A group of teenage boys compete in an annual contest known as “The Long Walk,” where they must maintain a certain walking speed or get shot.
Chuck says:
I was angry as I walked out of the theater after having seen Francis Lawrence’s “The Long Walk.” I was angry over the brutality I had witnessed, angry about the vile nature of the story and angry over the graphic way it was rendered. The fact that what I had seen was a reflection of the callous disregard for humanity that we’re experiencing today only poured gasoline on my ire.
That I was so affected speaks to the effectiveness of this Stephen King adaptation. Though distasteful in nature there’s no denying this is an emotionally engaging exercise, one which we become emotionally invested in from the start, its characters relatable and sympathetic, the young actors portraying them with a raw poignancy that’s effective.
Little backstory is given regarding how the world has come to the dystopian state that exists in the film. A massive war is mentioned and while no specifics are given, it seems as though the country stopped developing some time in the 1960’s. The economic state of the nation is dire, so much so that young men volunteer to participate in a state-run contest known as “The Long Walk.” The rules are simple. One entrant is chosen from each of the 50 states; they are taken to a remote part of the country where each is required to keep a three mile per hour pace as they walk the rural roads. If they stop for more than ten seconds a warning is given. After three warnings, a bullet is put in the stalled participant’s head. The last man walking is granted whatever they wish.
Lawrence pulls no punches, as the brutal nature of this contest is portrayed in the most graphic manner. As the story progresses, the bodies pile up, viscera splattered on the pavement again and again. This is not for the squeamish.
That each death has an impact is a tribute to JT Mollner’s adaptation of King’s novel and the acting from the young cast. Each of the principals is given a distinctive backstory, casting them in a sympathetic light. All have been repressed by the totalitarian regime that’s taken control, each looking for a way out of an impossible situation.
If there is a ray of hope, it’s the camaraderie that forms between the entrants. No one overtly roots against the other, aid is given freely among them when any falter, sadness is felt when any of them fall. Their common plight is what binds them, each aware they are not one another’s enemy.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better ensemble than what’s present here. Each of the actors shine when the spotlight is upon them, a sense of quiet desperation and poignancy at the basis of each performance. Among the standouts are Cooper Hoffman as Garraty, hopeful his efforts will provide a better life for him and his mother (Judy Greer), David Jonsson as McVries, a young man whose encouragement repeatedly bolsters the group, Charlie Plummer as Barkovitch, who lets his anger get the better of him, Ben Wang as Olson, who sports an odd sense of optimism and Tut Nyuoti as Baker, who surprises even himself with his determination. Mark Hamill is also on board as The Major, the sadistic military officer who goads these young men along.
There are no happy endings to be had. This is a bleak exercise yet somehow Lawrence doesn’t wallow in the story’s excessive nature. His purpose is to hold a mirror up to the audience, in order to reflect upon the kind of nation we’ve become. To be sure, “The Long Walk” is an extreme vision yet it is accurate in the way it captures the callous nature that’s so pervasive in our society. What with political violence on the rise, government officials considering creating a game show in which immigrants vie for citizenship and hate being the most valuable currency, we’ve lost to collective ability to unite and care for one another. The participants in the long walk manage to do just that; it’s the government that seeks to quash it. I can think of no more accurate metaphor for our current plight.
3 1/2 Stars
