Published: October 6, 2025
Based on the book of the same name, The Long Walk, directed by Francis Lawrence, takes the viewer on a traumatizing and heartbreaking, yet also heartfelt, journey over the course of its 108-minute runtime. Filled to the brim with themes of generational trauma and the importance of bonding and brotherhood, all while commenting on systemic, socioeconomic, the military-industrial complex, and cultural issues. This wasn’t your typical horror film, nor was it what I expected from a Stephen King story. While the book was published in 1979, this story has been brought to an eerily similar present-day setting. There’s so much to talk about with this film, I hardly doubt I’ll do it justice, so I’ll end this introduction by pleading for you to see this film; it’s a must-watch. Light spoilers ahead.
The general plot of the film revolves around a group of boys picked via lottery numbers (that they volunteer for) to engage in an extreme challenge of walking until they can’t anymore, but there’s only one winner. I went into it thinking “they won’t kill these guys, right?” Boy, was I wrong. They do not shy away from the concepts of life and death in this film, with death being the main focus. The audience doesn’t engage with every single character that comes into play, but it does a great job at introducing them and making each character’s death hit hard. Every sound had deliberate meaning in this film; every gunshot meant someone else was gone.
The backdrop for these characters changes drastically over the course of the journey, but the world outside of what we see is limited. We only get glimpses into what the world outside of the contest is like, and it leaves a lot up to interpretation. This movie makes you think and reflect on the concepts of power, wealth, brotherhood, love, life, death, and everything in between. This movie truly messes with your mind, and at times, I felt like I was watching a war movie, but I realized that was the point. In this world, the military is trying to recover from some unnamed war by overcompensating and encouraging a nationwide increase in “work ethic” with this extreme competition. Not only was this movie filled with commentary on the military, but it also felt like a warning about the dangers of weaponry, especially around younger people. All the recurring characters that weren’t military escorts were young, healthy men who didn’t know who was going to bite it next. The tension the film builds from start to finish had me on the edge of my seat, with the soundtrack and sound work only worsening this effect. I have hardly anything negative to say about this film; it’s one of the best I’ve seen in a long time.
The performances from the cast were outstanding, and every actor in this film deserves accolades. With only two big names in the film, Mark Hamill and Judy Greer, the heavy lifting is left to the younger members of the cast. Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson carry this film with the bond that their characters, Ray and Pete, build over the course of the film. The way they disregard their values for one another, and mourn for their fallen brothers while others are apathetic or in a daze, is nothing short of gut-wrenching. There were many differences between the men, yet some of them found the strength to boost the others up, even if others weren’t appreciative. This story highlighted so much about our society in a tension-riddled, occasionally (intensely) gory, and mentally challenging package that it’s hard to talk about it without fully spoiling it, but this film left me speechless in the theater.
The Long Walk is in theaters everywhere now.
