We have lived in a world of the same 5 Stephen King stories on repeat for quite a while. Luckily, 2025 brought us multiple adaptations of his lesser known work. Which includes Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk.
Originally published under the pen name Richard Bachman, the story focuses on 50 boys who join the “Long Walk” as part of a competition to gain riches and a life of happiness for them and their family. The idea is simple: Walk at 3 MPH until you’re the last man standing, no end in sight. If you go under 3 MPH, you get a warning. Stay under that speed and you get a second warning but after the third warning, you are eliminated. And this isn’t the kind of competition where you lose and go home with your tail between your legs.
The downfall of The Long Walk is that you are killed on the spot. And all these young men commit themselves to that fate with the hope that they could, maybe, make their lives better for their family. Much like Lawrence’s work with The Hunger Games franchise, we’re watching these young people fighting for their lives no matter the cost. And, in the case of Ray (Cooper Hoffman), he’s trying to push back against the Major (Mark Hamill) in the process.
For a film that is entirely set around young men walking, there is not a single moment in The Long Walk that feels like you’re dragging yourself along an empty road. In fact, Lawrence and screenwriter JT Mollner weave in a beautiful story of friendship, loss, and rebellion within one of King’s earlier works. And it is gruesome and vicious, yet captivating watching how dedicated these boys are to each other and trying to survive.
Made all the better by its incredible cast
Ray’s journey on The Long Walk would be nothing if it wasn’t for Peter McVries (David Jonsson). The two form an unlikely friendship that keeps Ray alive, gives Pete new meaning, and shows that the way to survive anything in this life is to rely on each other. Pete and Ray form a small group of young men and call themselves the Musketeers and while others on the Long Walk don’t love their friendship, it is what keeps them all moving forward.
And both Cooper and Jonsson prove throughout this film that they are two of our best actors working today. The ease in which they bounce off of each other, their simmering anger for men like the Major, and and their support of the young men around them all is layered within their performances and you never really question what their motives are. They’re two boys just trying to survive.
So much of this film’s success is on the boys. Yes, Hamill as a villain is great and terrifying but the reality of what makes The Long Walk special is centered around these men. You can see how far many of them go to survive, like Ben Wang’s Hank who struggles to walk the pace throughout the film or Stebbins (Garrett Wareing) pushing through an illness. They all want to make it to the end but they’re not people who want to see anyone else go. And I think that’s why each of these boys are so beautiful.
No one does a survival story like Stephen King
Whether it is a story of a terrifying clown tormenting a town, a hotel that wants to destroy a man, or a cat brought back from the dead, nearly all of King’s work is about surviving. The Long Walk has the unique Bachman touch where it is pushing against the establishment in a way that removes itself from the “horror” genre but still highlights the real life horrors many face.
We currently aren’t at a point in our world where we are forced to play game shows that kill us but look at the world around you. Do you think we’re really that far off? It is why adaptations of things like The Long Walk and King’s The Running Man later this year are so exciting and terrifying. But The Long Walk is truly something special and just make sure to bring your tissues with you.
The Long Walk is in theaters on September 12.
(featured image: Murray Close/Lionsgate)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
