The Long Walk (2025) – 10 Quick Thoughts

I’d love to write more about The Long Walk, but my schedule is insane, so I wanted to share some quick thoughts because I’m a big fan of the film. 

1. Now that the Academy Awards have a “Best Achievement in Casting” category, it would be cool to see Casting Director Rich Delia (Joy Ride, Short Term 12, Game Night, It) get a nomination. The cast is excellent.

2. David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman have beautiful chemistry. Aside from the technical wizardry, solid supporting actors, and confident direction, they are a big reason why the film works so well. 

3. Between I Am Legend, Hunger Games 2-4, and The Long Walk, director Francis Lawrence has proven himself to be adept at bringing post-apocalyptic (or dystopian) worlds to life. Crafting something like The Long Walk couldn’t be easy, so I appreciate the hard work Lawrence put into it. You can tell it was a passion project for him. 

4. The Long Walk was shot in chronological order during a hot summer in Manitoba, Canada, and the actors walked an estimated 8 to 14 miles per day during the 35-day shoot. You can feel the exhaustion in their performances, and actual pavement pounding creates a welcome dose of authenticity. 

5. Cinematographer Jo Willems (Hunger Games 2-4, Red Sparrow) should be applauded for the shot selection and ability to not make the walking seem monotonous. He said he shot the film with “almost no equipment, no lighting and no control,” and he totally pulled off something special. You can tell that he and Lawrence have a nice shorthand, and it’s interesting that they found inspiration from Vietnam War photos and videos to create the look and feel of the film.

6. It would be great if David Jonsson picked up a bunch of acting nominations. I know The Long Walk is a genre film about young kids being murdered (which won’t help come awards time), but his performance is exceptional. He called the film “a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” and you can tell he walked hard for it. 

7. It will win the 2025 movie award for “Most Pooping on Empty Roads.”

8. Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Mark Hamill, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, and Joshua Odjick are very good. 

9. Writer JT Mollner is on a roll! Between Strange Darling (2024) and The Long Walk (2025), he’s written two legit screenplays (adapted and original). 

10. The 7.4 IMDb score and the 89% Tomatometer score make me happy.