The Long Walk

The gut-wrenching bleakness of the source material remains intact in The Long Walk, even if its allegorical goalposts have shifted in the past 50 years.

This muddled dystopian thriller adapted from an early Stephen King novel still carries a vague timeliness. However, in a film that relies so heavily on dialogue, many of the characters aren’t developed sufficiently and the suspense isn’t as consistent as the steps.

It’s set in the near-future under a vague authoritarian regime, chronicling an annual competition that ostensibly helps lift the morale of a country ravaged by war. Fifty young men, one from each state, are chosen by lottery to walk continuously until there’s only one left standing, with no finish line. Those not maintaining a consistent stride on the long rural highway will be executed.

A ruthless military overseer (Mark Hamill) seems to delight in the eliminations. “Our problem now is an epidemic of laziness,” he barks callously. “You boys are the answer.”

As we learn the logistics of their predicament, we meet a handful of the participants with varied backgrounds, motives, and attitudes. Despite sharing a goal that only one of them will achieve, the walkers are generally more cooperative than antagonistic.

During the early stages, they engage in mindless chatter, offering wisdom and wisecracks about everything from masculinity to mortality to pass the time, and also to distract from a reality that crystallizes with every piercing gunshot.

After all, it’s going to turn into a bloodbath. Of the 50 starters, 49 of them will die. And their fragile alliances are destined to crumble.

The result is difficult to watch at times, not only due to the nonchalant brutality but also because it explores a dark and discomforting side of human nature.

For director Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games), the material visually lends itself to long takes and tracking shots as the camera rarely stops moving backward.

The film spotlights a sharp young cast led by Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) and David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus), who provide an emotional anchor and tenuous rooting interest. But the screenplay struggles to expand the limited narrative scope in the translation from page to screen.

With only a few participants sharing the spotlight, the attrition becomes a matter of checking names off a list while counting down to the inevitable if powerful conclusion. Along the way, like its characters, The Long Walk needs to pick up the pace.

Rated R, 108 minutes.