The Warriors (1979)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  Welcome Back Kotter meets A Clockwork Orange

• Tsubaki S

  
  Come out to plaaaaaaaaay....

• Jeff "

  
  Walter Hill's The Warriors is a masterpiece.The film has a feel and atmosphere to it that you can't ignore.. Set in a Dystopian futuresque New York City, The Warriors tells the story of the Warriors gang who are framed for the murder of the most powerful gang leader in New… More
  Walter Hill's The Warriors is a masterpiece.The film has a feel and atmosphere to it that you can't ignore.. Set in a Dystopian futuresque New York City, The Warriors tells the story of the Warriors gang who are framed for the murder of the most powerful gang leader in New York at a truce meeting to unite all the New York gangs. The Warriors must return to their safe haven of Coney Island while being surrounded by 20,000 angry and united gang members. Walter Hill's direction is phenomenal and The cast give terrific performances. The standout performance here however was David Patrick Kelly as Luther, he simply was menacing and his taunt at the end, "Warriors come out to pla-ay" was brilliant, it made the film even better. The Warriors is an awesome action film with a great cast. I found the film to be quite original, and due to it's style of film, I thought it added a certain quality to the film that breaks new ground. The Warriors is a superb film and is by far the best film directed by Walter Hill. The film is always suspenseful, and thrilling. The fact that we don't know what will happen to The Warriors leaves you guessing Till the end. The Warriors is an exciting film with top notch action, thrills and awesome acting. Walter Hill keeps the film going strong with small breaks of which the audience can catch their breath, and wonder what will happen next. The Warriors is one of the best action films of the 70's, and since it was released at the end of the decade, the film closes the book on an era of terrific and sometimes rediculous, but always thrilling and exciting action films. The Warriors is an astounding accomplishement and remains one of the best action films ever filmed. Truly original.

• Kristijonas F

  
  The movie may have a massive cult following, and it may have inspired a sense of youthful rebellion for a generation... and that's all great. But nothing excuses the film for its disappointing lack of energy, disastrously poor acting, and just plain uninspired set-pieces. Apart… More
  The movie may have a massive cult following, and it may have inspired a sense of youthful rebellion for a generation... and that's all great. But nothing excuses the film for its disappointing lack of energy, disastrously poor acting, and just plain uninspired set-pieces. Apart from the slick comic-book effects, the movie is a middling affair. It's not violent, not kinetic, not dark nor emotionally moving. Just... bland, especially when one has to sit through 90 minutes of watching some skinny teenagers pretend to be tough guys and stand around subway stations. As a side note - the cast should seriously consider some major future dental work.

• Mark H

  
  A powerful gang leader at a city wide peace summit is shot and the Warriors are wrongfully accused. Now they must make it back to their home turf in one piece. Story based on a 1965 novel by Sol Yurick is vivid and consistently engaging, a model of how to edit an action thriller.… More
  A powerful gang leader at a city wide peace summit is shot and the Warriors are wrongfully accused. Now they must make it back to their home turf in one piece. Story based on a 1965 novel by Sol Yurick is vivid and consistently engaging, a model of how to edit an action thriller. Highly stylized vision of NYC gangs is a perfect marriage of tough inner city drama and 70s disco-era style. The production design's concept of the near future possesses the realistic look of gritty NYC streets but the multi-racial gang members appearance more closely resembles something out of <I>West Side Story</I> than actual thugs. Indeed every group sports colorful attire that represent their faction with visual flair. The urban drama's infamous reputation for sparking violence in theaters at the time, seems perplexing today. The onscreen brutality is cartoonish as death is downplayed at each opportunity. With two exceptions, there are virtually no guns as the violence is physical combat. For example, one altercation versus the Furies (they wear baseball uniforms) is fought swinging bats much in the same way an ancient battle would be with swords. The costumes, music, and acting are somewhat dated, but enjoyable fun. The plot is skillfully kept simple and the pacing is enthusiastically brisk. It's easy to see why in subsequent decades, the film has become a cult classic.

• Unknown H

  
  Not many people had heard about this movie until the video game of the same name appeared in the noughties. I must say that I have always been a fan of the movie and now that it has the video game coupled along with it, it is even more compelling. The accuracy with which the two… More
  Not many people had heard about this movie until the video game of the same name appeared in the noughties. I must say that I have always been a fan of the movie and now that it has the video game coupled along with it, it is even more compelling. The accuracy with which the two mimick each other make my love for the movie the Warriors almost a franchise for the entirity of the title rather than just the movie. It is one of those literal cases of seen the film, played the game, bought the t-shirt and lived the dream.

• AJ V

  
  I didn't really like the fact that this movie had so many main characters, it made it hard to focus on the story, I think, but other than that it's a good movie. It has a great style, and it has a very modern and urban feeling. A good movie.

