The Long Walk

I am a huge fan of Stephen King but the movie adaptations of his books are hit or miss with me (The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and The Shining are among my favorites and The Dark Tower is definitely my least favorite) so I was both excited and nervous to see The Long Walk last night with my nephew.  I am happy to report, Constant Readers, that it is in the former category!  It is set in a dystopian future in which an economic collapse after a devastating civil war has led to a totalitarian regime.  Circumstances have become so dire for the population that thousands of young men volunteer to be part of an annual televised event called "The Long Walk."  Fifty are chosen to compete and they must walk at a steady pace of 3 miles per hour (those who fall below that pace are given three warnings and then are executed by soldiers) along a predetermined route until only one is left to be declared the winner and rewarded with a substantial cash prize and the fulfillment of a wish.  The contest is overseen by the Major (Mark Hamill) who taunts the boys as they battle against fatigue, the elements, and their own inner demons.  At the start of the race Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) says an emotional goodbye to his mother Ginnie (Judy Greer), befriends Peter McVries (David Jonsson), Hank Olsen (Ben Wang), Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot), Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick) and Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), and antagonizes Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer).  As the race continues for four brutal days and nights and the boys are killed one by one, Ray and Peter form a meaningful friendship and help each other survive as long as they can.  This is one of the bleakest movies I have ever seen because, not only is the story about people so desperate that they are willing to participate in an ordeal of state-sanctioned violence in which they have almost no chance of success just for the possibility of bettering their lives, it features color grading that is washed out and muted as well as locations that reflect the economic depression in the country (all of the towns they walk through seem abandoned and the spectators look as if they could be extras in The Grapes of Wrath).  However, I loved the portrayal of friendship and how the boys are able to comfort and support each other in moments of extreme duress and, even though the ending is ambiguous, I interpret it as somewhat hopeful for the fate of humanity.  I was very surprised by how compelling this movie is (I didn't think the premise could be sustained for so long) and this is because of the dynamic performances from Hoffman and Jonsson (some of their interactions brought tears to my eyes).  I especially loved a monologue delivered by Jonsson in which he says that his whole life has been a long walk and that you just have to keep going.  This is extremely well done and I highly recommend it with the proviso that the violence is very graphic.