The Long Walk Movie Review (2025)

An intense thriller about candidates who walk until there is only one winner, The Long Walk is a story of deep-rooted desires, nefarious ideas, and lifelong brotherhood. I really enjoyed this.

I have to admit, I have only ever read part of one Stephen King book. I got about 200 pages into The Stand and I just couldn’t get into it. It is actually only one of two books that I started and never finished. BUT, Stand By Me, Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile are three of my favorite movies. They resonate with me and I warm up just thinking about any of them. So I can’t say that I am heavily familiar with King’s writing, but I do know that the man can tell a story.

The Long Walk is about a competition in the dystopian future where young men apply and get accepted to walk as long as possible until there is one person left. That man gets to wish for whatever he wants and receive it for the rest of his life.

I really liked this movie. A drama thriller where you only learn little bits about the contestants, the movie opens with Ray (one of the contestants, and your constant during the walk) being driven to the starting line by his mother. After meeting a few of the other men waiting for the walk to start, The Major appears to give the rules. Each man is permitted two warnings to get up or walk faster, after which he receives his ticket. That means, he dies.

The best descriptor of the entire premise is stated by The Major in the film. “There is one winner and no finish line.” That is really all you need to know for the tension to be established. Seemingly everyone applies to be a candidate in this walk. Why would they do that? Who are these kids? Some of that gets answered and some doesn’t – which is part of why I liked this so much.

There is a good deal of death throughout the film and the storyline is a tough one, but between the pacing of the story (it keeps moving and never runs out of steam) and the little bits that you are fed, it’s thoroughly engaging.

Over time, even seeing each other as competition, a brotherhood begins to appear. Bonds are made and they help each other. Most of the boys don’t want to see the others go down even if it means that they all walk for longer. They know the goal, but their hope somehow still exists.

I found some serious essences of Stand By Me in The Long Walk. It is not the same story, or similar at all really (other than being on a journey), but the camaraderie exists – the respect and love of each other despite what they are going through. They keep their spirits up by singing, talking, and sharing, but are careful never to be too vulnerable.

One major thing to remember about most of King’s stories is that it is just as much about the journey to the end as it is about reaching the end. And that is what I found here. The Long Walk is a film that I’ll be thinking about for a while, with unexpected moments and a lot of heart.

Runtime: 108 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: R

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes

Did I Cry? I got choked up

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms