Teens participate in a gruelling high-stakes contest where they must continuously walk or be shot by a member of their military escort. A film by Francis Lawrence, starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.
THE LONG WALK
Francis Lawrence
(2025)
Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) receives a letter confirming that his voluntary application for the Long Walk has been accepted through the lottery. The letter reminds him that it’s a rare honor to represent his community as a symbol of hope during these economically desperate times, and that the entire nation will be watching the live broadcast. Winning the contest would make him unimaginably rich and grant him a single wish, giving him a chance to escape his current financial struggles and inspire the nation.
As his mother Ginnie (Judy Greer) drives him to the starting point, the radio announcer broadcasts to fellow citizens that the first of May marks the 19th year of the war that tore the nation apart, and they’re still in the midst of a nationwide recovery effort. The announcer invites citizens to join together in reflection and hope as they watch 50 young men prepare for the ultimate challenge.
Visibly frustrated, Ginnie asks Raymond if he might reconsider his decision. Raymond remains firm, asserting that the deadline to withdraw has passed. When Ginnie argues that his father would not approve, Raymond quickly brushes her off by stating that he is not there. This suggests Raymond’s father is dead, though the specific details of his death aren’t yet revealed.
At the starting point where the participants gather, Raymond introduces himself to the first guy he encounters, #23 Peter McVries (David Jonsson), and the two quickly become friends. Raymond also meets other participants, including #38 Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), #46 Hank Olson (Ben Wang), #6 Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot), #7 Adam “Curly” White (Roman Griffin Davis), #1 James Ewing (Noah de Mel), #4 Patrick Smith (Teagan Stark), #5 Gary Barkovich (Charlie Plummer), #19 Rank Sanders (Daymon Wrightly), #48 Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick), and #49 Richard Harkness (Jordan Gonzalez). Most seem friendly enough, but some clearly aren’t here to make friends.
Moments later, the Major (Mark Hamill) arrives and orders everyone to sit down. He begins calling out names, and each time a boy is called, he steps forward to receive his number tag. After all 50 names are called and the tags distributed, the Major explains that since the war, the country has been struggling financially. They held the first Long Walk years ago to inspire the nation and reintegrate the value of work ethic.
Each year after the event, there’s a spike in production. The nationwide broadcast of their efforts will continue to inspire citizens, boost the gross national product, and restore the country to its position as number one in the world. While the Major speaks, soldiers distribute devices to each participant that look like digital wristwatches, but instead of telling time, they display speed in miles per hour and distance in miles.
The Major then lays out the rules of the Long Walk: keep walking until only one of you remains. Maintain a minimum speed of three miles per hour. Drop below that speed and you receive a warning. Fail to get back up to speed within ten seconds and you receive another warning. Accumulate three warnings and you get your ticket. Walk at the proper speed for one hour and one warning gets erased. Step off the pavement and you get your ticket immediately without warning. There’s only one winner and no finish line.
Shortly after they start walking, Raymond notices there are no spectators lining the road as he’d expected. When he mentions this to Pete, Gary chimes in and explains that the Major doesn’t allow spectators until the final stretch, aside from local police officers. Hank points out a camera mounted on a tank filming them for the live broadcast.
At mile 7, the boys in Raymond’s group start discussing what they’d do with the prize money if they win. Raymond argues there are more important things than the prize and the Walk itself. He believes the system backs people into a corner, making them think the Walk is their only way out. Pete agrees with Raymond’s take on the Walk, but he also sees Arthur Baker’s point about the prize money. The right person could do a lot of good with that amount of money. Richard Harkness shares that he’s writing a book about the Long Walk from an insider’s perspective, hoping it will be something everyone wants to read.
Suddenly, Curly starts yelling in agony from severe leg cramps. He’s immediately given a warning. Unable to get back up to the minimum speed within 10 seconds, he receives a second warning as Raymond moves closer to help. Curly manages to keep up the pace briefly, but the pain becomes too much and he can no longer walk. As he sits down screaming, he gets his third warning. A soldier steps up from behind and shoots him in the head.
Directed by American filmmaker Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by JT Mollner, THE LONG WALK is a dystopian thriller about a group of teenage boys chosen through the lottery for a brutal annual walking competition. The last one standing wins a cash prize and the chance to have any wish granted. The film is based on Richard Bachman’s 1979 novel of the same name.
Richard Bachman is a pen name used by American horror fiction author Stephen King. Stephen King adopted this pseudonym in 1977 to publish novels without the overexposure risk of releasing multiple books under his own name in a year, a common publishing industry rule at the time. Bachman was presented as a fictional author with a detailed backstory, including a supposed biographical history, but was actually a guise for King to write and publish more frequently. Bachman’s novels include works like “Rage,” “Thinner,” “The Long Walk,” and “The Regulators.” The link between King and Bachman was revealed in 1985, which significantly boosted the sales of Bachman books.
While the cast delivers believable and compelling performances throughout particularly Charlie Plummer, David Jonsson, and Cooper Hoffman, the story struggles to maintain its momentum. It relies heavily on dialogue to convey backstories, and the occasional flashbacks interrupt the narrative flow.
I like how the filmmaker makes what is essentially a long walking marathon visually interesting through creative camera angles and perspectives. Several supporting characters have fascinating arcs, though they’re ultimately cut short due to the film’s limited runtime.
Charlie Plummer is probably the most experienced actor in the young ensemble, and his character Gary Barkovitch is equally intriguing. I didn’t even recognize him in the role until later in the film, he’s that good.
However, I was disappointed by Gary’s demise. He declares he has a plan for McVries, but then seemingly changes course without any clear explanation why.
The conclusion feels a bit underwhelming. When the Major is killed, it comes across as overly symbolic, with an ambiguous open ending that leaves everything to viewer interpretation and speculation. For me, killing the Major doesn’t actually change anything, he’s not even the leader of the country or the army. They’ll simply replace him with someone new, and the annual walk to the death will continue.
THE LONG WALK was theatrically released in the United States on 12 September 2025.
