I don’t go to the movie theater anymore. I never was a fan of spending a decent chunk of money on a single watch of a movie, then spending a small fortune on snacks and a Coke. Add on top of that the several experiences of annoying audiences ruining the atmosphere of great movies and I was ready for an excuse to stop going to the theaters. Then came the pandemic and the bottom fell out of the movie screening industry and earlier streaming debuts of movies. Now, most of the time you couldn’t pay me to go. However there are movie debuts that tempt me to go back. The release of “The Long Walk” was one such movie.

I’ve always loved Stephen King adaptations. From the masterpiece that is “The Shining” to the batshit insanity that is “The Langoliers” I find something to enjoy in most of them. There’s a warmth and particular charm to his characters that is hard to describe but you definitely know it when you see it. Maybe the copious amounts of cocaine imbibed while writing his characters just forces its way through even when it’s been filtered through another layer of interpretation. Regardless, I can’t read so enjoying his stories in book form is impossible for me. So when I saw a video discussing the “The Long Walk” prior to its release, I got very excited.

“The Long Walk” is one of King’s earlier works and it’s one that had always been an adaptation I hoped for. I had heard that “The Long Walk” was essentially a very simple battle royale format that only consisted of characters walking for days but it was somehow interesting. I kept meaning to get it as an audiobook and give it a listen but my procrastination rewarded me with a movie version instead. I hadn’t seen or been told anything else about it but I was very much interested in what could end up on screen. So I waited patiently. Eventually it came out to rent or purchase on streaming and I finally had a watch of it. I have to say, I was pretty damn happy with the end product.

To preface all of this, “The Long Walk” is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. It really is a battle royale but everyone’s walking. The premise is that there’s a lottery that picks a young man from each US state and has them compete in an endurance test in the form of walking until you collapse. Once a contestant goes below a certain speed, veers from the set path, or attempts to attack one of their escorting soldiers they get executed. Without spoiling the plot, that’s really all there is to it. Not a ton happens except exactly what you’d expect in a thriller of this genre. People talk. People die. I loved it, but I figured I’d give you all the chance to go watch for yourself before I ruin anything for you. So either go watch it for yourself or ignore me and read my opinions on it for some reason.

So…

VIETNAM…

I’ve seen movies and TV shows with more direct allegories but few come to mind. The lottery is a clear representation of the draft into the war in Vietnam. The walk itself is a clear representation of the traumas that the soldiers we sent to Vietnam suffered. And the death toll is a clear representative of the men that were killed, maimed, and psychologically scarred. Even the winner of the competition walks away with mental wounds that will never heal. I figured I’d mention that first because you’re bludgeoned with it right away. I say that respecting the hell out of the message being sent. I cried at the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC. My parents’ generation were heavily impacted by the draft. I have PTSD, myself, though not military combat related. I’m a massive advocate for mental health support. I, personally, feel that the message “The Long Walk” sends is an important one that deserves to be seen and heard. The message is sent very well but oh boy is it obvious and immediate.

Rewinding a bit… We start the movie with a cast of widely varied characters in personality and in background. The majority of the cast are acted quite well with an absolute standout performance by David Johnson as Peter McVries. He manages to bring to life a character with a complex, dark background and make him believable as a man who fought off the darkness by shining bright. That’s hard to do. It normally comes off corny as hell and even sometimes silly. That makes it all the more heartbreaking when you realize that he’s going to die by the end of the movie. Because our lead guy is Ray, right?

As the movie goes on I slowly came to realize that the primary protagonist of the movie might not be the guy we’re seeing the story through. Ray is acted well and his story is compelling, but he never really felt like much of a hero to me. Just another angry kid with a score to settle, whereas McVries felt like he had more of a heroic spirit about him. Always stepping up to help those in need even in a situation where he’s in direct competition with the men he’s saving. Even when it could potentially lead to his own death. Whereas Ray had a good reason to want to kill the Major, but not much of a plan. And like Ray seems to realize by the end, he was being selfish by leaving his mom behind and repeating the actions of his father.

The movie doesn’t make it clear what happens in the end. It’s clear that the Major dies, but we don’t know if the escort soldiers shoot McVries back in retribution. We don’t know how everyone around reacted when he finished Ray’s plan. And I think that’s because it doesn’t matter. McVries keeps walking. He keeps walking because there’s no end to his walk anymore. He’s been through too much. His body and mind just keep willing him to move forward. Even if he’s dead his soul has been branded by “The Long Walk.” Which leads us back into that PTSD metaphor. It works and it works well, but even my monkey brain caught it my first go around.

I really enjoyed “The Long Walk” and I think it deserves praise and respect, but I don’t know if I’ll be going back to watch it again. I think the acting is great, the cinematography is beautiful, and the story is very compelling, but not enough happens that I want to see it again. It’s a journey I’m glad I went on but not one I feel the need to return to.

Ethan Rodgers