THE LONG WALK

Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Mark Hamill, Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Jordan Gonzalez, Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton, Roman Griffin Davis, Joshua Odjick

Stephen King’s first published novel was “Carrie”, but the first one he wrote was “The Long Walk.” He wrote at the age of 19 while in college. It was later published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman and has now been adapted for the big screen. King’s novel may be an allegory for the Vietnam War, but the movie is not set in any specific time frame. There’s something horrific about the timeless nature of this story knowing its one that feels all too familiar. The world has fallen on economic hard times and a military takeover. There’s a desperate desire to make money in any way possible to provide for your community. The Long Walk is essentially a lottery-style contest where fifty young men are chosen to go on a long walk until one man is left standing, and the rest have been killed off. You have to walk at a certain pace, and any sign of slowing down or disrupting the pack will lead to warnings and your ultimate death. Cooper Hoffman leads the ensemble as Ray Garraty, who is leaving his mom behind and proving to be the loyal friend many of these men need as they walk toward their death. He strikes a close relationship with Pete McVries (Jonsson), while fellow walker Gary Barkovitch (Plummer) is the main antagonist of the group. Watching from a far and calling all the shots is the diabolical Major (Hamill). In theaters

Here’s my review