In a dystopian America, it’s the 19th anniversary of the war that almost tore the country apart. After the war, the government created The Long Walk, a competition that is broadcast live, and whose purpose is to help inspire and reintegrate the value of work ethic. Each year after the event there is a noticeable spike in production, and this is what will ultimately cure the epidemic of laziness and restore the nation to its former glory—at least that’s how the brutal coemption is sold by those in charge. Every year one boy representing each of the 50 states gathers to compete, and serve as inspiration to his fellow citizens. The goal is to be the last man standing, literally. Once the gun goes off, the boys start walking, and can’t stop until they win—which is usually at least 300 miles and 5 days later. If the boys fail to maintain a speed of 3 miles per hour or veer off the pavement, they will be given up to 3 warnings, or ultimately given their ticket, and executed on the spot. The only way the competition ends is when there is just one boy left. That boy takes home the prize—a single wish for anything they desire, as well as unimaginable riches that would allow them to break free from their financial struggles and inspire the nation.

Even though it’s really every man for himself, the competition is not about trying to take out the other boys—in fact the boys are not allowed to attack one another. Instead, many of the boys become friends along the way, trying to get to know one another, and help one another keep up their spirits. Some even make plans for the future, knowing that only one of them will even survive. After all, “a short friendship is better than no friendship”. While putting their name in for competition is voluntary, nearly every boy of age does so, and some even volunteer outright to compete, as is the case with Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman, Licorice Pizza, Saturday Night). He lives in the state where the competition is being held, and despite his mother Ginnie (Judy Greer) trying to talk him out of it, Raymond has a specific, secret reason for wanting to compete.

In charge of the competition is The Major (Mark Hamill), a ruthless soldier who is all-in when it comes to enforcing the rules, and selling the competition and murder of these boys as something heroic and patriotic. The 50 boys competing come from all walks of life, and each have their own reasons for competing, and what they would wish for and do with the money should they win. While some like Peter McVries (David Jonsson) have more altruistic ideals like wishing for the end of this contest and helping others with the money, others like Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer) and Stebbins (Garrett Wareing) have more selfish goals. While some of the boys find themselves quickly at odds, Raymond and Peter become fast friends, and form a Four Musketeers alliance with Hank Olson (Ben Wang) and Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot), each supporting and helping one another to stay alive. However, as the boys are brutally killed off one by one, it becomes more and more difficult for those remaining to stay focused and motivated, but with the support and help of one another, they’ll continue to soldier on, even though they know only one of them will ultimately survive.

The Long Walk is based on Stephen King’s 1979 novel of the same name, which was more of a commentary on young soldiers being sent to war in Vietnam. The film has a very Stand By Me like feel. While there is this dreary backdrop of the contest and the majority of the characters will wind up dead, at the core is a dialogue-driven coming of age story about these boys going on a journey together, learning more about one another’s lives, hopes and dream, and forming a bond and friendship along the way. The characters are very well fleshed out and developed over the course of the film. While this could have easily felt very play-like, there is also this atmosphere where everything is constantly moving forward and things can’t stop or else people will die. The filmmakers do an excellent job of seemingly filming the impossible, where the characters are constantly moving, and one failed take could cause the need for a reset and rolling everything back for miles to get it again. Much of the film takes place on timeless, desolate roads which not only give a sense of the desperate financial times people are in that they would volunteer for something like this, but also gives a sense of general Americana without any definitive time period. There are lots of twists and turns to the story, and you never know which of these boys is going to be eliminated next, or how. So many of these boys have such heartbreaking backstories and you really get to know these characters over the course of the walk, that the majority of their deaths end up quite emotional, and brutal, to watch. (Though there are a couple that you’re waiting and hoping they go next.) Overall, I found the movie to be quite compelling to watch, not only in the dialogue, but also in some of the beautiful shots and score. If I had one complaint, it’s that I wasn’t really a fan of the ending, though I think the alternate ending provided on the 4K disc is a bit better than the theatrical one.

Lionsgate has released The Long Walk on an Amazon-exclusive 4K SteelBook, as well as standard 4K, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital releases. Lionsgate’s 4K disc of The Long Walk looks and sounds fantastic. It features a clean, clear picture with an excellent level of detail and natural looking colors that help inform the rundown times and darker tone of the movie. The visual effects for the brutal kills also blend in seamlessly. The Atmos audio track puts the viewer right in the middle of this walk, providing an immersive atmosphere with the sound of the elements, the rumble of the military vehicles, and the reverberation of gunshots, while still making sure that the dialogue is clear.

