Film Review: Nothing Like A Nice Hike At Gunpoint

The Long Walk is a dystopian thriller film that was adapted from an early Stephen King novel. Since I have not read the novel, I am uncertain as to its faithfulness to the source material, but it’s a pretty good movie. The screenplay was written by J.T. Mollner with Francis Lawrence as director.

The film’s cast includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Ben Wang, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.

This film takes place in some alternate history where the United States has gone through some kind of civil war in the twentieth century. There is now an annual event called “The Long Walk” in which young men from every state gather to participate in a long walk for as long as they can in order to win a large cash prize and any wish granted they desire. It’s a Stephen King story, so there is a rather gruesome catch. The lads are escorted by the military, and if they fall below walking 3 miles per hour, they are executed after three warnings. Along the way, there is a mixture of some competitiveness and camaraderie. Of course, the other catch is that there can only be one left still standing in order to reap the rewards.

It’s a pretty good movie in spite of most of it taking place on a very long stretch of road. It’s a tough movie to watch because of the ruthlessness depicted at times. Complicated and shifting relationships are king of a staple in a Stephen King story.

Those who have read the book may disagree, and I can sympathize since I also usually prefer the written version in most adaptations like this.

The performances were all quite solid, although Hamill does kind of come off as a little cheesy at times as this blustering Major. I will say that he has had worse performances, so he does not really ruin the film.

It’s a somewhat extraordinary plot in some ways. Honestly, it seems like a pointless endeavor concocted by the government, but it does a provide an interesting vehicle for the banter between the characters.

There are some moments that pull on the heartstrings, and I was actually saddened at some of the deaths. There are some pretty compelling twists as well.

This may not be the best of Stephen King adaptation, but it should hold up as at least being interesting and worthy of atj least one viewing.