It has been at least five years since we’ve gotten an adaptation this good from a Stephen King story.
With so many Stephen King stories being adapted, quality is always a concern. The sheer volume of these projects, and the complex process of bringing them to the screen, often can lead to plenty of forgettable adaptations. As a viewer, my hope is for any Stephen King adaptation to leave a lasting impression, one that honors the immersive journey he first gave his readers, rather than being just a passing thought. And thankfully, The Long Walk is anything but that. Its premise might be simple enough, but its cast of young characters makes for a bare bones thriller that is among the year’s best films so far.
The Long Walk takes us on a journey where we view an annual contest that consists of young men (one from each state in the United States) competing in “The Long Walk” to see who can go the farthest without stopping, while maintaining a certain walking speed. However, anyone who fails to maintain the required speed is shot on sight. Broadcasted around the world with a very enticing prize for its contestants, we watch as these young men try to form friendships and get to know each other as a way of escaping the thought that only one of them can survive by contest’s end.
As one might expect, The Long Walk keeps us on the asphalt with the contestants for almost the entire time. Sure, there is a quick setup and a flashback here and there; but this film’s 100-minute runtime is almost entirely spent on the road–a road that fills up with blood and loss as the journey progresses. Some may find this to be a bit of a bore, and I can see why. But veteran director Francis Lawrence is no slack when it comes to delivering films that have us more so invested in the characters at the center of the story, while also delivering those moments of shock and awe (Constantine, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire). It helps that the filmmaker’s young, promising cast helps sell us on these characters, which keeps us fully invested in their journey while wondering how the story will end by the time the credits roll.
We’ve seen Cooper Hoffman begin to blaze his own trail after the passing of his father, legendary actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Between Licorice Pizza, Saturday Night, and now The Long Walk, the 22-year-old actor is starting to come into his own, thanks to another good leading performance here. While it’s not necessarily a standout performance, his portrayal of Raymond is another role that will help continue to bolster his already promising career, which will only get better. Two younger actors make a footprint in The Long Walk, including Ben Wang (recently seen front and center of Karate Kid: Legends) and Joshua Odjick as contestant #48; among the other lesser-known young actors, viewers will almost certainly gravitate toward their performances. Mark Hamill has a small, supporting role as the film’s antagonist, The Major, with just the right amount of the screen time to keep from veering off the path of this story. But the true standout of The Long Walk is David Jonsson as Peter, who befriends Cooper Hoffman’s character. Jonsson first made his name known in last summer’s excellent Alien: Romulus. But his performance here in The Long Walk is a star-making achievement that shows the young actor’s range. Every time he’s on screen, there’s an aura around him that signals future stardom in his career; he’s got “it” as the kids would say.
The simple approach to The Long Walk may not make for the most in-depth story we’ve seen from one of Stephen King’s countless stories. But these portrayals of the film’s characters draw you in, keeping you invested until the very end. Effectively weaving together themes of humanity, heartbreak, and resilience against a backdrop of deadly consequences, the film offers a glimmer of hope about the human condition, even amidst such a bleak contest.