CineCrossroads: “The Long Walk,” “L'Eclisse,” and “The Bad Guys 2”
Weekends are made for cinematic discoveries. In this edition of CineCrossroads — a philosophical thriller about the price of survival, an Italian cinematic classic, and a vibrant animated sequel for the whole family. A Kazinform News Agency correspondent wishes you a pleasant watch.
Series of the week — The Long Walk (2025)
One of the year’s most anticipated adaptations has hit theaters — The Long Walk, based on Stephen King’s dystopian novel. Directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Constantine), the film depicts a world where an annual competition becomes a deadly ritual. Contestants must walk at a steady pace of at least 5 km/h without stopping. Three warnings in a row — and the game ends forever. The lone survivor wins everything: money, the fulfillment of a wish, but also the inescapable shadow of horror.
The film is constructed as a chamber psychological thriller, with its focus less on spectacle and more on dialogue and performance. The editing captures the monotony of the march, turning each step into a test of endurance. The ending has been altered — King’s open conclusion has been replaced with a more definitive one, sparking debate among critics and fans alike.
Classic pick — L'Eclisse (1962)
Michelangelo Antonioni completed his “trilogy of alienation” with L’Eclisse. Against the backdrop of Rome’s streets and the frenzy of the stock exchange unfolds the story of Vittoria (Monica Vitti) and Piero (Alain Delon). Their connection ignites and fades, reflecting the unease of the 1960s generation.
Antonioni crafts a film of moods and metaphors, where silences and pauses speak louder than action. Vittoria is a woman outside conventional frames, as if inhabiting her own reality. She observes and absorbs the world without rushing to conform to its rules. Piero, by contrast, acts with energy and calculation. Their relationship becomes a clash of elements.
L’Eclisse is a film about the fear of intimacy, the fragility of human connections, and existential solitude. Antonioni closes not with resolution but with emptiness: the final images suggest that the end may arrive suddenly, like an unexpected eclipse.
Family choice — The Bad Guys 2 (2025)
DreamWorks’ hit is back: the charming “Bad Guys” return to the screen. Wolf, Snake, Shark, Piranha, and Tarantula are trying to go straight, but a new gang — the bold “Bad Girls” — has their sights set on the heist of the century.
The plot is simple and self-aware: the film plays with genre clichés, riffs on action-movie tropes, and parodies Hollywood blockbusters from Fast & Furious to Ocean’s Eleven. But its strength lies in style: dynamic animation blends seamlessly with a charged soundtrack featuring Lenny Kravitz, Beyoncé, The Notorious B.I.G., and more.
The Bad Guys 2 is lighthearted, cheeky, and musically powered, guaranteed to entertain both kids and adults. It doesn’t aspire to seriousness, but it delivers the perfect weekend mood.
Earlier, CineCrossroads offered viewers three cinematic journeys for the weekend — into a Korean apocalyptic fantasy with Lee Min-ho, the poetic depths of Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu, and the bright adventures of Pixar’s The Incredibles.
