The Long Walk (15) |Close-Up Film Review
Dir: Francis Lawrence, 2025, US, 108mins
Cast: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Mark Hamill
Review by Matthew Kamara
Each year one hundred teenage boys are forced into a merciless endurance contest known only as “the walk.” The rules are stark: keep moving at a set pace. No rests. No slowing down. Fall behind too often and you’re executed on the spot by the soldiers shadowing the march.
The reward? The last boy standing is promised “whatever he wants for the rest of his life.” Along the way, friendships fracture. Rivalries sharpen. Exhaustion becomes unbearable. What begins as a cruel spectacle for onlookers transforms into a haunting exploration of survival, humanity, and the physical and emotional limits of endurance.
When the killings begin and the first young man is taken out with such brutal coldness, the effect is shocking. Watching these characters fall one by one becomes a deeply uncomfortable, indeed horrifying experience. It’s an emotional rollercoaster
What makes The Long Walk more than just a brutal endurance story however are its performances. Cooper Hoffman as Number 47 delivers a raw, vulnerable portrayal of a boy caught in the nightmare and David Jonsson (Number 23) turns in yet another career-defining performance. His presence grounds the film and gives it the human heartbeat it desperately needs.
The Long Walk truly isn’t an easy watch, and it isn’t meant to be. But it’s definitely an unforgettable one, the kind of film that embeds itself under your skin like a stinging nettle. It’s sharp, painful, and impossible to ignore. You bond with this handful of the young men and admire their willpower to keep on moving. The director also gives just enough backstory of each character to build an emotional connection without ever slowing the pace.
This adaptation of Stephen King’s work isn’t just another dystopian tale. It’s a cinema experience you’ll be thinking about for weeks. Without a doubt, The Long Walk walks straight into my top three films of the year.
