Spoilers are calling an Uber.

Sometimes you can do more with a simple premise. You probably know the one for this film already. It’s sort of dystopian in its setup but once we start, it’s pretty clear where this is headed. The weight of its execution rests on the performance of its cast, which I am glad to report has mostly new faces except for that of Mark Hamill himself. This is not a scary movie per se, but it is a thriller of tension and it communicates that quite effectively. It has but a few flaws, but nothing major.

(Credit: Lionsgate)

The Long Walk (2025) is directed by Francis Lawrence. The screenplay is written by JT Mollner based on the novel by Stephen King. The setting is a dystopian version of the US where resources are scarce and poverty is rampant. A group of teenagers are participating in a competition where they must walk on keeping a steady pace without stopping until only is left. You slow down, you stop or you walk away and the armed escort will shoot you down after three warnings.

The cast is primarily focused on Ray (Cooper Hoffman) and Pete (David Jonsson) who strike up a conversation and become friends. Soon they make friends of Arthur (Tut Nyuot) and Olson (Ben Wang) and somehow antagonize the stoic Stebbins (Garrett Wareing) and the sadistic Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer). They’re all walking for their life, a hefty financial reward and the biggest prize of them all: a wish, to be granted by the Mayor (Mark Hamill) to the lone survivor.

This is a survival drama, regardless of the dystopian plot, where the characters slowly reveal themselves as the tension grows and the bodies start dropping. In the end, we know only one will get to the last mile and secrets and twists will be revealed. It does a good job creating engaging characters although I feel that while some characters are really charismatic (Pete), others that figure much more feel too bland to get the spotlight (Ray).

Recommended with little reservations. It’s both a drama and a psychological thriller with some gore. I don’t think it needed the executions needed gore, because it’s not really a horror feature but it was a choice. The end will have some twists where it feels like more than one ending. It’s very much worth a watch.

That will do for now.