The Long Walk: More soul than tension

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Screenplay by JT Mollner

Based on the book by Stephen King

Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Mark Hamill

★★★☆☆

With a tagline like “Walk or Die” and a “based on Stephen King” credit, The Long Walk promises an intense, high-stakes experience—and for the most part, it delivers. The film is exactly what the title suggests: a very long walk, but one that unfolds with escalating psychological and physical tension. 

Cooper Hoffman stars as one of 50 teenagers—each representing a different U.S. state—chosen by lottery to compete in a brutal national contest. The rules are simple but merciless: maintain a speed above three miles per hour at all times, or receive a warning. Three warnings and you’re executed on the spot. The last walker standing wins untold riches and lifelong glory. The backdrop is a war-ravaged America, though the film remains intentionally vague about the details of its dystopian setting. 

Hoffman, clearly working to establish himself as more than just the son of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, brings a grounded intensity to the role. Even when the script offers little depth, he finds ways to inject emotional nuance. David Jonsson is another standout, lending his character both vulnerability and grit. Their performances help elevate a narrative that can occasionally feel repetitive or emotionally thin. 

What’s most striking about The Long Walk is its ambition. Setting a film in essentially one location, with a relatively small cast and minimal action beyond walking, is a bold creative choice. In less capable hands, this could have easily fallen flat. But Francis Lawrence’s direction keeps the story visually dynamic and emotionally engaging, even as the walkers trudge mile after mile. The film doesn’t always succeed—there’s a surprising lack of tension at times, and it largely sidesteps the severe physical toll of walking nonstop for days—but it holds together, largely thanks to the strength of its cast. 

Stephen King adaptations tend to fall into three categories: pure horror (It, Carrie, Cujo), humanist drama (Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, The Life of Chuck), or somewhere in between (The Mist). The Long Walk straddles the line, albeit a bit awkwardly. The violence is sudden and brutal, but the film is more concerned with the internal struggles of its characters than with gore or spectacle. Each walker has a backstory and a reason for being there, though the film only offers glimpses rather than depth. 

That’s perhaps the biggest shortcoming: The Long Walk leaves you wanting more—not in a good way, but in the sense that the characters feel more like types than fully realized people (e.g., “the guy with the radio,” “the aspiring writer,” “the tough guy”). This could have been a richer experience as a limited series, where the narrative had room to explore the psychological unraveling and complex motivations of each participant. 

Still, for fans of King’s work and dystopian thrillers, The Long Walk is worth the journey. It may not be for everyone—especially those sensitive to on-screen violence—but it’s a thoughtful, unsettling look at competition, survival, and the strange things we’ll do for a shot at redemption. 

This movie is a great choice for Stephen King completists, dystopian genre fanatics, and anyone curious to see Cooper Hoffman stepping into his own spotlight. 

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