The long walk
Starting off with a long-winded (no pun intended) review on the Long Walk. This is a slight blast from the past but what better way to start off this page than with one of my favorite reviews?
This is seriously the best suspenseful film I have ever seen in my life.
I promise I do not just give out 5/5 ratings like they are candy but this year has been one for the books!!!!! The Long Walk has to get a perfect rating from me. Truthfully I saw no flaw in this movie. To start, if you don’t like suspenseful movies that have a lingering feeling, this might not be the one for you. However, for its genre it is PHENOMENAL!!!! I have so much to say I have to separate this review into parts.
The concept of the movie is very layered, but essentially boils down to this storyline: this is a post-war American society where the economy is struggling and people are poor, going hungry, and have lost a sense of hope. They all live under a tight regime that has banned many creative outlets and materials, erased history, and punishes those who speak out against those in charge. Personally I think the political elements of this movie are incredibly relative to today’s time if you chose to look below the original surface. Anyways, there is a “ voluntary competition" where boys register to compete in the “long walk”. One boy from each state gets chosen out of a lottery and they all walk together (live-streamed) until there is one person left walking the longest. However, the catch is, if you stop walking you get your “ticket”- meaning they kill you. The winner is supposed to be a symbol of hope for the American people and they get one wish and a major cash prize. The boys feel like they have no choice but to participate in this “competition”.
Image from the LA Times
I don’t want to give too much of the rest of the plot away, so moving forward, how the movie chose to establish the characters and characterization was perfect. There is a clear original lead, who is the first to be introduced, Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and the movie follows his narrative primarily. However, the audience is introduced to about 6 of the other boys participating in this walk, all with their own backstory and likability to them. The characters are able to build a community amongst each other and the audience can easily recognize that they would be sad to see any of these characters go. With a movie concept like this it is so important to establish a strong group of characters that you want to root for and they did just that. However, second to the lead, David Jonsson, who plays Peter McVries stole the show. Although introduced as an original supporting character, the audience can’t help but root for his strength. All the boys, although having just met at the start of this walk, create a (trauma) bond that the audience attaches to as well.
The suspense of the entire movie was insane. I truly was on the edge of my seat. This was not a horror movie by any means, because you can see how the story is unfolding but yet you keep hoping for an upset or different outcome. The entire time you’re thinking, who is going to be next? How is this going to end up? Is there anything that can change this? Etc. At the end of the movie, there was a moment where I gasped out loud in the theatre because I was so invested I forgot where I was for a second lol. Which leads me to how they ended this movie. In a way that was unpredictable and personally, what I had hoped for.
Overall, I walked out with my jaw dropped and with lots to think about. The actors were wonderful and able to connect with each other and the audience over what is technically a short storyline, the movie was suspenseful in all the right ways (one thing I would say is if you hate body gore this also might not be the one for you), somehow politically relevant at times as well, and was not afraid to take unpredictable routes. I never lost interest once even when I wanted to look away. This might be my longest review yet but 5/5 stars, absolutely no notes and I think if you can enjoy a suspenseful movie this is one you cannot miss.
P.S. this was how my face was stuck for an hour after walking out of that theater. So much to process. To this day, I cannot stop thinking about this film. One of the absolute best of 2025 and INCREDIBLY underrated.
Shelby Ferguson
