Review of THE LONG WALK: Physical and Psychological Pressure

September 18, 2025

The US was still reeling from the effects of a major war and a failing economy. For the chance to win a grand cash prize, several young men all around the country apply to join an event called "The Long Walk," organized by the Major (Mark Hamill).  The fifty chosen boys would have to walk continuously, no stopping allowed, no sleep, no bathroom breaks. If ever someone' speed went below 3 miles per hour, he was going to be eliminated, literally.  

Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) was one of the boys chosen by raffle for the walk that year. Because the walk was being held in his home state, he was brought to the starting point by his mother Ginnie (Judy Greer). He quickly made friends with fellow walkers Peter (David Jonsson), Hank (Ben Wang) and Baker (Tut Nyuot). Other walkers were not too friendly, like Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer) or Collie (Joshua Odjick). 

The most memorable films in director Francis Lawrence's filmography are those in the "The Hunger Games" franchise, starting from the second film "Catching Fire" (2013) to the current reboot. Actually, "The Long Walk" had an uncanny "Hunger Games" vibe. There was a dictatorial military government who chose a representative from each state, and they will join an intense physical and psychologically-demanding contest to the death. Familiar, right?

"The Long Walk" is a 1979 novel written by horror auteur Stephen King, under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was the first novel King started to write as a college freshman, but only published four years after he released "Carrie." The novel started with 100 men, and the minimum walking speed was 4 mph. In the book, Ray meets his girlfriend in Freeport, instead of his mom as we saw in the film. Also, the final two guys differed in the two versions.

This film served as an introductory acting showcase for its cast of young actors. Cooper Hoffman is the son of the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. As Ray, he had certainly gone a long way from when we first saw him in "Licorice Pizza" (2021). He had a great rapport with the other actors, especially David Jonsson and Tut Nyuot, establishing genuine friendships with their characters. As sadistic Major, Mark Hamill was a fearsome symbol of their collective oppression. 7/10