The dystopian survival thriller isn’t concerned about the reasons behind its death marathon, only giving a short speech about a war, an economic depression, and a show to inspire the rest of the nation. Instead, The Long Walk is more interested in its poor contestants. It’s likely to remind one of director Francis Lawrence’s Hunger Games franchise, as this journey pushes them to bond, to get to know each other, to reveal the reasons they chose to join this supposed voluntary journey. It’s what they reveal that makes each death all the more brutal, and what makes the changed ending all the more devastating.
"I'd describe it as Lord of the Flies on foot, but it's really more like The Hunger Games for dudes (complimentary)."
— Alison Willmore
"“The Long Walk” doesn’t tell you or ask you anything new if you’re feeling pent up with rage by American leadership these days, but the film’s grim commitment to the bit is a rarity for a studio movie."
— Ryan Lattanzio
In a dystopian 1970s America, fifty teenage boys take part in a deadly annual walking contest, forced to maintain a minimum pace or be executed, until only one survivor remains.
Venice
1 nomination
