Film Spotlight: The Warriors (1979)
Director: Walter Hill
Cast: Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright Brian Tyler, David Harris, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, David Patrick Kelly
Action thriller
89 minutes
Rated R for violence and language
It’s pretty safe to say that most people enjoy watching movies, right? Still, no matter how big of a film buff you are, there might still be a film here or there that kind of slips through the cracks. This new bi-weekly column will help some of you discover films that you may have missed. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t one of those pretentious “FILMS THAT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF” things that just assumes that nobody but the author knows about certain films. Instead, this is a “if you missed this, you might want to look into it” kind of thing. From one film fan to another.
Hello, film-lovers! It’s been a while since I last posted a new Filmlandia column, what with the winter break and everything. Fret not, however, as I’ll be returning to a bi-weekly format once again, with many new wonderful and perhaps overlooked films to share with you.
My pick for this week is my oldest film yet. This time, we’re going all the way back to the late 1970s with Walter Hill’s cult-classic, The Warriors. This is a film that is a cult classic by every stretch of the definition. It doesn’t appear to be particularly well-known, especially outside of the US, yet the film has spawned a following dedicated enough that you can still buy The Warrior inspired T-shirts and other goodies. Rockstar Games, the lads behind the Grand Theft Auto series, even released a lovingly crafted video game based off of the original film back in 2005 for Playstation 2 and Xbox. There was also another game released for the Xbox 360, but the less said about that, the better.
The Warriors is an action thriller set in 1970s New York, which, you may have heard, was a pretty awful place to be. Just google “New York in the 1970s” and you’ll find a wealth of material describing the level of crime and decadence. However, don’t go into The Warriors expecting a true-to-life, down-and-dirty look at the crime-addled city of the 70s. Sure, the setting is still New York, with walls covered in graffiti, and gangs running amuck. What makes The Warriors something different, however, is Walter Hill’s love of comic books. It was this love that inspired him to add some of the more kooky elements to the film, which make it all the more wonderful to watch.
At the beginning of the film, the street gang known as The Warriors are heading to a summit to be held by the most powerful gang in New York, The Gramercy Riffs. All of the top gangs are there, which is where Hill’s love of comic books begins to show. Every gang has its own theme, ranging from the skin-head looking Turnball ACs to the Baseball Furies, who look like old-timey baseball players mixed with the band Kiss. In the awesome opening credits sequence, you’ll even spot a gang made up entirely of mimes. It’s these characteristics that keeps The Warriors from becoming too drab or serious, even though their situation itself is certainly anything but. It adds an air of color and, dare I say it, camp, to the proceedings, greatly lending to the cult-aspect of the movie.
The story itself is pretty simplistic: at the meeting, the leader of The Gramercy Riffs, Cyrus, attempts to convince the gangs that they should all team up to take over the city. Together, he argues, they greatly outnumber the police. Unfortunately, Cyrus is suddenly assassinated by Luther, the leader of a gang known as The Rogues, and The Warriors are framed for it. As a result, they’ve got to get back home to Coney Island with not only the cops to look out for, but every single gang hoping to capitalize on the bounty set forth by the avenging The Gramercy Riffs.
What makes the film work so well is not only the iconic designs of all of the gangs, but also the stylish way it was filmed. Living up to its cult status, The Warriors is a film that has been parodied in tons of different projects. It’s possible that you’ve even seen The Warriors being parodied without knowing it was a reference to this film. One of the more notable images is that of a black female DJ: an up-close shot of the lower part of her face and her luscious red lips are all we see of her, but the framing of the shot is truly iconic, as are her messages to The Warriors interspersed with on-the-nose songs like “Nowhere to Run” by Martha and The Vandellas. That song captures the spirit of the film. It’s a playful threat to The Warriors themselves that they’ve got nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. A fun song with a menacing undercurrent.
I think it’s worth pointing out that there are elements of this film that could be considered misogynistic. Most of the guys in the film have a macho quality to them that at times can manifest in unfortunate ways. Although it’s not explicitly condoned, I don’t think that the film portrays these aspects in a positive light either. It’s just there. In addition, even though there are very few female characters, they’re pretty strong in their own right, and even occasionally serve to dish-out comeuppance for misogynistic behavior. Personally, I don’t think it’s a big issue with the film, but I’m also not necessarily the right person to ask.
One more point to make about The Warriors: there are essentially two different versions of the film. One is the theatrical release, which is the one I’ve seen. The other was an Ultimate Director’s Cut released back in 2005. That version appears to be the one preferred by the director himself, since it allowed him to add another dose of comic-book influence. In the early development stages back in the 70s, Hill wanted to divide the film into chapters, with each chapter beginning with static comic book images that would then transition into the live action segments. Although that admittedly sounds quite cool, I’ve heard that there’s at least one sequence in the film where the comic book panels actually lessen the impact of a certain scene. There’s a slightly tense and spooky sequence that is apparently ruined in the Director’s Cut, so I would recommend that you try and watch the theatrical release instead.
The Warriors has been one of my favorite films for the past decade. I only just recently rewatched it for the first time in ages, thinking it could be a good film to be featured in this very column. Thankfully, the film holds up. Despite some questionable aspects, the film still manages to feel original and fresh, unlike anything that would be released today. It’s campy and kind of silly at times, but it bleeds the era it originated from in the best way possible.