Tortured soles

Cooper Hoffman joins the killer hike

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A short friendship is better than no friendship. So says one doomed participant of The Long Walk, a futuristic endurance contest imagined by writer Stephen King in his 1979 novel, which invites 50 young men to compete for their heart's desire in exchange for maintaining a consistent walking speed of 3mph and outlasting their rivals.

"This is walk or die - simple as that," coolly explains competitor 23, Peter McVries (David Jonsson), as Francis Lawrence's horribly compelling film gets into its stride.