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Published 17:46 9 May 2026 BST
Updated 18:26 9 May 2026 BST

The Long Walk, the thriller that was one of JOE's favourite movies of last year, is now available to stream at home.
Accessible through Prime Video, the film is based on the first novel written by legendary author Stephen King. The story takes place in an alternative version of 1970s America ruled by a totalitarian regime.
One of the traditions of this dystopian society is an annual, deadly televised walking contest between 50 teenage boys and young men, who volunteer to take part.
Each participant in the competition must maintain a pace of three miles per hour of non-stop walking. Failure to do so after three warnings results in execution. The last walker standing, however, wins a large cash prize and the fulfilment of one wish of his choice.
The movie focuses, in particular, on two competitors. One is Ray (Cooper Hoffman), who aims to win so that he can exact revenge on the man in charge of overseeing the Long Walk (Mark Hamill). The other is Pete (MVP David Jonsson), who plans on using his wish to improve the world.
Though Ray and Pete quickly become friends on their perilous journey, the rules of the contest mean that only one of them can survive.
The Long Walk was helmed by Francis Lawrence, the main director of The Hunger Games franchise, another story about youths competing in a deadly contest.
This time, though, the filmmaker is working from King's source material and a script from horror maestro JT Mollner (Strange Darling), resulting in something considerably more bleak and violent.
The Long Walk certainly makes for darkly compelling viewing, with the central contest able to be interpreted as a haunting metaphor for the broader journey of life and mortality.
That said, Lawrence and Mollner's depiction of the friendships that develop between the young walkers and the selfless acts of kindness they do for one another, despite being competitors, leaves the movie feeling strangely beautiful and life-affirming.
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The Long Walk is streaming on Prime Video in Ireland and the UK right now.
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