Don’t Sleep on This New Stephen King Adaptation — It’s the Best We’ve Had in Years

September 13, 2025

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In the realm of Stephen King movie adaptations, it’s no secret that their quality can be inconsistent. Audiences have been gifted with some truly great adaptations, a handful of good ones, a few that were mediocre, and some that have just been plain bad. Sometimes you never really know what you’re going to get, but the best kinds of King adaptations are the ones that come out of nowhere and surprise you.

Full disclosure: I’ve never read Stephen King’s 1979 novel The Long Walk, written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, so I attended the early screening completely blind. By the time the credits rolled, I was completely floored, gutted, and moved, convinced I had witnessed not only one of the best films of the year but also one of the finest King adaptations ever made.

Francis Lawrence Helms ‘The Long Walk’

Directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by JT Mollner, The Long Walk takes place during the late 1960s, although its aesthetic allows it to appear as if it could transpire today or in the not-too-distant future. The United States is under a totalitarian government, though the film provides few details about how this harsh regime came to power. The US has seemed to cease development following a war, and it is in dire economic straits. Times have become so tough that young men enter into an annual state-run walking contest called “The Long Walk,” but this is no basic exercise routine.

One young man is chosen from each of the 50 states and taken to a desolate part of the country, where they must maintain a pace of three miles per hour as they embark on a treacherous stretch of road. Through rain, hills, and other harsh terrain, they are told that if they stop for more than 10 seconds, they will receive three warnings. Should they exceed three warnings, they will “be given their ticket,” which is a more civilized way of saying they will get a bullet to the head. There is no finish line, and only one winner can emerge. Whoever is left at the end is granted a wish of their choosing, and, oh yeah, this event will be televised. The film stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer, Roman Griffin Davis, Tut Nyuot, Jordan Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Mark Hamill, and Judy Greer.

‘The Long Walk’ Is One of the Most Harrowing Films You’ll See This Year

Lionsgate

Lawrence should be applauded for not shying away from the stark brutality of the situation that these young men have found themselves in. This is a film that earns its R rating, and it’s completely unflinching in its depiction of the consequences that befall those who break the rules of the walk. Even though the audience is told about the rules through Hamill’s gruff emcee, The Major, the establishing scenes are presented in a way that suggests male bonding and friendship rather than the harrowing experience they’re about to encounter.

When the rules are first broken by one of the younger characters to participate in the walk, the consequences of those actions hit the audience like a ton of bricks. At that moment, the seriousness of what these characters have found themselves in becomes a stark reality, and the notion of a “happy ending” is immediately erased. You’re now in the thick of an impossible situation with characters you begin to grow an affinity for.

Each grotesque injury (ankles and bare feet are soon savaged by the harsh terrain), a struggle to breathe as each character reaches a new mile, and every death has an impact on the audience because Lawrence and Mollner, as the film’s screenwriter, balance character development with the atrocities that the audience is seeing on the screen. None of this journey would work if the audience didn’t care about the characters, no matter how small their role.

Some of the participants who meet their demise are afforded very little screen time, but the actors are so convincing in their depiction of agony that it’s hard not to sympathize once they meet their end. It also helps that, despite the contest being a competition, the young men involved don’t treat it like The Hunger Games. They know only one person can win, but they find some comfort in forming an alliance along the way.

The screenplay goes a long way to emphasize a sense of loyalty and friendship in the face of darkness. Unity is formed early on between a few of the characters that is palpable from the start and grows only more emotional as each of them is faced with the fragility of their mortality. Hoffman’s Ray Garraty is eager to make a better life for himself and his mother (Greer). He forms a very early bond with Jonsson’s Peter McVries, a young man who soon acts as the group’s sounding board and voice of encouragement, while hoping that if he wins, he can give hope to other kids who grew up in the same, less-than-desirable conditions that he did.

With the addition of Wang’s Hank Olson, who displays a sense of optimism and humor despite the odds stacked against them, and Nyuoti’s Arthur Baker, whose faith inspires a fierce determination, these men begin to see each other as friends. This is something that lends the movie a great deal of emotional weight, as the audience remembers that there can only be one winner.

‘The Long Walk’s Performances Are Among the Year’s Best

The Long Walk features some of the best performances of the year. Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, doesn’t miss a beat as the film’s de facto lead. He instantly gains the audience’s sympathy, mostly due to his selflessness. He’s the one who initiates group camaraderie with his fellow walkers, and Hoffman conveys that sense of leadership with complete believability. Despite his strength, it’s also an emotionally raw performance, particularly as the film moves along. Hoffman has two scenes with his mother that rip the very soul from the viewer’s body, proving in the case of Greer that even the smallest roles can be effective, as they become standout moments for her as well.

Providing top-notch support is Jonsson, who plays things remarkably stoic while acting as the group’s fierce big brother and bodyguard. While several of the characters do form tight relationships, it’s his bond with Hoffman that rings the most true and gives the film its heart. Jonsson has been receiving a bulk of the film’s positive notices for his performance, and while everyone gives it their all, it’s his performance that COULD gain some awards attention should Lionsgate push for it.

The Long Walk currently holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the year’s best-reviewed films. Dystopian films based on King novels may not seem like typical award contenders, but The Long Walk proves otherwise, and it deserves recognition if awards voters are willing to give it a chance.

Beyond that, The Long Walk is best seen on the big screen. Though it leaves you reeling, it also delivers one of the most enthralling films of the year. King should be proud of what Lawrence and Mollner accomplished here because this film has already emerged as one of the best adaptations of his work to date. Don’t miss out. The Long Walk is in theaters now.