Written by Sam Clark
Certificate: 15
Running time: 108 minutes
Director: Francis Lawrence
Stephen King has proved to be such an inspiration for modern storytelling, perhaps the most inspirational for horror. Could he be compared to the likes of Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare? His work has shaped so much of what we now perceive to be some of the greatest stories ever told (Stand by Me, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, It and on and on), that he could be considered the most adapted author of all time. Even among his most successful and famous hits, there are still so many stories in his back catalogue for us to sink our teeth into that have yet to receive the big screen treatment. I had never heard of The Long Walk before, and despite this being the case, it still feels like something only King could write. Even though I had no knowledge of it's existence, it's still utterly drenched in the kind of playful horror he is so good at doing.
From director Francis Lawrence (who helmed the first three Hunger Games films as well as I Am Legend), and from a script by JT Mollner who wrote and directed 2023's terrific and nasty erotic/psychological thriller Strange Darling, this is set in a dystopian, totalitarian America. The economy is on the verge of collapse after a war, and society has become too lazy to work. ''The Long Walk'' is an annual, televised contest (much like ''The Hunger Games'' which is likely why Lawrence had been tapped to do this), in which one hundred men - ranging in age - must walk nonstop, maintaining an average and minimum speed of three miles per hour. The length of this feat? three hundred and eighty-four miles.
Image credit: IMDb/Murray Close/Lionsgate
Mark Hamill is The Major, a gravely voiced authority figure (he rocks aviator sunglasses for the entirety of the film so you know he not only means business, but also just how fun Hamill is having with the role), who barks orders and instructions to the men from the comfort of a moving car in front of them. They must not break, slow down or pause for any reason (not even for the bathroom which, trust me, is shown is stomach turning detail). If they drop below the required pace for too long, you receive a warning; three strikes... and your brain is splattered all over the road by soldiers who follow beside them in vehicles. Fellow contestants are not only forced to gaze at this in shock and fear, but the world is constantly watching. Only one can survive, and whoever emerges triumphant, is granted a wish and promise of whatever they want for the rest of their lives. Let the game begin.
The idea of televised games in an dystopian, apocalyptic setting is absolutely nothing new, Death Race 2000 being the most notable example next to The Hunger Games. This does not do anything particular new, but it does give you plenty of bang for your buck. This is one of those cases and examples in which I should have avoided as much as possible before seeing it. On this occasion, that was not possible as the trailer has played before films in the cinema recently, I did however cave and look up many of the reviews prior to this - so that's my fault. The only thing worse than seeing poor reactions to something before hand is seeing good, if not great ones, which increases the chances of you not liking it. I thought the trailers looked pretty interesting, but not much more, and so my anticipation was fairly minimal. Much to my surprise, critics were raving about it, which turned my previously intrigued hopes into sudden excitement. Admittedly, this was a strange reaction to a novel I had never previously heard of.
Image credit: IMDb/Murray Close/Lionsgate
The Long Walk is not only one of the nastiest films of the year, but one of the biggest and most welcome surprises. The film manages to make a lot out of so little which is it's greatest accomplishment and surprise, as the notion of random characters being forced to walk in a straight line sounds very unengaging,. It is here that the input from someone who has read the book and knows how King did it would be helpful and informative, but since I had not only not read it, but had no knowledge of it's existence, the film is all I go from. But combining Lawrence's experience with The Hunger Games films and JT Mollner's previous film being a hard-edged thriller with bite, what you get here is the best of both worlds. Despite being only one hundred and eight minutes long, you are still spending all of that time with the characters.
The reason why The Long Walk is so successful at depicting a bleak, futuristic society is that it shows how far humanity is pushed, and the best part is that I imagine the book is even worse, which is always the case. The film is sadly no stranger to having one or two moments in which some decisions in the story feel forced and out of place, but thankfully does not make a habit of this. This is a very emotional film that had far more character development than I thought it would have, and by the end, I was completely invested in everyone in the story. Cooper Hoffman is great, but David Jonsson (who was one of the best things about Alien: Romulus) is absolutely superb here, he is certainly one to look out for. The film has a 15 certificate, but oh my does it push it. This proved to be much, much nastier than the trailer depicts and from what you may expect, but that's what you want.
As previously alluded to, the executions and injury details are display here are utterly unflinching and goes all in. But If that was not bad enough, characters are forced to walk almost four hundred miles without stopping, and the film does toy and play around with how, logistically, that is possible. When it inevitably comes time for nature to take it's course, this primarily results in characters being forced to drop their trousers, some moments far more stomach turning than others. It is here in which it was made abundantly clear to me just how unashamed the film is, and also just much it dives head first into everything and far it's willing to go. Hat's off for having some proper bite. As far as bleak, unforgiving dystopia's go, this is right up there.
In cinemas Friday.
