The Long Walk

Directed by Francis Lawrence, The Long Walk follows 50 young men, including Cooper Hoffman’s Ray and David Jonsson’s Pete, as they attempt to outpace their competitors within the picture’s dystopian landscape. It’s an intriguing premise that’s employed to erratic yet mostly successful effect by Lawrence, as the filmmaker, armed with JT Mollner’s screenplay, delivers a relentlessly (and impressively) grim endeavor that benefits from its bleak atmosphere and raft of above-average performances – with, in terms of the latter, Lawrence eliciting top-notch (and thoroughly sympathetic) work from his various actors. (Hoffman’s terrific efforts as the engaging, affable lead are matched by periphery players like Charlie Plummer, Judy Greer, and an unrecognizable Mark Hamill.) There’s little doubt, however, that The Long Walk‘s overall impact is diminished significantly by a padded-out, needlessly overlong runtime, and it does seem clear, ultimately, that the less-than-dense narrative (ie there’s an almost total absence of flashbacks and digressions here) is unable to sustain one’s interest for the duration of the picture’s 108 minutes – which dulls the impact of the film’s impressively grim second half and does, in the end, confirm its place as a decent adaptation that could (and should) have been better.

**1/2 out of ****