4.0 out of 5.0 stars
“The Long Walk” is a brutally raw take on the dystopian death game genre, first imagined by Stephen King and brought to the screens Sept. 12 by director Francis Lawrence. The film follows 50 boys as they walk down an endless road surrounded by tanks and gunmen until one remains. “The Long Walk” is not for the faint of heart.
Its death sequences are graphic, disturbing and grounded in a way that prevents the viewer from separating themselves from the violence. Early on, Curley (Roman Griffin Davis), the youngest of the boys, who is implied to be younger than he claims, gets a charley horse and falls down. The protagonist, Ray (Cooper Hoffman), and his friends pull him to his feet and pull him up to speed. When they think he can run on his own, they release him. He gains a few yards and falls too far back for the others to save him. He sobs and screams as an assault rifle is leveled to his head and he “gets his ticket.”
The ending is poignant and crushing, like those of “Lord of the Flies,” Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and “The Outsiders.” This film makes the viewer miserable, and not in a fun way. There is no “I’m so sad but also really happy.” It is just sad. However, if the viewer can live with that, they will find themselves sitting with a powerful piece of art about a group of boys trying to retain their humanity in a world that sees them as objects, worthless unless they can contribute to the state.
“The Long Walk” is set in a near future or alternate reality United States where, following a mysterious war and dramatic economic collapse, the government and military has seized absolute control over the country and its people. The government broadcasts the long walk as a message to the people: work for your country; work or die. The boy standing at the end of the long walk will win unfathomable wealth and a single nearly limitless wish. The commentary surrounding the degradation of democracy and human rights in the U.S. is ever present. Citizens are killed for possessing banned books. The Major (Mark Hamill), beckons the boys forward to their deaths with meaningless platitudes about dying “to inspire America.”
The film’s presentation is sharp and effective. The music is subdued. Most scenes are completely silent, but each one that does contain music puts the viewer right to the edge of their seat with horrible anticipation. The cinematography seamlessly conveys the tone of a desolate America and, along with the acting, beauty inside the hearts of the characters. The dialogue and its delivery convey the stakes of the death game before anyone says the word death out loud.
The leads are Hoffman, best known for playing Gary Valentine in “Licorice Pizza” and Peter McVries (David Jonsson) who played Andy from “Alien: Romulus.” They and the rest of the cast use subtle acting to humanize their character and then deliver gut punch after gut punch as their characters reach their limits.
“The Long Walk” and its thoughtful character arcs will stay with the viewer in their view on government, in their feelings on humanity or in their bed late at night.
