DIRECTOR
Francis Lawrence
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Slumberland, Red Sparrow, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts 1 & 2, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Water for Elephants, I Am Legend, Constantine

STARS
Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Mark Hamill, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Garrett Wareing and Roman Griffin Davis

The Long Walk’s source material takes steps so far back into the celebrated career of its world-renowned author, Stephen King, it is written under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman, and is also his first-written novel from 1979. King’s predilection for the horror genre starts out as the dystopian kind, with its first feature film adaptation ostensibly in the right hands of director Francis Lawrence: director of another dystopian book to film adaptation, The Hunger Games series (with the exception of the very first Hunger Games film).

In what must feel like fiction gradually coming to fruition all these years later in 2025 for Stephen King, 1970s America is under the ruling of a totalitarian regime with The Major (Mark Hamill) at its helm. From the comfort and safety of a vehicle escorting him, The Major (ironically and hypocritically) announces an epidemic of laziness plagues his country to several young men who have signed up to participate in the titular long walk. This gruelling annual contest that has covers hundreds of miles with no finish line and can only end with 1 man left standing, or walking I should say, is a merciless competition with an inhumane set of rules that apply to its participation. The men must maintain a speed of at least 3 miles per hour at all times, irrespective of any incline or exhaustion. There are no rest breaks, toilet stops or sleep recovery. If your shoelace comes undone or an injury is sustained, your only salvation is meeting that 3 mile per hour speed again before the third of 3 warnings in quick succession are given. Failure to do so can only end one way. What is in it for the victor? A cash prize in tough economic times and one wish their genie dictator will grant to them. Let the walkies begin!

The Long Walk takes very few detours and no scenic paths getting to and treading through its premise. Despite feeling its full duration, the premise holds up well considering almost all of its 108 minutes is fixed watching these young men walk and dropping off like flies until just 1 remains. One of the reasons this is possible is due to the friendships some of them form. They are fully attuned to the fact any friendships are fleeting and that technically they are each other’s foes, but to see how they still place the survival of someone that puts theirs in greater jeopardy above all else in such oppressive times is something to connect with. As a result of everything stated above and due to the various (and often graphic!) hurdles that everyone will face and just one will overcome, The Long Walk is capable at being entirely gripping.

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Though going the distance with The Long Walk is worthwhile, there are a few missteps realised that happen throughout, which explain why for me there are mixed amounts of involvement and just simply waiting for the inevitable to unfold. Firstly, I found the film entirely foreseeable, bar one revelation that comes from one of the character’s during the second half of the movie. This revelation introduces a more intriguing avenue for this movie to wander towards but is ultimately too simplistic and foreseeable again in getting there and could and should have involved another character in the film more greatly than it does.

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The public reception of this film from audiences and readers of the book interests me greatly. This book was published long before other dystopian books were that also had film adaptations made long before The Long Walk’s got the green light. Will this be to its detriment? And will the film do justice to the book for those who loved it?? 

The Long Walk is showing in cinemas across Australia from September 11th, 2025.

Moviedoc thanks Studiocanal and Annette Smith: Ned & Co for the invitation to the screening of this film. 

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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