The Long Walk is based on the 1979 novel of the same name by Stephen King (written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman). The film features a cast that includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.
Last year, while on a long road trip, I listened to the unabridged version of the audiobook. As is typical for me, I found the story engaging but wasn’t thrilled with the ending. I wondered if the movie adaptation would be any different. I had hope since some of Stephen King’s least horror-oriented stories are also among his best. With anxious anticipation, I attended a prescreening of The Long Walk.
The premise of the story is quite simple: a group of 50 men must participate in a long walk, maintaining an average pace of at least 3 miles per hour until only the last man remains. Anyone who falls behind schedule receives multiple warnings, and being “removed” from the walk means death. One might think that a movie so reliant on conversation and interaction could be dull, but I was pleasantly surprised. The film not only captured many concepts from the book but also managed to hold the viewer’s attention by making us care about the characters on screen—particularly two of them, although, fortunately, all the characters were given depth, even the ones that might not be likeable at first.
The brilliant script and direction encourage viewers to root for one character while still appreciating another, even as we hope they won’t meet a tragic end. Life is precious, and hope is abundant, yet many pursue their dreams without considering the costs associated with achieving them.
Although I could easily include spoilers, I won’t. Instead, I want to raise a few valuable questions: What is friendship? How far are you willing to go to help a friend? Are we truly willing to support someone who might take a dream away from us? What role does faith play in our lives and pursuits? How does our past influence our aspirations? How do factors such as Bible studies, church, prayers, and other spiritual elements shape who we are and what we do? As is typical of King, he weaves these themes throughout his stories.
Usually, with King, we get a compelling narrative and a disappointing ending. However, in this case, I enjoyed the movie more than the book because it raises thought-provoking questions that linger long after the credits roll.
In many ways, The Long Walk serves as a metaphor for the journey of life. We may not like the answers to the questions and situations we encounter, but that doesn’t alter the journey itself. We might even try to escape our path, yet there are likely consequences we hadn’t anticipated. By placing ourselves in the story and considering how we would react, we can begin to recognize our surroundings and the impact of both good and bad experiences. It becomes easy to overlook the tragedies faced by those around us.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I found the story to be quite impactful. I believe that with the right exposure, it could become one of King’s most powerful tales—not due to supernatural elements like monsters or ghosts, but through the exploration of real monsters: the people around us who exploit others for their own entertainment or gain. Upon serious reflection, we may even recognize that we, too, can be the monsters. However, there is always hope; often, salvation and hope can be found through the example of sacrifice, as illustrated by Jesus. For these reasons, I rate the film a powerful 8 out of 10.
