In a world where survival is a race against time, ‘The Long Walk’ emerges as a chilling critique of societal norms and authoritarianism.
‘The Long Walk’ Review: A Dystopian Nightmare
Who said all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun? Evidently, all you may actually need is a roughly 400-mile road, a game cast of youngsters, and Mark Hamill. Director Francis Lawrence’s latest venture, “The Long Walk,” is a grim and gripping late-summer treat coated in poison. Screenwriter JT Mollner, known for his work on last year’s twisted “Strange Darling,” has adapted the material — a Stephen King, or rather Richard Bachman, penned young-adult novel from 1979 — without a dose of saccharine hope.
A Gripping Anti-Totalitarian Message
Ultimately, “The Long Walk” delivers its anti-totalitarian message with the subtlety of a point-blank kill. Set in a post-Vietnam War middle America, the dystopian thriller critiques a supposed “epidemic of laziness” among the youth. The Long Walk challenge is established as a compulsory draft: Enlist yourself, survive an endless trek without going under 3 miles per hour, and unimaginable riches await you at the other end if you’re the last one alive. Three warnings, and you’re dead; however, another hour advanced without going under the speed limit erases one warning. Meanwhile, Mark Hamill as The Major, clad in aviator sunglasses, shouts at you with a megaphone to keep moving or else.
Character Development and Themes
The calm presence of Cooper Hoffman guides us through a narrative focused on a group of determined, out-of-hope young men walking, with Ray Garraty, #47, at the forefront. He has his own agenda, packed later into the movie with reverence to the source material, revealing that Raymond is coming of age in a time of authoritarian control and censorship. His father, played by Josh Hamilton, suffered a grim fate at the hands of the regime after introducing illicit political messaging.
The Emotional Toll
The last-man-standing imperative of the Long Walk becomes more complex as contestants grow closer. Ray bonds with Peter McVries aka #23 (David Jonsson), whose cocksure charisma reveals a softer side. The film’s tension escalates with the graphic death of the youngest contestant, marking a pivotal moment in the narrative.
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Visual Aesthetics and Cinematic Techniques
In the realm of movies about death races, “The Long Walk” shares a misanthropic spirit with Sydney Pollack’s 1969 “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” Cinematographer Jo Willems applies a similar dustbowl aesthetic, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere. The shots are predominantly medium close-ups, pitched in front of the walking men, contributing to the film’s realism.
Conclusion
This “Long Walk” grows repetitive, with its political message bluntly delivered in a finale that rewrites the book’s ending. “The Long Walk” doesn’t offer new insights for those feeling pent up with rage at American leadership, but its grim commitment to the narrative is a rarity for a studio film. There’s no hand-holding on this long walk, nor does it offer a comforting bedtime story at the end.
Grade: B
“The Long Walk” opens in theaters from Lionsgate on Friday, September 12.
