A Stephen King movie that gets its steps in.
If you’re on a long walk that requires you to walk 3 MPH or else you get shot, and you have to water the flowers, then your only recourse is to walk backwards and let it all out.
As a fast walker, I have a saying: “It’s either a gift or a curse; it’s up to you.” Meaning: walking fast gets me to places quicker, but it can also mean my family and friends can’t keep up. Those are just examples. If I had to walk that fast, I wish the army luck in trying to shoot me. But I don’t want to gamble like that.
Sorry I’m walking too fast, but “The Long Walk,” based on Stephen King’s book, takes place in a financially unstable America, which believes that walking contests with cash prizes are the only hope for a person’s sanctuary. If you stop or go below the speed limit, you get three warnings. They have a long explanation of the disqualification process, but they don’t say anything about a bullet to the head. And there can only be one winner.
The movie version, directed by Francis Lawrence (the “Hunger Games” franchise), is rated R, so people are going to get shot, decisions must be made in order to try to survive, and walkers will protest “F*** the Long Walk.” There are a lot of risks to be taken here, so you might want to check the rating box.
The young walkers include the emotional Raymond (Cooper Hoffman), the charismatic Peter (David Jonsson), the environmentalist Hank (Ben Wang), the jerky Gary (Charlie Plummer), the ruthless Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), and the thoughtful Arthur (Tut Nyuot). And the man in charge is the Major (Mark Hamill). Don’t be fooled by his compliments when walkers make it 100-200 miles. He’s sadistic.
Out of the walkers, Raymond and Peter share the most connection. If one of them doses, the other is willing to carry them. And their wishes regard changes to the system. I think we can agree that Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be proud of his son for what he has accomplished, coming on the heels of “Licorice Pizza” and “Saturday Night.” And Jonsson, whose name I’ve already remember from “Alien: Romulus,” seems to be no stranger to horror movies, and I admire the attitude he contains. And I appreciate their chemistry.
I can assume the time period is between the 60s and 70s, because of the outfits and vehicles. I’m also told that “The Long Walk” was the first book Stephen King has written in 1966, and it was published in 1979. So, I guess Lawrence and screenwriter JT Mollner (“Outlaws and Angels,” “Strange Darling”) like the honor the book and what it stands for. And it refuses to succumb to no cliches about manners or discipline in such a time period, but rather focus on what their America has come to and what they wish to change about it. It all depends on who wins. And unlike “The Hunger Games,” there can’t be two winners.
Even though there should be more scenes with Hamill, I still think he meets quite well with age, and uses wisecracks and compliments to try to distract us from the fact that he’s evil. I feel the same way about the ambiance of the outside, because most of the walking takes place during the day. Think of “The Birds,” “Midsommer,” or “Dawn of the Dead,” because you don’t always need darkness to qualify it in the genre. In addition to that, these walkers will be dealing with rain, steep hills, and bodily functions, and given the guns, it’s quite challenging.
And out of all the walkers, Arthur is the one who says: “When all this is over, I could use a foot massage.” And this is me saying: “I could use one myself after watching this movie.”