A Mixed Bag
Summary
The Long Walk features outstanding performances from its leads, but the deviations from the source story doesn’t make sense.
Plot: In a dystopian future, a group of young men walk until only one is left standing to win anything they want.
Review: The Long Walk is one of my favourite Stephen King stories. Written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, it’s a bleak, enthralling story that will keep you on the proverbial “edge of your seat” through the entire narrative. Part of the appeal is the game-show aspect: you simply never know which of the long walkers will buy their ticket next. Besides being a page-turner, the idea of a group of a nation’s young men, a general symbol of “our best and brightest” being cut down for such a trivial enterprise, speaks to the banality that human existence can sometimes be.
Therefore, I was interested when I heard Hollywood had finally decided to turn their attention to this dark, dystopian story. Mind you, Hollywood can’t seem to find their own asses without flashlights and maps these days, so a heavy dose of skepticism should be expected. With Francis Lawrence helming, director of Constantine and I Am Legend, I hoped it would at least be a quality movie, if not a faithful adaptation.
Concerning the “quality movie” hope, it generally fits the bill. It is shot beautifully, with wide panoramic shots of Winnipeg as the long walkers trudge to their inexorable finish. I have never been to Winnipeg, but as a Canadian, I do hear that the city gets a bad rep; based on what I saw here, I wonder why. The muted colouring lends itself to a world darker than the one we identify with —a nice touch. While the soundtrack is nonexistent (at least to my ears), the movie’s artistry is well thought out and fits the story perfectly.
Then there are the performances, particularly those of the two male leads. Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and David Jonsson (who was of note in Alien: Romulus) are perfect in their roles. A mix of anger, cynicism, and yet undying hope, you could believe these two young men become fast friends on a journey where at least one of them is fated to die. Their likability, along with the layering of the other walkers’ complex personalities, make the performances easily the best part of this movie.
What doesn’t work so well is the story that they are forced to inhabit. The actual reason for the Long Walk in the movie is sheer nonsense, told in a ridiculous, fired-up way by Mark Hamill. The walkers walk because they show…hard work. I’m serious, that’s the reason. The Long Walk could have existed in the same world as The Running Man, and if they had gone with the “people dying for your entertainment” angle, it would have made more sense. Especially considering that the Long Walk was being televised live across America, it fit neatly like a glove. Instead, we got this unconvincing, ridiculous reasoning.
Then, there’s the ending. I won’t spoil it here if you haven’t seen the movie, but it’s bleak, like the book, but for a totally different reason. I feel like they changed the story just to present a twist for a twist’s sake (or maybe there was some virtual signalling involved), but it didn’t need to happen. It comes across, again, as unconvincing, especially given that the result runs counter to what the surviving character states as their goal and their entire life philosophy. It feels like shock for shock’s sake, and sometimes, you should just let the story play out as planned.
Overall, it’s a decent time waster, but because the entire premise of the Long Walk is so unbelievable, it’s hard to get into the movie. This is one where you either buy into it or you don’t, and quite frankly, I didn’t. Keep in mind, this is with me having read the book. So, I was a natural to boost this story and extoll its virtues. Instead, I would suggest catching this movie only if you enjoy watching guys walk and talk for 100 minutes, with a few deaths in between, and shock for the sake of shock.