Mark Bambridge

🎬 The Long Walk (2025) Director: Francis Lawrence Screenplay: J.T. Mollner Based on: The Long Walk (1979 novel) by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman) Runtime: 108 minutes Rating: R / 15 (Strong bloody violence, disturbing images, etc.) --- In my younger days I was a big fan of Stephen King’s books. My favourites were his gigantic novels, like The Stand, IT and Salem's Lot. With their deep, well-rounded characters and complex structures, I would immerse myself completely. He is, after all, the "King" of brilliantly written characterisation and darkly evocative scene-setting. Often King’s storytelling would be so magnificently crafted that the ending couldn’t always live up to the narrative as a whole. But with King, the written journey is always worthwhile. Unfortunately, his stories did not always translate well to TV or cinema. That said, recently King’s tales have had a bit of a renaissance on screen. Yes, there have been over 70 adaptations of his works for film and television over the years, starting with Brian De Palma’s 1976 masterpiece Carrie. But with the recent remake of Pet Sematary, Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck and Edgar Wright’s upcoming remake of The Running Man, the King of fantastical storytelling is showing little sign of slowing down at the age of 77. The Long Walk is an adaptation of one of King’s earliest works, written during 1966–67, some years before he wrote Carrie. The novel was later released under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979, in a collection of four stories called The Bachman Books. The film is set in a dystopian future America under authoritarian rule, although it looks more like the 1960s when King originally wrote it. The Long Walk follows 100 teenage boys who "volunteer" to compete in a terrifying endurance contest: they must walk continuously at a speed of at least 3 miles per hour, with no pause. Fall below pace or stop and they receive warnings. Accumulate three warnings, and the consequence is execution. The contest continues until only one survivor remains. The ultimate goal is to win—and collect a prize of the winner’s choice. The Long Walk is not an easy watch. It is often gruelling and violent, pushing the boundaries of its 15 certificate in the UK (and R in the US). But it is also about friendship, companionship, hope, despair, and loyalty under pressure. The endurance, exhaustion, and psychological breakdowns the young men endure are present throughout. Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson are excellent as the emotionally exhausted centre of the film, with selected members of the group interacting throughout with varying degrees of kindness and antagonism. Mark Hamill is frighteningly authoritarian, gruff, sinister and uncompromising as The Major, who commands the brutal journey. With the fear coming from a psychological standpoint and not from cheap jump scares, The Long Walk is an excellent addition to Stephen King’s cinematic world. With a strong cast and well-drawn characters, this is without doubt one of the better King adaptations. Garrett Wareing revealed they walked 8–15 miles a day while filming, adding realism to the undertones of fatigue. #littlevaderreviews #stephenking #thelongwalkmovie #horror #drama