‘You walk as long as you can. But sometimes the body won’t listen…’
The Long Walk was one of Stephen King’s very earliest novels (he started writing it in high school), although it wasn’t released until much later in his career, and even then, under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Over the years, its reputation among King fans has grown steadily, and the many unsuccessful attempts to adapt it for the screen (both Frank Darabont and George A. Romero tried and failed) have resulted in the book becoming something of a white whale in terms of unadapted King properties. When The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence was brought on board and the project was finally greenlit, fans were understandably reticent. The Long Walk is not The Hunger Games. It’s much darker. Much crueler. And a PG-13, YA version of the book would not have been well recieved. Luckily, Lawrence, along with writer, JT Mollner (Strange Darling), have brought this thing to life with skill, heart and bags full of empathy…
In an alternative version of America, 50 boys (down from 100 in the novel) are chosen to compete in an endurance walking event in which the rules are simple – you walk or you die. The last boy standing recieves a huge cash prize and a wish – anything of his choosing. While this is very much an ensemble piece, we focus on Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter McVries (David Jonsson) – the former competing in his home state and out for vengeance for the death of his father, and the latter a hopelessly idealistic kid with a sunny disposition. The competition is headed up by a shadowy figure known only as The Major (Mark Hamill).
This is one of the rare examples in cinema in which everything comes together perfectly. Mollner, an avowed King enthusiast, ensures that the novel stays true to the source material, while Lawrence, a director more in the Spielberg mould, softens some of his writer’s sharper edges. The result is a film that is tonally perfect throughout. It finds just the right balance between horror and humour (a line that is notoriously difficult to toe), and the relationship betweek Garraty and McVries is perfectly rendered (in a way that actually improves on the source material). This is mainly down to a pair of astonishing performances. Hoffman has been destined for stardom since his all conquering turn in Licorice Pizza, and Jonsson (somehow totally convincing as a teenager despite being 32 at the time of filming) has already impressed in everything from Industry to Alien: Romulus. The two of them together have a spontaneous energy that crackles and pops and which is a joy to witness. Indeed, this is the rare example of a film that I actively wanted to be longer. I could happily have spent another half an hour in this world (my one criticism is that the ending – while perfect on a narrative level – is also a little too abrupt).
This is far from a two man show, however. Garrett Wareing delivers a patient and unshowy performance as the determined loner, Stebbins; Ben Wang brings just the right amount of rough charm (and humour) to Olsen; and Charlie Plummer offers perhaps the most nuanced performance of the film as the troubled and dangerous Barkovitch. After spending 108 minutes marching along with these boys, I felt like I knew them. And that is a testament, not just to their performances, but also to Lawrence’s ability to put us amongst the walkers without the film ever becoming either visually or narratively repetitive.
While the wartime-esque bond that the boys share is the crux of the film, it is the tragedy that really defines it. The characters walk as men, but they die as boys, screaming and crying in the dirt. Each shot that rings out across the group is felt by both characters and audience. There were moments here in which I was literally watching through my fingers. The violence, while never gratutious, is brutal and visceral. The message is clear. In the Long Walk, as in life, anyone can win, but only the minority actually will. It’s a clear indictment of late stage capitalism that is always present without ever becoming obvious.
The Long Walk is not just a ‘good’ King adaptation. For my money, this is the best adaptation of King’s work of the 21st century, just beating out The Mist, IT – Chapter One and Gerald’s Game. It is, in fact, one of the best King adaptations ever made. While it’s difficult for me to provide a level headed opinion on a story that has never been far from my thoughts since I read it as a teenager, perhaps the highest praise I can lavish upon The Long Walk is that it somehow exceeded my expectations.
Warning.
Second warning.
Third Warning.
Goodnight.
