Jakarta. Going for a walk can calm you down after a long day, but imagine walking as far as one can go just to see another day. Francis Lawrence’s “The Long Walk”, adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, is a horror like no other. 

The plot is in the name. Set in a dystopian totalitarian regime, a group of young people has to go on an annual walking contest known as “The Long Walk”. The government believes that this sick contest can help them get rid of the laziness epidemic, even boosting their economy. The rules are (not so) simple. They have to walk at a certain speed -- go slower and they risk getting shot to death by the soldiers who will always follow them wherever they go. There is no finish line, and the contest only ends if there is one walker left.  

JT Mollner takes credit for the screenplay. Cooper Hoffman plays the overall-good-guy protagonist Raymond “Ray” Garraty or contestant #47. The story begins with his tearful mom dropping Ray off at the contest grounds, where he meets the other walkers. It does not take long before Ray buddies up with the overly optimistic Peter McVries #23 (David Jonnson). McVries quickly turns into the “glue” that keeps the contestants connected, even forming a group of friends that he calls The Musketeers. The film is mainly driven by a group of promising young actors, starting from Charlie Plummer as the foul-mouthed photographer Gary Barkovitch to the chatty Hank Olson (Ben Wang). It clocks in at 108 minutes, and the story never misses.

Anyone who fails to maintain their speed is bound to get shot, although the soldiers -- who are always on standby -- will first give the walkers verbal warnings by calling out their contestant numbers. Not long after the first few deaths, McVries tells Ray that he hopes they will soon get used to hearing the gunshots. Ray immediately says that is what he is afraid of. One cannot just ignore how absurd the bloodbath is. But Ray’s fear eventually comes true. When the first initial gunshots are fired, Ray will always cover his ears with a traumatized look on his face. But the further the distance, Ray no longer covers his ears, and just keeps on walking. The audience, too, eventually got used to the draconian rules, sparking fewer screams compared to the beginning.

“The Long Walk” is now playing in Indonesian cinemas, a country where fitness apps are seeing a rise in popularity. It would be unsurprising if some Indonesians try to come up with a social media challenge inspired by “The Long Walk”, without the killing, of course.

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