The Long Walk
Hey everyone, and welcome. Today, we will be talking about the film The Long Walk. Spoilers ahead, so you have been warned. Fun fact: The Long Walk is based on a Stephen King book, which is the first book he ever wrote. He was partly influenced by the Vietnam War, which used a lottery system to determine who would go to war. This film came out in 2025 and stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Garrett Wareing and was directed by Francis Lawrence. So without further ado, let's get right into it.
The Long Walk follows a group of men in a dystopian society where men enter a lottery to do a long walk, where they walk for days at a pace of 3 mph. If they stop or drop below that pace, they will be given three warnings, and after that, their ticket will be punched. Whoever wins will be granted money and 1 wish of their choosing.
The Long Walk is a dystopian drama film. It has similar vibes to The Hunger Games, All Quiet on the Western Front, or V for Vendetta.
The Long Walk seemed like a pretty straightforward plot from the trailer, but I was interested to learn more and see what twist would be on this walk. Right before I went to see it, I found out it was based on a Stephen King novel, and I thought, 'Oh, it will have some spooky twist.' To my surprise, there wasn't a spooky twist, but instead it was quite emotional. I forget sometimes that while Stephen King has made a name for himself in horror, he also has so many other novels that are in a different genre. They walk for so long in the movie, and it just made me feel exhausted watching them walk that long. The idea of people wanting to do this for fame or money or honor really is like war because they don't really grasp the weight of their actions until the first one is killed, and they realize they are in over their heads, but it's too late. It really showed the human body being pushed to the limit, and by the end, you realize no one wins because the whole situation just sucks.
The cast of the film was phenomenal, and all played their role so well. Cooper Hoffman leads the movie as Raymond Garraty, who is dropped off by his mom with this fierce determination to win, and we later learn that he lost his father at the hands of the major, and he's there for revenge. Cooper is the son of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who sadly passed away, so he has experience with losing a father and does a phenomenal job in the role, showing the grief and anger with losing a parent and trying to make sure you honor them the best way you can, which, for Ray, felt like revenge. Judy Greer plays his mom, Ginnie, who just from the beginning looks so sad, and once things start going you really understand why, but in flashbacks, we see how she used to be so happy. David Jonsson plays Peter McVries, who keeps a level head throughout the film, keeps Ray safe, and has a hard life. Peter was a character you rooted for because he just treated everyone with respect and really didn't make the walk seem like a competition, but a journey where you could make friends while you attempt not to die. David Jonsson is an actor whom I have enjoyed watching since Industry, and I just love to see how, with every movie I see him in, his character sticks out to me, and he proves that he is a fantastic actor. Mark Hamill was the major, a propaganda machine who pops up every once in a while with very stern body language and speaks as if what they are doing is some type of benefit for society, and they should be proud of how far they have come. You really understand why he is hated because the walk sucks and the limits on society sucks, but he just backs this totalitarian government. Arthur and Hank become friends with Ray and Peter for most of the walk and I just loved how they supported each other and made you feel so connected to the characters to the point where as they started to loose momentum i started to feel stressed because i knew they would be killed soon and it was so sad to see their downfall which it made me shed a tear. Gary and Billy seemed like villains in the movie, but they managed to be on the cusp, like I didn't like them, but I also wasn't necessarily rooting for their downfall. By the time they died, I learned more about them, which made me feel sad when they died. All of the characters on the walk had such violent deaths, as the film showed it, which really made it feel like a warzone because you never knew who was next or how, but you knew death was always right around the corner.
I loved how the film showed how the human body will break down as the walk goes on, and how that could be physically, but also mentally. The first death showed how something as simple as a charley horse could stop you, but then we see a variety of physical issues like an untreated cold, hemorrhaging, a broken ankle, or even pooping. Then there are the mental obstacles which could cause you to kill yourself, attempt to kill the soldiers, or maybe you start hallucinating. One thing that is so hard is when Ray sees his mom on the walk. Collie comments on how he is lucky to see his mom, and Peter says it may not be a good thing. When we see her, we realize Peter is right because Ray has a breakdown and feels sorry for putting her through having to possibly lose another family member after the sudden death of her husband. The walk definitely didn't help because it weighed on everyone’s mental state, so seeing his mom made all the emotions come out. It was crazy to see so many things that could happen that add to the difficulty, besides the physical act of walking that far for that long.
I loved how we slowly learn more about the characters and why they are doing the long walk. Ray is doing it for the opportunity of revenge, Peter for camaraderie and a sense of belonging, Arthur mentions money, Ben mentions sex, Richard just wants to document it, and Billy mentions that he wants to do it because his dad is the major and wants his approval. The film deepens our connection with these characters by telling us why they decided to walk, but also just giving us insight into their lives outside of that. Rays father was killed by the major, Peter was an orphan and after a fight got that scar on his face and feels alone, Garrett is trying to prove himself to a father who doesnt care about him and he thought the walk would change his mind but clearly it didnt, Hank we learn is married after he dies and the money was partly for his family. It's sad that no matter what their reason was or how much their backstory may have seemed sad, only one would make it out alive, so in the back of their mind, they knew it could be them getting killed next.
I think my favorite part of the film was David Jonsson as Peter McVries. he was such a light in the midst of darkness, which was more impressive when you learn what happened to him. He knew this was a competition, but he tried to remind everyone of their humanity, and when Gary gets somebody killed, you can see how much of an issue that is for him because he ends up shunning him for the rest of the walk. He really helped Ray get past so much stuff, and without him, Ray would have died, and he tells him not to get revenge on the major. He was trying to find camaraderie and did with this group, and I was so happy because we learned his parents died, then he lived with a drunk uncle, and then he got into a fight, which gave him that scar, so one can conclude that he had a rough life. David did such a good job of showing how he was trying to see things half empty, but it also feels like it was insinuated that he had given up because he expected to die during the walk, because he didn't have much else to live for. In the end, he is ready to die, and Ray tells him to keep going, but then stops walking, and Peter wins. Peter shoots the major in the end, and even though he told Ray not to do it out of revenge, I think Peter does it as repayment for Peter letting him win and because he now understands how awful this competition is and how many people have died or been scared by the major's actions. David gave a phenomenal performance and was truly a highlight.
The Long Walk is a fantastic film that will leave you on the edge of your seat and tug at your heartstrings. The entire cast was great in their roles and made the uniqueness of their characters stand out. I love Stephen King adaptations, and this one is no exception, even if it isn't horror.
