Rent The Warriors on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Sol Yurick (based on the novel by), David Shaber and Walter Hill (screenplay by)
Directed by: Walter Hill
Starring: Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A street gang known as the Warriors must fight its way from the Bronx to its home turf on Coney Island when its members are falsely accused of assassinating a respected gang leader.
Verdict
It's a simple movie with a singular goal. There's little character development, but the setting is a character with each gang and every interaction buildings this place that seems like a parallel world. It isn't much different from a post apocalypse setting with roving gangs fighting over territory and resources. While the different gangs look silly, it never feels that way as presented in this movie. It's paced perfectly, excelling in the simplicity. The goal is simple, survive until the end while we root for them, and this manages to make that thrilling from start to stop.
Watch It.
Review
Various gangs of New York converge at a summit during a truce. We've got the titular Warriors, a gang that looks like mimes, ones wearing baseball uniforms, and several more. Cyrus proposes the gangs unite and run the city as they outnumber the cops. He's shot just before the police raid the summit, sending everyone scattering. One of the Rogues claim a Warrior shot Cyrus, though by that point the Warriors are already running from the cops.
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| The Warriors |
This is some kind of alternate or bizarro world. We see the seedier side of New York, save for the subway it doesn't seem contemporary. It could just as easily be a a post apocalypse setting with the Warriors traversing the wasteland to get back to their base. It checks many of the boxes for an apocalypse movie, though I suppose the deserted streets and lack of people could be the late night setting.
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| Michael Beck plays Swan |
The Warriors escape the summit, not realizing they were accused of the assassination. Their concern is whether the true is still intact and what opposition they'll find making it back to their turf. Their attempt to ride the train keeps getting thwarted. As they traverse gang territory, the question is always do they fight or run? The group disagrees on strategy, but with each encounter they make it one step farther. At one point they meet a gang that mixes the face paint of the band Kiss with baseball uniforms. Understandably, a fight ensues.
It's a simple concept that manages to be engaging. There's no way to explain this world, and the movie smartly doesn't try. This world just exists. Whether it's contemporary or a parallel is up to the viewer. Despite no character development, the city is a character and every scene expands on this world. How people react to the Warriors gives us a sense of this city. We're well into the movie before we get a direct reaction.
Their goal is to get back, but that comes with opposition from the entire city. The simplicity helps this. We're rooting for them to survive the night, and the pacing is great. Even with their turf in sight, that's not the end. This goes down to the wire, the excitement never wanes.
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