Review: Long Walk' is a brutal, and riveting, adaptation of Stephen King novel

"Nothing about Francis Lawrence's take-no-prisoners adaptation of Richard Bachman's (aka Stephen King) staggering novel offers one shard of hope for any of us to wrap our bloodied fingers around. Nor should it, given the hellish America landscape it envisions, an undefined time where a rotting-to-its-core nation goads 50 male teens into a grueling contest that demands participants walk at a 3-mile-an-our pace or get a bullet through the head delivered by The Major (Mark Hamill) or his military goons."

"Needless to say, The Long Walk is a brutal and visceral nightmare that rattles and shocks with in-your-face violence and gruesome images that test audiences' limits. Some will flee from theaters. Others won't even give it a shot. I get that. But make no mistake, this odyssey through hell and not back (virtually the entire film gets framed around that purgatory-like walking contest) is an artistic and gutsy triumph of filmmaking."

"Its craftsmanship and use of symbolism are undeniable and its sure-footed excellence extends from the character-rich screenwriting of J.T. Mollner (director/screenwriter of the daring Strange Darling). Chiseled, tear-your-heart-out performances are delivered by Cooper Hoffman (as country boy and lead protagonist Ray Garraty) and David Jonsson (as the hopeful and gregarious Peter McVries). And the appropriately off-kilter, kinetic cinematography from Jo Willems and the unsettling decades-blending production design from Nicolas Lepage contribute mightily as well."

Francis Lawrence's adaptation places 50 male teens in a merciless walking contest set in a decaying, militarized America where failure results in execution. The contest forces participants to maintain a three-mile-an-hour pace under constant threat, exposing physical deterioration and psychological breakdown. The film is relentlessly brutal, using explicit violence and grotesque imagery to convey hopelessness. The screenplay emphasizes character depth, centering on Ray Garraty and Peter McVries through restrained, affecting performances. Cinematography and production design merge kinetic camera work with decades-blending sets to amplify dread. The ambiguous, powerful ending rewards repeat viewings and invites multiple interpretations.

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