As I went into The Long Walk I was wondering how this could ever be a ‘watchable’ film. The media screening was held weeks before the trailer had even surfaced and having read King’s original novel (which was released under his pseudonym Richard Bachman) I knew that the general plot was a group of young men walking along a road until they died. How do you make that into a film that wouldn’t have the audience drifting off within an hour.
Actually the plot does have a little more to it than that. Set in a dystopian future an event has plummeted the world into poverty and in a bid to lift the spirits of the general public The Major (Mark Hamill – Star Wars) runs what is called The Long Walk.
This televised event sees volunteers agree to go on the walk and if they fail to keep to moving a three miles per hour they receive a warning. Earn three warnings and you are executed by bullet right there on the spot. Try to run off once the walk has started and again you will be executed. You then walk until there is only one person left and that person walks away with a huge cash prize.
The film follows one of the competitors in this year’s walk, Raymond ‘Ray’ Garraty #47 (Cooper Hoffman – Saturday Night), who despite the pleas from his mother Ginnie (Judy Greer – Jurassic World) has signed up for the barbaric practice.
As the walk begins Ray quickly bonds with fellow walkers like Peter McVries #23 (David Jonsson – Deep State) and Hank Olson #46 (Ben Wang – Mean Girls) while he learns that there are also ‘bad’ walkers, like Gary Barkovitch #5 (Charlie Plummer – Lean On Pete), who need to be avoided.
As the walk goes on the walkers begin to learn more about each other including the dark secret of why Ray signed up for the walk in the first place.
While cinematographer Jo Willems (Hard Candy) uses the roadside and road to the dark and foreboding world that the characters call home screenwriter JT Mollner (Strange Darling) uses King’s original source material to develop characters and dialogue that will draw the audience into this plot with such intrigue that it lifts the film far beyond being just a ‘walking’ film.
At the same time director Franis Lawrence (Constantine) brings everything together and creates a film that totally captivates its audience. Lawrence is no stranger to ‘survivalist cinema’ having carried much of the heavy load with The Hunger Games franchise. What he can’t do here is rely on the action of the film to keep the audience engaged like he did with that franchise – instead here he lets Mollner’s screenplay come to the fore in such a way that you will find yourself barracking for some of the characters at hand here.
Together the work of Lawrence, Mollner and Willems creates an atmosphere within the film that keeps the audience heightened throughout. As an audience member whenever one of the guards yells out a warning or begins a countdown you find your heart beating almost out of your chest.
The power of Mollner’s screenplay is further enhanced by the actors delivering his dialogue. Grouped together with his performance in Saturday Night Cooper Hoffman’s performance here is engaging with a gentleness that is needed to make him ‘likable.’ Hoffman is not only showing the same acting brilliance that his father carried throughout his career but is now revealing himself to be one of the best young actors in Hollywood at the moment.
Likewise, Charlie Plummer has shown in films like Words On Bathroom Walls and Lean On Pete that he is a brilliant young actor and here he once again shines with a performance where despite being one of the villains of the piece he becomes one of the most memorable characters.
The Long Walk is not always an easy watch, in fact at times it is gruelling, but it is well worth it. The brilliantly written screenplay is brought alive by a talented young cast and makes this not only a must see but one of the best thrillers you will see this year.
The Long Walk is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘18’
4/5 Stars
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus.