The Warriors (1979)

In the near future, a charismatic leader summons the street gangs of New York City in a bid to take it over. When he is killed, The Warriors are falsely blamed and now must fight their way home while every other gang is hunting them down.

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Sol Yurick (based on the novel by), David Shaber (screenplay by)

Stars:

Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Beck	...	Swan
James Remar	...	Ajax
Dorsey Wright	...	Cleon
Brian Tyler	...	Snow
David Harris	...	Cochise
Tom McKitterick	...	Cowboy
Marcelino Sánchez	...	Rembrandt (as Marcelino Sanchez)
Terry Michos	...	Vermin
Deborah Van Valkenburgh	...	Mercy
Roger Hill	...	Cyrus
David Patrick Kelly	...	Luther
Lynne Thigpen	...	D.J.
Ginny Ortiz	...	Candy Store Girl
Mercedes Ruehl	...	Policewoman
John Snyder	...	Gas Station Man

Storyline

Cyrus, the leader of the most powerful gang in New York City, the Gramercy Riffs, calls a midnight summit for all the area gangs, with all asked to send nine unarmed representatives for the conclave. A gang called The Warriors are blamed for killing Cyrus as he gives his speech. They now have to cross the territory of rivals in order to get to their own 'hood. The Warriors slowly cross the dangerous Bronx and Manhattan territories, narrowly escaping police and other gangs every step of the way.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | street gang | disc jockey | warrior | one night | 

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Taglines:

They outnumber the cops three to one.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les guerriers de la nuit

Filming Locations:

Breezy Point, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,529,675, 11 February 1979, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$22,490,039

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the original script for the movie, Cleon is killed by the Grammercy Riffs, Cochise is killed by the Baseball Furies, Ajax is caught by the police, Vermin is killed by the Lizzies, and Swan gets kidnapped by the Dingos. This leaves only four Warriors in the battle with the Punks. Swan does, however, reappear at Coney Island to fight the final battle after the Riffs learn the truth about who shot Cyrus.

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Goofs

After Swan throws the switchblade at Luther, there is no blood on the switchblade after he pulls it out of Luther's arm to cut his hair. There is also blood on Luther's middle finger, but after Swan pulls it out and steps back, the blood is not there.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Cleon: It's still on and we're goin'. Cyrus sent an emissary this afternoon to make sure. Now, Cyrus don't want anybody packed and he don't want anybody flexing any muscle. So, I gave him my word that the Warriors would uphold the truce.
[pause]
Cleon: Now everybody says that Cyrus is the one and only.
[pause]
Cleon: I think we better go have a look for ourself.

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Crazy Credits

In the original version, the end credits are followed by 3 minutes of black screen as the Joe Walsh song "In the City" plays.

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Alternate Versions

The Ultimate Director's Cut runs around 1 minute longer, adding a voiceover introduction from director 'Walter Hill (I)' describing a legendary Greek army's attempt to fight its way home, and comic-book freeze frame shots bridging various scenes in the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Soundtracks

Love Is A Fire
Composed by Vini Poncia (as Vinnie Poncia), Johnny Vastano
Performed by Genya Ravan (as Genya Raven)

User Reviews

a classic in it's own right

I'll admit the first time I saw this, I didn't see what the big deal was. I thought parts were dragged out, unneeded, and didn't make any sense. I decided to give it a second chance, and it instantly became one of my favorite movies.

The Warriors tells the tale of a "futuristic" New York City, in which, it seems, everyone is either associated with a gang, a cop, or just in the way. The Riffs, the largest gang in the city, calls for a meeting, consisting of 9 representatives from each gang, and each member to be unarmed. During this meeting, Cyrus, the leader of the Riffs, tells his plan of a unified gang which would run the city and outnumber the cops. During his speech, Luther, a member of the Rogues, shoots Cyrus after sneaking a gun into the meeting. Questions arise as to who did it, which the finger being pointed at the Warriors. From here on out, the Warriors are on their own as they must travel from the Bronx to Coney Island by any means necessary, traveling by train and by foot, through other gang territory.

Now a days, the violence in the movie may not effect some, but seeing as how it was made in 1979, I can see where the controversy comes from. As the movie goes on, you will start cheering for the Warriors and anticipating what will happen next. The use of (then) unknown actors helps you get into the story a little bit more, as you realize these could be everyday people and not big-name, big-budget Hollywood actors.

Looking back, I realized how much the meeting was an allegory for the Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a dream" speech. From the vision of a unified group to the assassination and even after wards, when the Warriors are saying what a great man and leader Cyrus would have been.

If you enjoy the movie, or want to understand it more, I highly recommend the Warriors video game, produced by Rockstar. It runs (almost) alongside the movie, but also provides a steady back story or how the Warriors was started and how each member came to be. An added bonus of the game is some of the major actors return to provide voices for their characters, such as Swan, Ajax and Cleon. It is also interesting to see (if you watch the movie before playing the game), how well the clips from the movie translate into the game. Many of the key scenes look like they are taken straight from the movie, like the meeting and the introduction of all of the Warriors in the beginning.

Again, I highly recommend this movie for anyone who likes cult movies, as this is a major one. Even if you don't like cult movies, I recommend it for the strong messages it sends.