In a dystopian 1970s America, fifty teenage boys take part in a deadly annual walking contest, forced to maintain a minimum pace or be executed, until only one survivor remains.
Acting
Cooper Hoffman's thousand-yard stare should be illegal.
Direction
Francis Lawrence makes 108 minutes of walking feel like a panic attack.
Writing
Stephen King dialogue that somehow works better spoken than read.
Director
Francis Lawrence
Cooper Hoffman
Raymond Garraty #47
David Jonsson
Peter McVries #23
Ben Wang
Hank Olson #46
Tut Nyuot
Arthur Baker #6
Charlie Plummer
Gary Barkovitch #5
Garrett Wareing
Stebbins #38
Jordan Gonzalez
Richard Harkness #49
Joshua Odjick
Collie Parker #48
Mark Hamill
The Major
Roman Griffin Davis
Curly #7
Judy Greer
Mrs. Ginnie Garraty
Josh Hamilton
Mr. William Garraty
Noah de Mel
Ewing #1
Daymon Wrightly
Rank #19
Jack Giffin
Ronald #45
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Stephen King published this as Richard Bachman in 1979, and it's technically set in an alternate history where Hitler won WWII and America became a military dictatorship—details the film mostly whispers rather than screams.
The 'warning' system—three strikes, you're shot—was reportedly inspired by King's own obsessive walking habits and his terror of physical failure. The man wrote his anxieties into literal death.
US
