The Long Walk Movie Review

As of the release of this movie, Rotten Tomatoes has a Critics 96% rating of positive reviews.

“The Long Walk” is a disturbing and brutal look at an authoritarian, militaristic society that uses torture to ‘motivate’ the public. They force 50 ‘volunteers’ to participate in a grueling endurance contest of ‘Walk or Die’. There will be 49 losers, and if you fail to keep up — they will ‘punch your ticket’. Not a pleasant stroll, by any means…

 

In some alternative future, it has been a decade after a national War. If it was International or Civil — it does not matter. The people in charge now rule with an iron fist, using fear and intimidation. The national Depression rages on, and the only way to motivate the public is with the annual “Long Walk”.

 

This promises that the one person who can endure and survive the countless miles will be rewarded. There is a huge monetary sum, and also a ‘personal wish’ will be granted. However, this televised event does not allow for any runners-up. Anyone who does not maintain a walking speed of 3 MPH — for the entire contest — will die.

 

You can walk forwards or backwards or even do handflips. No problem, as long as you keep up the speed. You need to urinate, that’s fine. Try not to get it on your own shoes or the fellow Walkers. You can do bowel movements, just as long you emphasize the ‘movement’ part — and keep on walking.

 

The group of Walkers all get assembled to begin, and most of them are from out-of-state. The one local Walker is Raymond Garraty (played by Cooper Hoffman). He gets dropped off by his mother (played by Judy Greer). She wants him to succeed, and he has a hidden agenda to make sure he completes the Walk.

 

The military officer in charge is “The Major” (played by Mark Hamill). He is grizzled and he is gruff. He barks out his commands to the soldiers he controls. Many of these soldiers will need to ‘punch the ticket’ of a Walker who is not keeping up the pace.

 

That means in reality, the Walker will be given three warnings. If the Walker cannot get back up to speed after the warnings, he will be shot in the head!

 

Ray meets many of the other ‘contestants’ in this annual event. He forms a bond with Peter McVries (played by David Jonsson). Pete and Ray seem to be upbeat and likable. Other Walkers surround them.

 

There is Arthur Baker (played by Tut Nyuot), someone out for the big grand prize. There is Hank Olson (played by Ben Wang) and he thinks he has the perfect plan to succeed.

 

Barkovitch (played by Charlie Plummer) is a surly and mean-spiited guy, and is sure to be trouble. Stebbins (played by Garrett Wareing) is a tall quiet fellow with a hidden secret of his own.

 

Richard Harkness (played by Jordan Gonzalez) has the idea that he will document all that the ‘Walk’ entails, and then write a tell-all book. Curly (played by Roman Griffin Davis) is probably too young to be part of this excruciating event.

 

When it is time to begin, The Major growls out what he calls a pep talk. This event is for the ‘good of the country’. The road will be long and the Walkers will suffer. But this ‘pep talk’ starts to sound more like a Death Sentence. For the 49 who will not make it to the end — that is what this Walk will become.

 

Ray and Pete are both keeping pace with the others. It comes as a shock that one of the Walkers gets a severe leg cramp and slows down. The brutal and graphic end of his Walk comes after the third warning and he cannot continue. When your ‘ticket gets punched’ – it is sudden impact to the brain. Everyone is in disbelief.

 

More Walkers are having issues. Someone gets seizures and falls to the ground. Another ticket punched. One of them goes off the roadway over to the side of the road. Another ticket punched. As they walk through a small town, one guy tries to make a run for it into a local store. Opps – that door was locked and your ticket is now punched.

 

Art and Hank and Ray and Pete and all very supportive to each other. Stebbins is very stand-offish and never says too much. Barkovitch is a real wise guy and tries to get some other Walkers off the pace, so that they get warnings. He riles up one fellow Walker too much, all the way to the point that the other guy gets a punched ticket. Barkovitch gets suddenly very quiet.

 

The landscape and weather are never taken into consideration. If it is pouring down rain, it does not matter. If it is out in the blazing midday heat, it does not matter. If you are walking up a steep incline that could tire you out — it does not matter. If you go under the 3 MPH limit and get three warnings — you will get your ticket punched.

 

The cruel and inhumane Walk continues both day and night. The Walkers are enduring untold pain — physical and psychological torture. Ray finds that Pete has been helping him when Ray drifts off in the night. Ray has thoughts about his past, and how his father was murdered by The Major.

 

Pete has a very optimistic attitude. He tells Ray of his childhood and how he grew up. Pete is an orphan from the War. He bounced around from house to house — never really fitting in anywhere. So it is surprising that he remains cheery. But he thinks this group he is with now is the closest he’s ever had to a family.

 

The longer that the walking goes on, the fewer Walkers remain. Most of them are dropping from exhaustion and weariness. Tickets continue to get punched. The Major thinks he is giving the remnants some big talk of encouragement when he says you guys have the ‘biggest sacks’. The Major must be a few troops short of a full platoon.

 

It is never explained exactly how this televised torture event is supposed to ‘juice up the national economy’ and ‘renew faith in the country’. It seems more like a forced ‘Death March’ — because that is what it is. People like Pete and Ray and Hank and Art have been caught like cattle heading into the slaughterhouse.

 

The long and arduous journey has claimed the tickets of 48 other Walkers. There are only two still upright and moving forward. Both are in a dazed state and either one could collapse at any minute.

 

One of them has a secret agenda and a wish that that he wants to put into place when he wins. The other one has tried to talk him out of that, and he should look to find something more positive. But in the end — which attitude will prevail?

 

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“The Long Walk” is filled with incredible performances. Yet at the same, it notches up the tension and distress that you will probably feel. Because the fact that for several days where these guys rely on each other, there are many close bonds and connections made.

 

Yet each and every of the ‘contestants’ are nothing more than a ‘Dead Man Walking’. Their fate depends on their endurance and stamina. When there are killings, the camera is unflinching and results are graphic. These sudden, brutal attacks, ‘punching a ticket’ only further ramps up the anxiety.

 

Cooper Hoffman, playing Ray, is well-cast as a focused and driven Walker. He joins with another great actor — David Jonsson, who plays Pete. These two become the core of this movie, building a trusting friendship – no matter how short lived it might be.

 

Mark Hamill (as The Major) plays an evil and vile creature who has believed his own lies for so long – now he takes them as gospel truth. Even with a limited role, Judy Greer delivers some honest emotions and some reality in a crazy world.

 

Director Francis Lawrence has a history with movies that deal with dystopian worlds. See his work doing many “Hunger Games” films. The core idea is from early Steven King – and it hits hard in the gut. You want to believe there can be a good outcome, but for most – it will a quick death on the hot pavement.

 

“The Long Walk” is an example of how to make a ‘Steven King’ movie the right way. It’s playing now, so no need to run to the theater. Just take the ‘Long Walk’ to your comfy seat!