The Long Walk (2025) - 6/10

Based on a Steven King book (that I’ve not read), I’m confident going in. I love a spot of bleak dystopia too. Raymond (Cooper Hoffman) has bagged himself a place on the Long Walk, a State wide competition promising unimaginable riches and ominously “a single wish” to the winner. Ray’s considered to be lucky, a chance to climb out of the crippling poverty and ultra conservatism, post civil war America finds itself in and all he has to do is keep walking, at a constant pace, with 49 other lucky participants. Fail to do so though… and he’ll get shot. Everyone’s tagged and numbered. Nerves are palpable, as The Major (Mark Hamill) barks at the start line. This is all supposed to inspire what’s become a lazy culture and return America to being “Number 1” (heads up, America has never been number 1). Off they set, walking at 3mph. Last one standing wins. Everyone has a plan. Hank (Ben Wang) is full of strategy, Arthur (Tut Nyout) has faith. Peter (David Jonsson), like Ray is a team player. Theres no denying it’s bleak. The landscape is quiet, rural. No cities. An endless road, occasional houses, lots of trees. Nothing to distract from the interaction of the boys walking. Well aside the tanks with TV cameras and soldiers systematically shooting them in the head. It’s brutal, but very interesting. What is strength. Real strength. The strength here is Jonsson and Hoffman, the whole cast is pretty solid, but these two carry it. The depiction of their relationship, their reasons for walking, the way they evolve, it draws you in to what’s ultimately a very simple premise. Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer), Stebbins (Garrett Wareing) and Collie (Joshua Odjick) aren’t given as much to play with, but all serve the team. I’ve a feeling the book would be better. That’s often the case. Everything here is a bit spectacle and surface, relying too much on the visceral bleak brutality. It is good though and worth a watch for Jonsson and Hoffman alone.

6/10