seasons (three of which would later be made into feature films), I was eager to read more of his work. The book was a collection of stories that King had written between 1977 and 1982. The first two stories, “Rage” and “The Long Walk”, were wholly engaging, albeit tough reads – two intense and brutal tales primarily revolving around teen boys. I never would have thought that either of them would be adapted into a series or feature, but here we are in 2025 with an adaptation of “The Long Walk”.
Written by JT Mollner, who wrote and directed last year’s twisted thriller “Strange Darling”, and directed by Francis Lawrence, who knows a thing or two about YA dystopian landscapes after helming four “Hunger Games” movies, “The Long Walk” has a Point A to Point B familiarity to it with a focus on the physical and psychological torture endured.
It all takes place in a post-war dystopian alternative version of the United States ruled by a totalitarian regime. The plot follows a group of young men who are selected contestants in an annual grueling walking contest. They must walk along a pre-arranged, roughly 400-mile route, guided by armed military personnel and filmed for simulcast viewers, while maintaining a speed of 3 miles per hour. If they go under, they’re given three verbal warnings, and if they cannot get back up to speed during those warnings, they’re fatally shot in cold blood by the garrison of soldiers that pace alongside them. The sole winner of The Walk is awarded one request of anything they want, along with a substantial monetary award.
Neither the book nor the movie provides any real details about why this Walk exists or how it benefits society, beyond the winner. There’s talk of impending economic collapse, but nothing to indicate how this annual walk will boost morale. It’s hard to say what kind of lesson this torturous exercise is supposed to teach, but as the contestants (who have all freely enlisted themselves) assemble at the starting line, The Major (a gravely, slightly miscast Mark Hamill) claims The Walk is a rebuke to the supposed “epidemic of laziness” spreading across its youth culture. That’s interesting, considering the production design, costuming, and overall look of this alternate reality, which resembles mid-1960s America. However, there are no video games or smartphones here, or the internet to time suck the so-called lethargic youth into a vortex of inactivity. If they are all suffering from such laziness, it’d be hard to believe that walking almost 400 miles would motivate them to sign up.
Of course, setting it in a society that more closely resembles our own would also make it easier for these young walkers, at least when it comes to footwear – that’s the first thing I noticed. They’d at least have a better survival rate if these boys were wearing the latest Brooks or HOKA shoes, which would be far superior to the boots or gym shoes they have on. Heck, they could even be sponsored by their favorite shoe brand.
When we first meet Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), he is being dropped off at the start line by his mother, Ginnie (Judy Greer), who is frightened for her son and scared that she may never see him again. Ray assures her he’ll be alright, and after they exchange hugs, he joins the peers he’ll be spending the next several days with. He introduces himself to Peter McVries (David Jonsson, so good in “Alien: Romulus”), Hank Olson (Ben Wang, “Karate Kid: Legends”), Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing, “Independence Day: Resurgence”), and eventually Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer, “Lean on Pete”), Arthur Barker (Tut Nyuot, “Small Axe”), Thomas Curley (Roman Griffin Davis, “JoJo Rabbit”), Richard Harkness (Jordan Gonzalez, “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin”), and Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick, “Wildhood”). Knowing each other’s names is important to these young men. However, it’ll become superfluous when The Major assigns all of them numbers, making it pretty apparent how they are viewed by those who claim the importance of embodying the American Spirit.
Determined to win the competition, Ray quickly develops a friendship with Peter, as both of them pursue perseverance and survival by keeping up the pace and avoiding warnings from the armed guards. We will discover why his goal is personal, extending beyond financial freedom for him and his mother. In time, the sensitive Ray will share this personal motivation with the optimistic Peter, as the two learn to lean on each other both figuratively and literally. As the walk commences, friendships develop, and Ray admires Peter’s positivity and how he effortlessly assumes the role of the group’s facilitator. Everyone is understandably rattled when the first contest falls with a gunshot to the head reverberating in their minds. The boys will have to learn that their mental and emotional stamina will become more important than their physical endurance.
Only a few of the actors convincingly resemble teenagers, but that’s something we’ve grown accustomed to in movies. Yet that becomes the last thing on our minds the more time we spend with these characters. Hoffman portrays Ray Garraty (#47) as a disarming and inviting presence, someone who becomes a rock for others. He shows his fears and determination equally and authentically, making him someone easy to gravitate to. However, there’s also an internal sadness conveyed, which we see during the quieter moments when he’s seen clutching his backpack straps and looking down at his feet, hitting the pavement.
There are a few moments where Mollner and Lawrence flash to memories that surface in Ray’s mind. At first, it’s a memory of his mother singing a comforting tune to him. But, then we learn of his late father (Josh Hamilton) and how he fought for free thinking amid the authoritarian control and censorship the government imposed. He introduced Ray to the likes of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, which could be why Ray can be heard quoting Heidegger when the topic of death is discussed amongst his fellow “Musketeers.” Truly, the best moments in “The Long Walk” come when the young men engage in conversations during their arduous journey, only to be interrupted by the brutal violence of their military overseers. The dynamic between Ray and Peter is undeniably engaging, and the way both Hoffman and Jonsson portray this, respectively, is the highlight of the film.
Lawrence isn’t playing any games when it comes to the violence in “The Long Walk”, which is designed to shock and perpetuate anxiety when it occurs. Despite the three-warning countdown of each brutal shooting, it still comes as a jolt to the remaining contenders as they do their best to move forward. Each death reminds the boys (and the audience) of the grim reality of this awful contest. Gun violence isn’t the only graphic content in the movie. There are a couple of urgent scenes of boys dropping their pants and trying to defecate quickly before they exhaust their warnings. One young man doesn’t even bother to squat, and we see the explosive results as he desperately tries to maintain his pace while relieving himself.
As the contestants walk and talk, there are inevitable opportunities to get to know the characters. Different personalities surface, and we see a couple who come across as assertive or arrogant, but they will either succumb to psychological breaks or illness. When the screenplay provides reasons why some of the characters applied to compete, it gives context for their behavior, rather than earning our sympathy, since we know they’re going to die. While it becomes evident that Ray and Peter will be the final two walking, since they are the primary focus of the story, the two actors are so emotionally convincing that we forget that either of them could be the last one standing.
On that note, there are differences between this adaptation of “The Long Walk” and the source material. That’s understandable, and, to be honest, I’d rather have some deviations than a shot-by-shot translation of what’s on the page. Anyone coming in cold won’t have a problem with these changes, but I’d wager those well-versed in King’s novel will likely be bothered. That being said, this is the third King adaptation this year, after Oz Perkins’ “The Monkey” and Mike Flanagan’s “The Life of Chuck” (with a remake of “Running Man” coming out in a couple of months, courtesy of Edgar Wright), the latter of which also starred Mark Hamill, albeit in a very different role. There’s not much for Hamill to do in this role, and his authoritarian position here is somewhat confusing, as we don’t know much about the state of America.
Despite the characters always being in motion and essentially on the same road, “The Long Walk” does at times come across like a play. That is likely due to its pace (it’s by no means slow, but some may find it boring) and its emphasis on the interaction between the contestants. Lawrence and his “Hunger Games” cinematographer Jo Willems do their best to keep it cinematic, but it’s really up to the stellar cast, and they truly are the ones who carry the weight on this exhausting trek.
RATING: ***
