‘The Long Walk’ movie review: Francis Lawrence’s dystopian horror-drama is exhausting and exhilarating

Cast: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez

Director: Francis Lawrence

Language: English

Stephen King is a genius who redefined the genre of horror with his writing. His novel The Long Walk is now adapted into a full-blown feature film about a dystopian America where people from all over the world participate in what the title says. There are only men. No country for women. They have to walk three miles per hour and the moment they slow down, they are mercilessly shot down. There are no sentiments in this game. Winner gets whatever he wants. There’s a ruthless major who unleashes a fiery and frightening monologue about the epidemic of laziness that has crept in the country. The names of the contestants have been chosen via a lottery.

The real hero of The Long Walk is the camerawork and the cinematography by Jo Willems. The cinematographer may have been as exhausted as the characters after a breathless and exhausting day of shoot where all they have to do is walk. But unlike Birdman, the action in the film isn’t filmed in one shot. There are jump cuts, there are backstories and flashbacks, there are long shots. And the weather continues to change as these brave men take on a life-changing and even threatening challenge for that one big prize that allows them to seize and claim whatever they want. The Internet has described The Long Walk as a horror film.

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It’s hard to slot this film but horror seems perfect. What can be more horrifying than losing your life by just one mistake that you make? The men continue to walk for four days and over 350 miles. Only one will be able to reach the finish line—This isn’t a spoiler but a trope. The first one is eliminated due to untied shoelaces. The next one due to incessant puking. The third after his feet give up. And many others due to exhaustion. After a point, they choose bullet over bravery.

There are no heroes in The Long Walk. Even though contestants number 23 and 47 get the maximum footage. The camera continues to linger on them as the film continues to march towards the finish line. There’s an urgent breathlessness in the narrative. You wait to see whose head is going to be blown up next. The real triumph of this dystopian horror film is how for over an hour and 48 minutes, they hook us into the story that has nothing left to say the moment it begins. There are only conversations and endless walking. And by the time the film ends, you feel exhausted. But in good ways!

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

The Long Walk is now playing in cinemas