Cover Mark Hamill as The Major in The Long Walk. (Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate)
Mark Hamill as The Major in The Long Walk. (Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate)
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Unsparing and hauntingly timely, ‘The Long Walk’ posits the question: when the system is rigged and corrupt, can anyone truly win?
Walk or perish. Walk without dropping pace. Walk until one is left. These are the rules of an annual event in the dystopian, totalitarian America of Stephen King’s 1979 novel, The Long Walk.
This cult classic, somewhat overshadowed by the King of Horror’s bestsellers but beloved by his most ardent fans, is finally a major motion picture, helmed by The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner. Whether or not a faithful adaptation, given some notable changes from the book, Lawrence’s take on the dreary tale balances visceral quality and restraint, with striking performances from a stellar young cast. It hits deep thanks to its emotional core—that is, despite its brutality, The Long Walk delivers hope, heart and a look at humanity that grips you long after the credits roll.
Spoilers ahead.
Published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, and written back in King’s university years, this pre-Carrie tale follows main character Ray Garraty, who is among the hundred teenage boys participating in the brutal contest. They are to walk a pre-arranged route across the country, without stopping to rest, sleep or relieve themselves. A warning is issued to those who fall below a speed pf four miles per hour; you get three warnings before you are mercilessly executed. The last man standing is granted wealth and anything he wishes.
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In the movie, there are 50 boys and the minimum speed has been changed to three miles per hour. Garraty (portrayed by Cooper Hoffman) quickly befriends a number of his fellow participants, including Peter McVries (David Jonsson), despite their horrific reality being competitors in a death march turned televised spectacle by the oppressive regime. Unlike the format of the Hunger Games franchise, however, there are almost no cutaways from this dystopian sport, and many of the characters’ backstories are revealed only in dialogue. Garraty is the only one who gets flashbacks and a handful of emotional scenes with his forlorn mother, Ginny (Judy Greer).
Above Charlie Plummer as Barkovitch, Garrett Wareing as Stebbins, Cooper Hoffman as Garraty, David Jonsson as McVries, Ben Wang as Olson, Tut Nyuot as Baker, and Joshua Odjick as Parker in ‘The Long Walk’ (Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate)
Charlie Plummer as Barkovitch, Garrett Wareing as Stebbins, Cooper Hoffman as Garraty, David Jonsson as McVries, Ben Wang as Olson, Tut Nyuot as Baker, and Joshua Odjick as Parker in ‘The Long Walk’ (Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate)
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But there is no need, when the heart of this story lies in the boys’ unlikely friendships—in the moments of humor, kindness and camaraderie they manage on the walk. This is their quiet and tender act of rebellion against the system; and it is most compellingly conveyed by Jonsson’s McVries, who serves as a hopeful anchor to the plot and to bitter Garraty. How you empathise and bond with the boys as a viewer is likewise a testament to the fantastic ensemble cast and their ability to bring out depth and humanity in each of their characters.
Many reviews have dubbed Lawrence’s The Long Walk as unflinching in its violence. The first death comes quick, and the first night wipes out a significant count. Some go quietly; some go out screaming. At times, the film may feel predictable and monotonous after the nth gruesome killing. The accompanying sounds are visceral, animalistic. The cuts, pacing and wide shots feel deliberate; we never stay too long with the boys in their final moments of suffering, but their losses are felt like an echoing in the background. The scenery too, while changing as they walk, is drab and lifeless until the end.
Eventually, whether early on or later in your viewing experience, you realise that there is no victory to be won here. Garraty will probably win but will have lost all his friends by then, and he’ll have his one wish—killing the callous Major (Mark Hamill), whom he blames for his father’s death—before likely being gunned down himself.
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Above Cooper Hoffman as Garraty and David Jonsson as McVries in ‘The Long Walk’ (Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate)
Above Charlie Plummer as Barkovitch, Garrett Wareing as Stebbins, Cooper Hoffman as Garraty, David Jonsson as McVries, Tut Nyuot as Baker and Joshua Odjick as Parker in ‘The Long Walk’ (Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate)
Cooper Hoffman as Garraty and David Jonsson as McVries in ‘The Long Walk’ (Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate)
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The Long Walk is not an easy film to watch. It is emotionally taxing, often deeply upsetting, but a poignant King masterpiece that opens deeper conversation.
What does a story so bleak and so heartbreaking ask of us, the viewers, at such times like ours? I believe McVries says it somewhere in the movie; he tells Garraty to look around, see the beauty.
King’s cynicism is not difficult to contract. All around us, in real life, are horrors—entire nations ravaged by greed, hate and untruth; how those are spewed so much they catch like disease or wildfire; what little left of our humanity chipped away and crumbling under the weight of it all. The Long Walk’s ambiguous ending makes us confront the near-dystopia around us. How do you beat or cheat a system so clearly designed to make you lose? Does any one ever truly win, save for those in power, save for those high and comfortable? What is one boy’s borrowed carbine compared to a platoon, a fascist leader and the greater horde of mute, anonymous spectators?
But perhaps we quite literally follow in the footsteps of this story’s victor, and we keep on walking. We fight back with every chance we get, with what little we have, even if it feels futile. The system is rigged, yet here we are: bleeding, breathing, walking still.
The Long Walk doesn’t satisfy with a happy ending. It leaves you feeling empty, possibly bitter, until some time later when you regain a bit of hope.
For all its violence, this is a heartfelt story that reminds us why we keep going. There is still so far left to walk.
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Trained as a student journalist, Mac’s knack for writing was a serendipitous discovery. Years later and she can’t imagine doing anything else. When she isn’t typing away on a story, she revels in being lost in a new city, revisiting a cosy film or sitcom, and idling away with her dogs.
