The Long Walk Proves a Simple Idea Can Still Be Devastating
Nerdy Up North Podcast
The setup
Fifty young men enter a state-controlled competition with one simple rule: keep walking. Drop below the required speed too many times and you are killed. There can only be one survivor, and the winner receives money and one wish. As the miles build up, the competition becomes less about winning and more about the relationships forming between the people who know almost all of them are going to die.
The idea behind The Long Walk is incredibly simple, walk or die. We’ve seen lots of dystopian competitions over time from The Hunger Games, Battle Royale right down to last year’s hit series Squid Game. They’re all incredibly entertaining shows. However what makes The Long Walk work is how little there actually is going on! Instead of huge arenas with constantly changing rules these lads are simply walking along a road, aware that eventually almost everyone next to them is going to be dead.
It’s a great simple approach that focuses on its characters. we are told more than once by one of our main players how important their friendship was during the film and this aspect was very effective when you watch people creating actual connections but know they will ultimately have to break because of the contest. It builds an ever-present sense of dread throughout the whole production.
There were plenty of moments in the movie where it looked like the producers had no shame in including things that could make most people cringe. Exhaustion, injuries, trips to the toilet, sleeping whilst walking and even watching someone you care about stand alongside the roadside can all be made into a horror show if done correctly and they certainly did here.
There were some pretty intense stuff at times (like when we saw Pete and his mom). It made us realize what was happening to all these folks who didn’t take part in this crazy competition, and everything here doesn’t have to be the start of another franchise, that’s good. If anything, it just seems like a complete movie on its own.
I would’ve liked a bit more backstory into the state of the world itself. We can see all the signs, it’s obviously a broken society controlled by the military, but it’d be nice if they explained how we got here and why the citizens of this country accept things like The Long Walk.
There’s always going to be arguments over the end, and even if I liked the fact that he was unable to stop walking because of all he had been through, it does leave open some more immediate concerns as to where things go post that which the movie leaves unanswered. But such little problems aside, this really is an amazing piece of work, and though it may well have you exhausted by its bleakness, violence and general energy, at heart it’s ultimately about friendship.
Verdict
The Long Walk takes one of the simplest ideas imaginable and turns it into something horrible, emotional and strangely beautiful. The violence gets your attention, but the friendships are what make it stay with you afterwards. It's the sort of film where thinking about it makes you want to immediately watch it again.