• Phil H

  
  First time seeing this well known cult and first impressions were a kind of violent 'West Side Story' without song hehe but I admit I did enjoy this and its now wicked retro styles and imagery. Although the plot is cool and just a nice excuse for some gang fisticuffs, which… More
  First time seeing this well known cult and first impressions were a kind of violent 'West Side Story' without song hehe but I admit I did enjoy this and its now wicked retro styles and imagery. Although the plot is cool and just a nice excuse for some gang fisticuffs, which is fine, the film is now pretty dated (I was only 1yr old hen it came out) and the makeup and outfits really are alittle comical at times with some gang members and their 'Kiss' look ;) even though it does look kinda funny I still love how the gangs all have the same colourful outfits, they must have shopped together. Along with the now amusing look of the film the dialog is also very cute these days too haha its not a bad thing as its still a good film but due to its age there is a funny feel to the film which does take the edge off (Baseball Fury's, Garamercy Riffs, Boppers, Lizzie's, Punks, Turnball A.C.'s, Rogues and The Orphans etc....hehe like little leagues for baseball or American football), this was an adult rated flick with much bad press on release back in 79. Good casting make the film allot better than it should of been I think, it could quite easily of turned out to be a B-movie of epic proportions but the cast really do well all the way. From Remar's tough, fight first ask no questions later, Beck's good lookin sensible leader to Kelly's crazy pint sized cowardly baddie gang leader and all the Warriors gang members, really well worked accept Remar and Beck were the only two that did come across as tough. 'WE got the streets sucka's! Can you dig it?'

• Dean !

  
  Ok maybe I missed something? Not quite sure about the cult status for this. It's a decent film with a young cast, and probably quite different at the time it was made. However it has a very simple plot, less fighting than I expected and a bit repetitive. I liked the almost comic… More
  Ok maybe I missed something? Not quite sure about the cult status for this. It's a decent film with a young cast, and probably quite different at the time it was made. However it has a very simple plot, less fighting than I expected and a bit repetitive. I liked the almost comic "uniforms" for the different gangs, some of the fight scenes are pretty good, but overall I was expecting a lot more.

• Chris W

  
  I realize that the filmmakers weren't trying to make a completely serious or realistic film, but at the same time, it's hard to deny the debt this film owes to history and mythology. It's one of those stories you can either take at face value, read deeper meanings into… More
  I realize that the filmmakers weren't trying to make a completely serious or realistic film, but at the same time, it's hard to deny the debt this film owes to history and mythology. It's one of those stories you can either take at face value, read deeper meanings into it, or both. Reagrdless, you can still enjoy it and be entertained. I've got a bias towards this gilm that I need to state upfront. I like 70s crime and action movies. Gritty location photography is awesome, especially urban location photogpraphy. I liked the atmosphere of paranoia and tension surrounding things. It reminded me a lot of Assault of Precinct 13 (the original), as well as later films (that I saw before I saw this one) such as Escape From New York and Judgement Night. As Imentioned above, you can read as little or as much into this as you want, and it would be totally fine to do so. By reading into it, this film can rise above its place as a well-made B-Movie, and it can becomes something more, something a scholar could use for some sort of study or something, such as cinematic representations of gang warfare and race relations. While not great the acting is actually pretty decent. Michael Swan is great, and David Patrick Kelly is the definite scene stealer. I don't know what it is, but seeing a black guy with a fro wearing NAtive American garb brought a smile to my face. Yet again this is something that could be analyzed to death. This wasn't quite as gritty or violent as I thought it might be, but I didn't actually ind too much. As uch as I appreciate visceral socking violence, I much prefer subtlety and more downplayed mayhem. I better stop before I ramble too much more. Bottom line, if you haven't seen this yet, you probably should. It's a definite cult classic that deserves all the praise it gets.

• Cassandra M

  
  Here in England the BBC have twice shown a version of The Warriors with a prologue scene, edited from the released movie but restored to a point prior to the opening 'Wonder Wheel' shot. It shows Cleon (an otherwise very underused character), sitting on the Boardwalk in the… More
  Here in England the BBC have twice shown a version of The Warriors with a prologue scene, edited from the released movie but restored to a point prior to the opening 'Wonder Wheel' shot. It shows Cleon (an otherwise very underused character), sitting on the Boardwalk in the late afternoon sunshine waiting for his eight footsoldiers to show, while his girlfriend pleads with him not to go to the Bronx. When the others arrive and line up he designates their roles, including the "Swan: War chief and second in command" alluded to later in the movie. Ajax gives an early sign of his belligerent nature, voicing his disapproval with bringing a boombox-guy and a graffiti-artist: "They'll only slow us down", but seems happy to be labelled as "Heavy Muscle" along with Cochise. Much of the dialogue from this scene is re-used in the credit-sequence, with the shots of Coney and the gathering forces intercut with short interchange between Warriors. However, the prologue scene ends unforgettably with a crane-shot of the nine striding up the Boardwalk and into the distance, casting long shadows on the decking and with Cleon's girlfriend trailing in their wake. Over this, a slow sixties surf-tune booms out as the waves wash against the shore. Bloody wonderful. Another thing I heard was that the original idea was that the movie was set "Sometime In The Near Future", but Walter Hill dropped the idea of having a caption stating as much at the start of the film. This explains some of the discrepancies with the actual New York gangland, being more about delinquent youth and 'Colours' than Organised Crime syndicates and shiny suits. Third - a fantastic action movie full of colour, vim and attitude, but which also never fails to break my heart every time I watch it. There are a couple of scenes like this - mostly Deborah Van Valkenburgh's - but the main one is with Swan and Mercy on the Subway as the High School 'Preppies' complete with ruffled shirts and massive lapels sit down opposite, their laughter and smiles soon fading as the contrast becomes blindingly obvious to them as well as us. Walter Hill plays this scene perfectly: with no dialogue as such, and with Swan and Mercy not even looking at each other as he takes her hand from her hair and places it firmly by her side. Och, goosebumps even thinking about it! Finally, having also read the original 'Anabasis' (I had to) when I was studying Ancient Civilisations of the Med at University, as a piece of pure drama The Warriors could shove a bat up it's ass and turn it into a Popsicle. Can You Dig It?!

