Rating: 7/10
Spoilers ahead for “The Long Walk.”
We go to the movie theaters for magic, that indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dim and then see a person defecating while walking to avoid being shot in the head?
That is indeed why we go to the movies, and why people are going to watch “The Long Walk,” the new dystopian thriller from Francis Lawrence of “The Hunger Games” directing fame.
Adapted from a 1979 Stephen King novel, the film follows a group of young men who are selected via a lottery to participate in a competition. After a second civil war, the “long walk” was started to inspire patriotism and incite a work ethic among American society.
As you might’ve guessed from the title, the competition revolves around everyone walking hundreds of miles — until one person remains. Stakes get higher as more people are eliminated, and each competitor strives towards a life-changing amount of money and one wish that’ll be granted to them.
But as each participant goes through the race, as expected, they get injured, sick or end up losing the mental capacity to keep walking; military personnel accompany their every step to keep up with the requirements. If any of them fall out of line, they’re given three warnings before eventually “punching their ticket,” which is code for meeting their death. It becomes a survival of the fittest, with everyone trying their best not to reach the inevitable.
While the film features a great ensemble of up-and-coming young actors, Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson set themselves apart from the rest of the cast.
Hoffman is incredibly charismatic; he probably gets it from his film-royalty lineage. The entire film is anchored around him, and even though he isn’t a newcomer to the big screen, it’s a tough task for anyone to keep a movie watchable through just one character. Not only does he do it successfully, but he also adds dimensions to the character that many other actors wouldn’t have been able to do.
Meanwhile, Jonsson is a star in the making. His stock has been rising over the past couple of years through films like “Alien: Romulus” and television in “Industry.” However, he goes to another level here.
He carves out a space in the film for himself, and while Hoffman is the main character for most of the film, when Jonsson is asked to take center stage, he does so commandingly. There’s a new crop of young stars in Hollywood, and Jonsson has taken himself to the front of the list with this performance.
On the one hand, this is a very basic film. Nothing is flashy about the filmmaking to keep audiences on their toes. Its warm yet driven style keeps the plot moving without giving room to breathe, probably like our walkers might’ve been feeling. It’s like a single piece of thread that’s unused, no fibers sticking out from it to deviate from its shape. It’s consistent, but straightforward.
On the other hand, its simplicity is incredibly effective. The kill scenes are some of the most blatantly graphic images I’ve seen in a while, with more shots of heads being blown off by gunshots than you can count on your fingers.
And that disgusting image I mentioned above — that’s real, along with other equally nauseating images. Each step that you take down this road is even more brutal than the one before, creating an ever-intensifying atmosphere of angst and dread.
It’s clear that this is a story about the journey of life. I mean, if one can’t catch that, then they probably shouldn’t be watching movies — they make it very obvious. Each character walking in this competition represents some sort of emotion or experience one may have while being alive. Anger, guilt, love, grief and pain are all showcased here, each of these characteristics literally being killed off after the characters deal with and understand their emotion in real time.
People might go into this film expecting regular beats, and while it does do that, it’s unconventional. As the movie leads towards the finale, each death inches us closer to it. It’s a time bomb slowly ticking, and the audience is left to guess who will end up fated for victory.
There are some societal tones that could’ve been given greater attention throughout the film that the story sometimes alludes to, but never goes in-depth to fully realize the idea. And, while I do fault the simple storytelling for this, it makes up for it with a cruel and thrilling conclusion. It wraps itself up beautifully, and not only is it a crowd pleaser, but it leaves a bit of room for the imagination to investigate.
While it is a difficult watch at times, this is the reason we come to the movies. I was fully invested in this film, and I’m sure you’ll be too.
Except for the overload of feces — that’ll never be interesting to watch.
Joshua Abraham is a kinesiology senior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.
