The Warriors (1979) Review

"Warriors!  Come out to pla-ay!"
-Luther



The streets of New York City are run by hundreds of street gangs constantly squabbling over turf.  However, a truce is enacted by Cyrus (Roger Hill), the leader of the Riffs, the most powerful gang in New York.  Cyrus invites a hundred gangs to a meeting to propose an alliance between them all so they can take over the city.  Luther (David Patrick Kelly), the leader of the Rogues, shoots and kills Cyrus and blames it on a gang from Coney Island called the Warriors.  As the police raid the meeting, the Warriors flee, but their leader, Cleon (Dorsey Wright) is killed by the Riffs, who put out a bounty on the Warriors.  With every gang in the city hunting them, the remaining Warriors face a dangerous 30-mile trek through the city.  Unarmed and outnumbered, they have no one but each other to rely on to make it back to Coney Island.


What Works:

I love the premise for this film and most of the time it works.  It's one long chase movie and reminds me a bit of Mad Max: Fury Road in this way.  There are plenty of entertaining fights and sequence throughout the film and it's pretty thrilling watching the Warrior's desperate flight to safety.

I really liked Michael Beck's performance as Swan, who steps up as the leader after Cleon's death.  Unlike most of his crew, Swan is willing to try the diplomatic approach, but will also not be pushed around.  He is the most focused of the Warriors on their mission and that made me like him the most.

The best part of the movie is Luther, the leader of the Rogues.  I love David Patrick Kelly from Twin Peaks and he's just as great in this.  His delivery of the iconic line, "Warriors!  Come out to pl-ay!" is iconic for a reason and he is my favorite part of the film.


What Sucks:

My biggest problem with The Warriors is with the love interest, Mercy (Deborah Van Valkenburgh).  I find her extremely irritating and was really hoping she would be killed off.  I have no idea why the Warriors kept her with them.  After she joins in with the Warriors, every scene she is in just made me less interested in the film.

I also think the 3rd act is a bit anti-climatic.  I was expecting one last brutal fight between the Warriors and the Rogues and we don't get anything of the sort.  Instead the Riffs just show up to handle the Rogues and the Warriors walk away.  I think they could have had a much more exciting and entertaining 3rd act.

There are a few random moments throughout the film that are just weird and don't make sense or don't work.  The scene where Swan and Mercy stare down a group of rich kids really falls flat and I'm not sure what the point of it was.  Also, while watching the film, I found Fox's (Thomas G. Waites) death to be really bizarre.  I couldn't tell which member of the Warriors had been killed at first.  It kinda came out of nowhere and was weirdly shot.  After the movie, I learned that Waites and the director, Walter Hill, didn't get along at all and Fox wasn't supposed to die, but Hill fired Waites and killed him off using another actor.  The scene is still bizarre but makes much more sense now.


Verdict:

The Warriors is a cult-classic and I can understand why.  The premise is great and mostly utilized well, the lead is solid, the villain is awesome, and there are many iconic moments.  However, the 3rd act is anti-climatic, the love interest is annoying, and the movie doesn't fully capitalize on its potential.  I would actually like to see this movie remade.  I'm certain it could be improved upon.  Regardless, The Warriors still has got it going on.

 7/10: Good     

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