As ‘Nauseating’ As Critics Say The Long Walk Is, One Actor’s Performance Is ‘The Beating Heart Of This Grim Story’

When Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk hits the 2025 movie calendar on September 12, expect to see some visceral reactions from those who take a trip to the theater. Already we’ve heard from people who can’t make it through the trailer without crying , and first reactions from the screenings described an “emotional wallop.” But beyond the “nauseating” experience that critics are promising, they’re also blown away by one David Jonsson’s performance.

The Stephen King book-to-screen adaptation centers around Cooper Hoffman’s Raymond Garraty, one of 50 young men who enter a contest to see who can walk the longest. Those who slow down are executed until just one remains. While Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son is being praised for his performance, our own Eric Eisenberg says David Jons