content warning: mentions of death/killing, discussion of war, breif discussion of racism, general caution is advised.
This also contains some spoilers for The Long Walk. I highly recomend you watch the movie before reading this- however, if you do not, I hope this convinces to you to watch the movie.
In 1979, when Stephen King was still using the pen name Richard Bachman, he published a book titled The Long Walk. He had written this book over a decade prior, when he was a freshman in university. At age 19, King was witnessing friends and peers his age being drafted and sent off to fight in the Vietnam war. He was horribly distraught by the large number of young men who were forced into a life or death situation at the fresh age of 18. The Long Walk was written to criticize and satirize the US government and their mistreatment of an entire generation of young people.
In 2025, The Long Walk was adapted into a film by JT Mollner and directed by Francis Lawrence. There were quite a few changes made between the book and movie, both plot and character related. These changes were made with King’s blessing and enhance the overarching message of the story.
The Long Walk is set in a dystopian version of the US, sometime in the 1970s. While, visually, appearing the same as the states in the ’70s, the government has taken a dictatorship rule over the nation. This shift came after the “war”, an implied reference to World War Two. In this world, the US lost the war and suffered great financial and political losses afterward. The ‘Long Walk’ is an annual event held in the states where a group of young boys (50 walkers in the movie, 100 in the book) will compete in a walking race for endless riches and whatever they might wish for. This race has no end in sight- the boys simply have to walk until there is one walker left.
There are many reasons that a walker might ‘get his ticket’, or get killed. In fact, King wrote an entire rulebook which entails what the walkers are and are not allowed to do on the walk. There are some basic rules that all walkers know. Everyone must walk at a minimum speed (3mph in the movie, 4mph in the book), you cannot physically attack other walkers, you cannot leave the path. Violations of rules will result in a warning- three warnings and you get your ticket.
So, the walk goes on; a group of young men walking with no end in sight, followed by soldiers on tanks. These tanks carry candid cameras, which broadcast the walk to the entire nation. This absurdist scenario is King’s portrayal of how war was turned into a spectacle of entertainment, while young men suffered and lost their lives to bring honor to their nation. The Long Walk gives a perspective from the inside; an introduction to the men who showed up to willingly put their lives on the line. The story humanizes and empathizes with these young men, who are being treated like animals by their government.
The story follows Ray Garraty, a young man whose father was killed by the government for teaching and spreading information that had been banned. Ray’s father taught him to reject the authoritarian rule of the government and, instead, seek out all of that banned media. Despite his quiet revolutionary beliefs and hatred of the Major, Ray joins the long walk.
Ray befriends a number of boys on the long walk. Peter McVries is a songwriter with a rugged childhood. Pete is on the long walk in hopes that he can win and use the money to do something good in the world. Art Baker is a religious man from Baton Rouge. Art says he’s on the walk for the money, for personal use. Hank Olson is smart-talking, sharp, and very enthusiastic about winning the walk. Richard Harkness is a writer who wants to write a story about the long walk from the insider’s perspective. Billy Stebbins is a buff, mysterious, guy who speaks in riddles and respects his government. Collie Parker has a tough exterior, but he’s a family-oriented revolutionary who shares Ray’s hatred of the government. Gary Barkovitch just wants to make friends, but clearly never learned the difference between joking around and fighting.
In both the movie and the book, there is no censoring the disgusting truth of the walk. These boys are walking for days, no bathroom breaks, no naps- no nothing. It’s gross, grimey, and human. There is no attempt at making it palatable. Even in scenes where characters are having sweet or loving conversations, you never forget the true tragedy of their situation. Some of these boys were so miserable in their lives before, that they walk is the happiest they’ve ever truly been. They’re happy because they’re away from whatever hardships they had back home and now they’re on a walk with peers. While you want to share their happiness, you know that it isn’t going to last.
Now is when I get a bit more personal with this deep dive. Recap over, I’m going to talk about my favorite aspects of the book and movie, what works, what doesn’t, and other interpretations. I’m going to try to keep this brief though, knowing me, there may be a second part to this at a later date.
Off the bat, I want to talk about the most important change made (in my opinion) from the book to the movie. In the book, despite there being 100 boys on the walk, only one character is ever directly referred to as being not white. He, Ewing, is declared black by one of the other boys and then promptly referred to as a slur. The only black character in that book is called a horribly degrading slur right before his death- that’s disgusting. Especially considering the fact that The Long Walk is meant to satirize WW2 and the Vietnam War, wars that were heavily fought by black and brown Americans. Many black and brown men joined the army under the promise that they would be treated as equals when they fought for their country. All of that being said, It’s very important (in my opinion) that the casting directors for the movie chose to cast primarily people of color. Of the main eight characters, five are played by actors of color.
On a somewhat similar note, of minorities’ involvement in the wars, I want to discuss the implied and discussed queerness in both the book and the movie. In the book, Ray and Pete have conversations about being queer, being queer for each other, or even performing sexual acts on eachother. In the book, it’s shown as a sort of “neither of them are actually gay, they’re just pent up teenage boys” discussion. In the movie, there is a lot more to Ray and Pete’s relationship. They look out for each other, save each other’s lives a number of times, help each other rest while walking, share secrets that they’ve never told anyone else, and are honest about their love for each other (though it’s unclear if it’s romantic or platonic love). Queerness is discussed throughout the movie (primarily by closet case number one, Gary Barkovitch), though no labels are ever used. Even in a cut line from the script, Pete makes a comment about maybe being “queer for [Ray]” but goes on to refuse to admit if he’s joking or not. I’m very grateful for how sexuality is handled in the movie. Queerness is a hugely repressed aspect of military history, for a number of reasons, so having a male relationship portrayed in that sort of way (no labels, not necessarily romantic but also something more than just friends) is very important.
Overall, I appreciate the message that the movie and book both convey. It’s not meant to be a revolutionary story about the final guy fixing the government and getting rid of all the pain. It’s a story about human nature and instincts under extreme situations. It’s a story about family, friendship, and loss. It’s a story about culture and identity. It’s a story about sticking it to the man, even when you’re stuck in the system. All that being said, I think the message falls flat in a couple ways. In the book, Ray is much less of a liberal-minded revolutionary as he is in the movie. I have no problem with that, it just gives a whole different perspective to the story being told. In the movie, we get a beautiful spectrum of moral and ethical standings from each of the characters- however, it’s not as fleshed out as it could’ve been. I don’t want a movie where every character gets thirty minutes to talk about who they are and what they believe- that’s lazy and boring- but, come on. These guys are walking together for five days with nothing to do, lets get to know some of them a bit more. At the same time, I like that some of the character’s stories are left up to interpretation as that prompts people like me to write our own fully-fleshed out backstories and fanfiction. So I guess I don’t mind that much.
