Films for Breakfast

Dystopian films rarely shock audiences anymore. Maybe that’s because the real world already feels like it’s inching closer to the “fiction” we once consumed as entertainment. Even something like Mad Max: Fury Road now plays less like wild fantasy and more like an eerie possibility. The Long Walk is a fascinating addition to the dystopian canon because it doesn’t lean on the usual tropes – no zombies, no cartoonish rebellions against an overblown regime. Instead, its world is built from something far more unsettling: run-down American towns, constant surveillance, and military officials dutifully carrying out orders from a shadow government.

Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Long Walk follows a group of teenage boys participating in a brutal annual competition: maintain a walking speed of at least 3 mph without stopping or going off-road. After two warnings, they’ll be shot on the spot. There can only be one survivor, and the “winner” is promised not just a massive cash prize, but also a single wish – anything they desire. The film is made up of a large ensemble, but primarily follows Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter McVries (David Jonsson) as they form a bond on the walk together.

I believe a film like The Long Walk only works if it has two things: compelling characters you actually want to follow, and strong performances to bring them to life. Luckily, this film is stacked with both. The ensemble is filled with fascinating, morally gray characters, and nearly everyone in the supporting cast shines. Ben Wang, Tut Nyuot, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer, and Joshua Odjick all deliver standout work, rounding out the group with memorable moments that shine for their individual characters. I was also struck by Mark Hamill’s chilling turn as The Major, the antagonist who oversees this entire operation.

That said, it’s Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson who make the film something special. Their individual performances are electric – two of the most exciting and versatile young actors working right now. But it’s their chemistry together that forms the beating heart of this story. They ground the film with genuine emotion amidst the brutality, making the journey impossible to look away from. Their shared conversations about life itself and the meaning of what their enduring is powerful, and by the end, it feels like they really did form a sense of brotherhood.

Stephen King adaptations are notoriously tricky, often struggling to balance his brutal imagery with the humanity at the core of his stories, or to make his sometimes hokey dialogue work on screen. JT Mollner’s screenplay, however, is one of the strongest King adaptations to date. It honors the novel’s tone while fleshing out the characters, sharpening the boys’ dialogue with authenticity and rhythm, and amplifying the story’s themes of oppression, surveillance, and fragile hope.

Director Francis Lawrence is no stranger to dystopias after helming the Hunger Games films, and yet, he approaches The Long Walk with a different sensibility. His experience working with young casts in oppressive worlds is evident, but here he builds an atmosphere of relentless tension and dread that feels uniquely harrowing. The film is suffused with unease, and Lawrence’s steady hand makes the ordeal both horrifying and strangely hypnotic.

Technically, the film is equally impressive. Jeremiah Fraites’ score is a revelation – ratcheting up suspense in the grueling stretches, but even more affecting in the quiet, emotional moments, where it amplifies the humanity beneath the horror. Jo Willems’ cinematography is striking, especially in nighttime and rain-soaked sequences where the lighting becomes dynamic and expressive.

If there’s a flaw, it’s that some characters occasionally feel more like archetypes or vessels for the film’s larger ideas than fully fleshed-out individuals. Yet in many ways, this serves the story: each walker stands for something bigger, and the walk itself becomes more than just a competition – it’s a metaphor for life under militarization and constant surveillance.

In the end, The Long Walk is a tough, often upsetting watch, but also a timely and vital one. Its heart is firmly in the right place, and the journey it takes you on is as emotionally draining as it is rewarding. Raw, powerful, and unforgettable, it lingers long after the credits roll – one of the most harrowing and essential films of the year.