Title – The Long Walk (2025)

Director – Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend)

Cast – Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer, Mark Hamill, Judy Greer

Plot – Set in a brutal and hopeless dystopian future where every year a group of young men representing each state of America gather to walk until only one remains. Contestant #47 Raymond Garraty (Hoffman) and #23 Peter McVries (Jonsson) are some of the men attempting the latest Long Walk, finding solace in one another as they march towards their goal.  

“Just walk with me a little longer”

Review by Eddie on 17/10/2025

Published in 1979 under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, Stephen King’s unrelentingly bleak and confronting novel The Long Walk has long been thought to be a novel that was close to being unadaptable for screen.

Having not read the novel myself but having now seen The Hunger Games and I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence’s and screenwriter JT Mollner’s adaptation, it’s not hard to see why many thought King’s troubling vision of an American dystopia on its knees was never going to translate to the big or small screen.

Regarded as a metaphor to the Vietnam war, this version of Walk lives up to its reputation as an uncompromising and confronting examination of human nature and the human condition while also becoming a gripping and emotionally charged experience that ranks as one of 2025’s most unrelenting big screen experiences.

A genuine surprise for even the most optimistic of pre-release pundits, Walk is arguably Lawrence’s strongest feature film yet and one of the modern era’s most well-rounded and considered King adaptations, creating a unique cinematic rollercoaster that maintains a strong pace and focus across its eventful close to two hour running time.

Refusing to shy away from the world King created on page while also choosing at times to forge its own path with some key narrative decisions and character portrayal’s, Walk is also notable for gathering together one of the most impressive ensembles of the year and one that’s likely to be looked back on in years to come as a key moment in many fledgling careers that are sure to be moving onto bigger things in the near future.

With some small but notable performances from industry veterans Mark Hamill as sadistic army man The Major and Judy Greer as loving mother Ginnie Garraty, Walk’s key acting workloads are mainly handled by its up and coming cast which includes JoJo Rabbit breakout star Roman Griffin Davis, Joshua Odjick, Ben Wang and Charlie Plummer and is lead by two incredible lead turns from Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son Cooper as Raymond Garraty and Alien: Romulus breakout David Jonsson as his new friend Peter McVries.

Front and centre to most of the proceedings, which includes some of the years most bleak and shocking acts of violence, Hoffman and Jonsson are both awards worthy here and even if their turns aren’t perhaps the type of performances institutes such as The Oscars are looking to profile, their undoubtedly top-tier.

Showing great signs in Paul Thomas Anderson’s under-appreciated Licorice Pizza, Hoffman appears set to follow on in his fathers significant acting footsteps but Walk ends up being very much Jonsson’s show with the actor increasing his growing profile once more with an all round performance that proves his turns in the likes of Alien: Romulus and Rye Lane were no flukes.

If I were a betting man I’d be placing all my chips on Jonnson being one of Hollywood’s most reliable and in demand leading men within the next decade.

Supported by some memorable cinematography work from D.O.P Jo Willems and a haunting score from composer Jeremiah Fraites, Walk is an all-round package and one of the year’s most unexpectedly great features, proving once more that thoughtful Stephen King adaptations continue to be some of the very best Hollywood can offer.

Final Say –

Far from stereotypical feature film entertainment due to its harsh and bleak nature, The Long Walk is an impressive and immersive dystopian experience that features an array of notable acting works as the film steps ever onward towards its endgame.

4 musketeers out of 5