The Warriors

I just finished watching The Warriors again and it always brings me back to that time. A time where you relied on friends and a brotherhood to keep you safe. A time where we took care of our own. I was born in Brooklyn and I remember going to the theater in Williamsburg with my older cousin to see this movie. Back then they had double features. We stayed and watched The Warriors for the second time. To me it is a simple movie of survival against all odds with no one but your brothers watching your back. Even the crime syndicate had rat's snitching on each other back then. Look at the end of the movie and see how the Rouges reacted even when faced with their destiny. They all stuck together. This is by far one of the best films of that era. And still today on DVD it is as fresh as the day it was released. I even turned my best friends wife into a fan. I truly believe this movie can reach all types of people. Kudos to the writers and producers and actors and everyone involved in this film.

On IMDb, it is commonplace to run across negative reviews that include a statement such as "one of the worst movies I've ever seen" or "worst movie ever made," etc. Those statements sometimes come off as knee jerk reactions to a sub par movie that doesn't deserve such lofty discrediting. In the case of "The Warriors" however, one can trust that such comments are well warranted. Ironically, the premise for the movie - a gang trying to return to its home turf with every other gang in NY hot on its heels for revenge - is not bad, and I hope the remake of this is far more successful at realizing that premise. It won't be hard to do so, since this movie is a disaster in every aspect. The script is grade-school level and performed amateurishly by a "never heard of 'em" cast. The styling of the gangs is remarkably silly. And this all takes place with a cheap-sounding electronic soundtrack that sounds like it could have been an experiment by John Carpenter, when as a kid he got his first Casio for Christmas. One would think that a gang film like this would be high in impact and tension, but the presentation of the gangs and their individual members are more humorous than anything else. I don't know who should get the booby prize for silliness...my vote would go to either the "Baseball Furies" who look like members of Kiss that had just raided a Little League locker room, or the gang that looked like hillbillies on skates who took a wrong turn on their way to the Roller Derby. But they all look like rejects from Saturday Night Fever, reinforcing the notion that the seventies could very well have been the worst decade of style in human history. The lack of graphic violence, which although gratuitous in "Kill Bill"-type films, but essential to films like "Saving Private Ryan", detracts from a film like this which is already lacking so much in gritty realism. The script seems to have been written in an ad hoc style, and if you read some of the trivia about this movie, that seems to have been the case at times, as dialogue and situations had to be invented on the spot to account for behind the camera incidents. However, the fact that there are no characters to root for, since every character in this film is an annoying jerk, may be the biggest detraction to a film that is without a single edge-of-your-seat moment. Once again, who cares if some Warrior gang member gets the snot beat out of him and doesn't make it back to Coney Island if he is just as obnoxious and unlikeable as any other rival gang member? If there is any entertainment value in this film, it's that it can provide plenty of fodder for sarcastic and amusing comments from the living room peanut gallery. Other than that, the cult status and ridiculously high IMDb rating for this film is absolutely inexplicable.

During a gang summit in the Bronx, a rival gang leader (Roger Hill) is shot and killed. A Coney Island gang is wrongfully accused of the crime and find themselves on the run from other gangs and cops as they race back to their turf. Will they make it back in one piece? Walter Hill's ("48 Hrs.") stylish tale about gang warfare packs a punch (even by today's standards). Upon release, the film sparked controversy and was accused of encouraging gang violence. After one look, it's not brutal, graphic or unpleasant. It's an exciting, fast-paced, action-packed, non-bloody tale that sends a message with conviction. Most of the gangs portrayed are too cartoonish to be menacing, but yet they are unique in more ways than one. Credit should also be given to Andrew Laszlo's photography. A cult classic. "Can you dig it?" My evaluation: *** out of ****.