The 4K release comes with both a 4K and a Blu-ray disc, packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase along with an insert with instructions on how to redeem a 4K digital copy of the movie. Our review copy did not include a slipcover. On both discs is an excellent 75-minute Making-Of documentary. In addition, the 4K disc includes 3 other bonus featurs—an alternate ending, the cast/crew talking about Stephen King, and a Zoom scene read. The digital releases (depending on where you redeem) also offer their own exclusive bonus feature.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:48:04)

4K Ultra HD:

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• HDR-10 / Dolby Vision
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital:

• 4K Digital Copy redeemable via Apple TV or Fandango at Home (not Movies Anywhere compatible)
• Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 11/25/2026

Extras :
A few of the items can only be found on the 4K disc and not on the Blu-ray or Digital copy. These are noted with an *. There are also a couple of Digital-exclusive features noted below, which vary by retailer.

• Alternate Ending* (7:56)
  Instead of taking the shot, McVries drops the gun and walks away, followed by on-screen text explaining what he did with the prize money.
• Stephen King: An Appreciation* (5:05)
  The cast and crew talk about their love of Stephen King’s books/film adaptations and what it’s like being in a Stephen King film. Includes interviews with producer Cameron MacConomy, screenwriter JT Mollner, producer Roy Lee, director/producer Francis Lawrence, and actors David Jonsson, Cooper Hoffman, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang & Joshua Odjick, Mark Hamill, Judy Greer & Garrett Waring.
• Cooper & David Scene Read* (2:45)
  Actors Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson read a scene together over Zoom, while the final scene plays below them.
• Ever Onward: Making The Long Walk (Multi-Part Documentary) (1:14:52)
  Extensive 5-part making-of documentary with the cast and crew. Includes behind-the-scenes and table read footage, and interviews with director/producer Francis Lawrence, producer Roy Lee, screenwriter JT Mollner, producer Cameron MacConomy, location manager Neal Baksh, production designer Nicolas Lepage, special effects coordinator Davin MacRae, department head makeup artist Doug Morrow, visual effects supervisor Greg Kegel, costume designer Heather Neale, department head hairstylist Zinka Tuminski, supervising sound editor/sound designer Jeremy Peirson, composer Jeremiah Fraites, and stars David Jonsson (“Peter McVries #23”), Garrett Waring (“Stebbins #38”), Ben Wang (“Hank Olson @46”), Judy Greer (“Ginnie Garraty”), Cooper Hoffman (“Raymond Garraty #47”), Charlie Plummer (“Gary Barkovitch #5”), Tut Nyuot (“Arthur Baker #6”), Mark Hamill (“The Major”) & Joshua Odjick (“Collie Parker #48”). Play All, or select from:
  • Chapter 1: Walk or Die (11:03)
    The premise and tone of the film, and adapting Stephen King’s novel.
  • Chapter 2: Raring to Rip (16:53)
    Casting the film, the actors and their characters.
  • Chapter 3: Another Time/Another Place (22:57)
    The process of shooting the film, the locations, the period setting, the custom and constantly-moving camera infrastructure and rigs, the bloody effects, maintaining an R rating, the physical stress of the shoot, the costumes and makeup, and more.
  • Chapter 4: Adjustments Are Key (14:25)
    Utilizing visual effects to add the violence and kills, the sound design, and the score.
  • Chapter 5: Fulfillment (9:33)
    Creating a new ending, and reflecting on the production.

• Theatrical Trailer #1 (2:22)
• Theatrical Trailer #2 (2:26)
• The Last Mile: Music Scoring – (Apple TV Extras only) (5:52)
  This feels like footage that could have been part of Chapter 4 in the Making-Of featurette above. Additional behind-the-scenes footage of the orchestra, and interviews with the director and composer, talking about the instruments and score.
• The Long Walk: San Diego Comic-Con Panel – (Fandango at Home Exclusive)
  I redeemed the digital copy on iTunes, so I don’t have any specific details on this feature, but generally these SDCC panels can be found on YouTube.
  

Final Thoughts:

The Long Walk is a solid film, with excellent performances by the young ensemble cast. It is very dialogue driven, and feels a lot like another Stephen King film, Stand By Me, but with a darker backdrop. At its core, the film is about the friendship that forms between these boys as they go on a journey and reflect upon their lives, hopes and dreams. At the same time it can be quite brutal as you know that only 1 of these 50 boys can ultimately survive this long walk. The only thing that didn’t quite work for me was the ending, though I don’t think I would have liked the original ending from the book either. But it’s not about the ending, but rather the journey. That said, Lionsgate’s 4K release looks and sounds great, and contains some excellent bonus material, including a wondering 75-minute making-of documentary. The film is worth checking out if you’re a fan of King’s work or of the cast, and don’t mind the brutal nature of the story. For those who don’t want to make a blind buy before seeing the film, the movie will be streaming exclusively on STARZ in a couple weeks, beginning January 10, 2026.