In a dystopian America gripped by a totalitarian regime, 50 young men are forced to compete in a walking contest where the rules are simple: keep moving at three miles per hour, or die.

There are no breaks, no finish line, only one survivor. Everyone else earns a bullet.

From Lionsgate comes “The Long Walk”, the long-awaited adaptation of one of Stephen King’s most acclaimed novels.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, the man behind “The Hunger Games” films, this is a chilling, and unexpectedly emotional thriller that asks an unsettling question: just how far would you go?

The story begins with Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) being dropped off by his mother, played by Judy Greer. The tightness in her throat, and her reluctant goodbye with tear-filled eyes instantly set the tone.

Garraty joins the other boys, dressed in khakis with rucksacks strapped and shoes laced, waiting for the contest to begin.

Among them is Peter McVries (David Jonsson), who quickly emerges as a second lead. His immediate friendship with Garraty is the beginning of a bond that plays a vital role in how the story unfolds.

The audience is introduced to a handful of others too, before the arrival of The Major (Mark Hamill), the sadistic architect of this nightmare.

The Major arrives in a tank, soldiers at his side, and lays out the rules. In this dystopian America, written by King during the height of the Vietnam War, the country is still reeling from a devastating war and an economic collapse.

To curb what he calls an epidemic of laziness, the Major has created the “Walk”.

The mechanics are cruelly simple: fall below three miles per hour and you earn a warning. Three warnings, and you receive your “ticket”, which simply means, a bullet to the head. Step off the road? Instant death. The prize? A hefty cash reward and a wish of your choosing.

Apart from a few flashbacks to Garraty’s past, the film stays on the Walk. The boys start off confident, but exhaustion and despair soon wear them down.

That’s what makes “The Long Walk” so horrifying. Unlike jump scares, deaths here are inevitable. Even when you know it’s coming, every crack of gunfire leaves you squinting.

There are no exceptions, no mercy for the boys. Whether it’s a medical emergency, stopping to tie a shoelace, or even needing to relieve themselves. If they’re not walking, the clock starts ticking.

Three warnings, and they’re shot on the spot by soldiers trailing them, leaving a trail of bodies behind. Lawrence doesn’t flinch from the gore either. Blood splatters, bodies collapse mid-stride, and the camera lingers on their final moments.

The score deserves a special mention: mostly quiet, but when death strikes, the music heightens.

Between the relentless pace, the boys joke, fight and cling to camaraderie. Though Peter and Garraty grow close, their opposing upbringings give them starkly different outlooks on life, which ultimately defines the film’s central philosophy.

Peter, the fittest of the group, is the kindest of the bunch, often carrying or cheering up the boys. Garraty, meanwhile, is driven not by money but by anger at a broken society, an anger shaped by memories of his father.

The staging keeps the monotony of walking visually fresh. Sudden rain, endless night, and one unforgettable climb up a steep road that brings audiences to the edge of the seat.

As the miles drag on, every loss becomes harder to bear. Some boys collapse, some give up, others take their own lives rather than face the guns.

The moment when Garraty glimpses his mother at the roadside, unable to stop for long, is particularly devastating.

By the time the contest narrows to its final survivors, the outcome is oddly triumphant, a curveball that makes you want to cheer.

Fans of King’s 1979 novel, originally published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym, should be warned: there are changes.

Still, Lawrence has delivered a film that does justice to King’s vision. It’s harrowing, it’s gruesome, and yes, it’s disturbing. But it’s also full of humanity and friendship. Just remember: it’s not for the squeamish.

‘The Long Walk’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.