The Long Walk: Movie Review

Cast: David Jonsson, Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, Ben Wang, Judy Greer

Director: Francis Lawrence

In this latest film to be adapted from a Stephen King book (after this year's earlier The Life of Chuck), Alien: Romulus' David Jonsson is DeFries, one of a group of boys stuck in a terrible game.

Against a backdrop of a depressed America, that's suffered a wide yet never explained dystopia meltdown, the boys are summoned to be part of a walk without a finish line.

The Long Walk is a brutal tale of brotherhood, friendship and inner demons, simply shot and grounded by two stunning lead performances from Hoffman and Jonsson.

And while the wider world is rarely explored, the brief snapshots provided along the way show a country in ruins as spectators watch on to see who will won.

Most heartbreaking though is Judy Greer as the mother of Garraty (Hoffman). In just a few brief scenes, she will destroy you as you see her world crumble as her son is enrolled into the walk. 

Large swathes of this are just numbing and devastating, a shocking story playing out more emotionally raw than the likes of Squid Game have conditioned us.

But with a simplicity of direction, a script that favors banter between the boys rather than in-depth character, The Long Walk is singlehandedly one of the bleakest - and best - films of the year.