A gang called the 'Warriors,' exhibits qualities characteristic of classical heroes: gallantry, self-pride, loyalty, discipline, and most of all, the ability to fight... It is night in New York city... Nine leather-vested members of this small bunch, board a subway leaving their Coney Island turf and travel to Van Cortland Park in The Bronx... The 'Warriors' are only one of many in New York street gangs who have sent representatives to a unification meeting called by Cyrus (Roger Hill), the lord of the largest and most powerful gang in the city, the Gramercy Riffs—a black gang all in their silk pajamas and Kung Fu shirts... Cyrus speaks to the huge gathering, explaining that all the gangs must unite, that together they outnumber the police three to one, that together they can consolidate forces and rule the city... There is wild cheering... And suddenly, out of no where, a mean, small-minded person pulls his gun and shoots to kill... The cowardly little guy of the Rogues quickly yells out that is was Cleon (Dorsey Wright), the Warriors' chief, who killed the legendary leader... In the confusion, and while the police crowds into the park and the congregated gangs flee, Cleon 'get busted' by those who think he murdered Cyrus... Without their leader, the Warriors 'got to stick together, and fight-to-survive.' They attempt to make the long hazardous journey to Coney Island hunted by every gang and cop... Swan (Michael Beck), the cool headed 'war chief,' assumes command... Of his followers only Ajax (James Remar) gives him trouble... Their perilous journey home is filled with considerable amount of risks as they face violent encounters with different gangs in many shapes and colors... 'The Warriors' is a film that will make most viewers cringe at times, but you'll forgive the shortcomings and praise the exciting camera-work, the excellent use of music, and the good performance of David Patrick Kelly, the best soft-spoken killer since Andy Robinson in "Dirty Harry." The great moment in the movie is when Patrick Kelly, clicking together three soda bottles, coaxes the Warriors out of hiding by whining over and over, "Warriors, come out and play!"

The Warriors may be a camp conceptual ballet choreographer's vision of street life, but it still rocks the bells. The names, the music, the design, the simple story (and don't forget those jackets) are flick knife sharp. Why don't gangs this uber kuhl exist anymore? Because they never did, or can't you remember that, old maaaan? On the train journey home, contrast the affluent optimism of the young couples, laughing with flowers after the big show, with the filthy, bedraggled and hopeless ghetto pride of Swan and his desperate squeeze. Only one side of the carriage looks embarrassed, and it ain't the Warriors, baby. Makes me wanna rumble in slo-mo on roller skates.

Walter Hill shows his directing flair again for action, drama and style in this crackling 1979 movie about a Coney Island gang falsely accused of murder and fleeing from everyone....including the other NYC gangs and the New York City Police Department. Set amongst a hostile, nocturnal world of neon lit train stations, baseball bat wielding gang members and lethal women "The Warriors" moves along at a frantic pace with a fine selection of young actors taking the lead. Michael Beck plays the cool headed, "war chief" Swan, seeking to get the other members back home to Coney Island alive and in one piece. James Remar is unforgettable as the woman chasing, hot headed Ajax...always out to prove his manhood with his fists. And David Patrick Kelly is perfect as the murderous, but ultimately cowardly leader of the Rogues. Attending a combined gangs meeting deep in the South Bronx to hear the Gramercy Riffs plans to control the streets of New York, the Warriors are wrongly accused of the shooting death of their charismatic leader, Cyrus. The finger of blame pointed their way, they flee via any means they can and upon their way back to home base encounter violent opposition from the Orphans, the Turnbull AC's, the Baseball Furies and even rifts within their own ranks lead to trouble. A colorful, exciting and fast paced film...at the time of it's original release it drew criticism for allegedly encouraging gang activity, but now seems almost cartoon like in it's displays of violence.Hands down a great film,stands the test of time. 1 million stars

Wow, I haven't been this amazed in a very long time. Where was I living all this time that not once did I hear anything about this movie. "The Warriors" is one of the best moves of the 70's and it definitely deserves more recognition than it apparently has. There isn't a single thing in this movie that disappoints, on the contrary, everything in it is brilliant. The acting, the very cool costumes, the amazing photography, the great adrenaline music, the fight sequences, the minimalistic plot, and of course the memorable one liners. From the moment it starts "The Warriors" just never loses its fast pace and we're not able to rest until the end. There are very few movies I wish would have last longer, there are even fewer that ended perfectly and "The Warriors" is one of them. If people though "Taxi Driver" was controversial they probably didn't see this movie. Cop bashing, interracial skinhead gangs, pretty girls that put out on every other corner; man, I'm not the least bit surprised that people wanted to imitate the Warriors. I felt like it today and I thought I was past that faze. All the praise to Walter Hill for helping make one of the best movies I've ever seen. The photography, that can only be surpassed by individuals the kinds of Kubrick and the shere minimalism of just about everything, even the deserted streets of New York, have never been more powerful. This is cult at its best. 9/10

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