The Long Walk Parent Guide

Years after a civil war tore the country apart, an authoritarian government has developed a little spectacle to keep the masses working: The Long Walk. One male volunteer from each state is chosen to compete in a walk with no finish line and one winner. Competitors simply walk until everybody else is dead, either from exhaustion or rules violations for which the penalty is being shot by the soldiers escorting the walkers. The winner takes home his life, a massive fortune, and one wish to be used at his discretion. The Major (Mark Hamil) is the face of the event, goading the walkers into putting on as much of a show as they can. While most of the contestants are in it for the money, Ray Garratty (Cooper Hoffman) has big plans for his wish – if he can survive.

If you’ve been reading my reviews for any length of time, you’ll know that Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, notwithstanding the fact that so many of the adaptations of his work fall horribly short of the mark. This is a superb adaptation. I was shocked. It stays very close to the novel but wisely combines a few side characters for simplicity and makes some tweaks to keep fans guessing. The changes do nothing to abate the crushing atmosphere of King’s story, so much so that this is one of the best adaptations of his work I think you’ll find.

The Long Walk is visceral, shocking, and deeply upsetting in ways that feel authentic for the characters’ experiences. I had feared that, coming from the director of most of the Hunger Games films, that this feature would focus more on the show and spectacle, but thankfully Francis Lawrence keeps the camera firmly embedded with the boys on the walk, which grounds the story. It gives you a lot of time with these characters, making it that much harder when they are inevitably killed.

I’m sure you’ll be utterly baffled to learn that this is not a film for children. It didn’t set a record for f-bombs, but it came close: I counted at least 299, and I’m fairly confident I missed a few in there. Add the brutally graphic violence and some explicit sexual language, and you have enough negative content to make an otherwise thought-provoking film inappropriate family viewing.

This film isn’t for the faint of heart or stomach, but it isn’t a horror flick. It’s a disturbing and compelling thriller about human motivation, social collapse, and most importantly, friendship. The story is unforgiving to the characters it spends so much effort developing, and utterly compelling in its grim march to the credits.

About author

Keith Hawkes

Keith Hawkes graduated from Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada with a degree in English and History. His interests are movies, American literature, science fiction, almost every kind of music, and museums. He enjoys criticizing films for fun - although he's okay with being paid for it.