• Conner R

  
  Maybe it was too ahead of its time or too realistic, but this still remains one of the best action movies of all time. Exactly when the story takes place is unknown. Itâ??s assumed to be in the future, but it seems very little was done to make it over-technified. I think thatâ??s… More
  Maybe it was too ahead of its time or too realistic, but this still remains one of the best action movies of all time. Exactly when the story takes place is unknown. Itâ??s assumed to be in the future, but it seems very little was done to make it over-technified. I think thatâ??s where it really stands on its own in terms of science fiction because itâ??s a world so close to our own. Itâ??s only more gang ridden and hopeless, something that only seems more plausible as time goes on. While it appears to be nothing more than a violent chase movie, itâ??s so much more than that. The characters are extremely memorable and the lines are priceless, itâ??s what any violent b-movie would want to be.

• Randy T

  
  "These are the armies of the night. The Furies. The Boppers. The High-Hats. The Lizzies. The Turnbal A/C's. The Gramercy Riffs... ...and these are The Warriors. They're from Coney Island. Now they're in the Bronx, 27 miles behind enemy lines. Between them… More
  "These are the armies of the night. The Furies. The Boppers. The High-Hats. The Lizzies. The Turnbal A/C's. The Gramercy Riffs... ...and these are The Warriors. They're from Coney Island. Now they're in the Bronx, 27 miles behind enemy lines. Between them and safety stand twenty thousand cops and a hundred thousand sworn enemies. They've got one way out. They've got one chance. They've got one night... ...The Warriors"

• Lewis C

  
  I was fully prepared to rip The Warriors apart and point out just how absurd and unbelievable the whole thing was, but luckily I watched the various "making of" special features before I wrote this review. The director and various others associated with the film readily… More
  I was fully prepared to rip The Warriors apart and point out just how absurd and unbelievable the whole thing was, but luckily I watched the various "making of" special features before I wrote this review. The director and various others associated with the film readily admit that this wasn't SUPPOSED to be a serious film, and in the context of a comic it does actually make more sense. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that if I was a kid in 1979, I would have though that this was one of the most badass movies ever, despite all the makeup (gangstas love their rosy cheeks and full red lips!), posing (it's like watching a ton of wannabe male models having a Zoolander-type walk-off, but in a room with very little oxygen.), and incredibly cooperative, racially-inclusive gangs.

• Lenny M

  
  Cool concept and layout. The plot development was precise but the movie suffers from bad acting. Tony Scott is remaking this film, probably making it into some ultraviolent profane sex romp which most people will label BA jabroni.

• KJ P

  
  One of the greatest street gang films I've ever seen, and will remember forever!

• Tony G

  
  70s era confection that was one of my faves growing up (and still is). Not a cinema masterpiece but just cheesy fun set in "gritty" NYC streets.

• Tim S

  
  I really really admire this film, but I prefer the original theatrical cut of it and not the ultimate director's cut. I understand what Walter Hill was trying to do, but it takes me out of the movie when I see the transitions. He does pick up the pace with it a bit, but I still… More
  I really really admire this film, but I prefer the original theatrical cut of it and not the ultimate director's cut. I understand what Walter Hill was trying to do, but it takes me out of the movie when I see the transitions. He does pick up the pace with it a bit, but I still prefer the original.

• Luke B

  
  Very simple, very enjoyable. The Warriors focuses on a gang being framed for murder, and trying to make their way home. No wonder they would go on to make a game of this. Each stop is like a new level with a different gang to fight. Luckily the characters are also nicely developed… More
  Very simple, very enjoyable. The Warriors focuses on a gang being framed for murder, and trying to make their way home. No wonder they would go on to make a game of this. Each stop is like a new level with a different gang to fight. Luckily the characters are also nicely developed upon, even if some are shunned to the back. The soundtrack and the feel are all a product of their time, and it works a charm. The grim New York settings may be dark, but each one has it's own set of characteristics. Fast and furious, without being crass, gratuitously violent or exploitative.

• Anthony L

  
  Can you dig it?

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