Periodically, a movie emerges that appeals to mature and younger audiences and defines a generation. Walter Hill’s 1979 street gang epic is one such film. As the era of the love child long gone, and with Disco on the decline, the film summed up the fears and frustrations of the seventies youth. THE WARRIORS deals with subjects that any teenager can relate to, such as the pressures of fitting in, camaraderie, and dealing with authority. Walter Hill made his directing debut with THE WARRIORS, a movie that treads the line between fantasy and urban reality. Hill adopted the script from the novel by Sol Yurick. Hill was obviously inspired by films like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. When the film was released, it was a major success. However, the one negative aspect of the film was that it glorified gang violence—and following the film’s release, memberships in teen gangs rose to an all-time high. In the wake of the THE WARRIORS success, other films ripped of the concept, such as BRONX WARRIORS, CLASS OF 1984, and even ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Today, a dated film like THE WARRIORS may generate a lot of laughs out of modern teenagers, but it was a valid statement of the time. Paramount’s move to release THE WARRIORS on DVD is a monumental decision.

Michael (WARLORDS OF THE 24^TH CENTURY) Beck stars as Swan, the strong and silent leader of the Warriors. The actor who plays the cocky gang member Ajax, James Remar, went on to B-movie stardom with starring roles in films like BLOWBACK, BORN BAD, and CONFESSIONS OF A HITMAN. David (BLACK SCORPION 2: AFTERSHOCK) Harris portrays Cochise. Thomas (JOHN CARPERNTER’S THE THING) Waites essays the role of Fox. Deborah (RAMPAGE) Van Valkenberg plays nomadic gang member, Mercy. The great character actor David Patrick (DREAMSCAPE) Kelly essays the role of young psycho, Luther.

A gang called the Gramercy Riffs organizes a peace conference between warring street gangs. The biggest and baddest gangs in New York are invited to the conference, providing they leave their weapons behind. At the conference, the leader of the riffs, Cyrus (Roger Hill), proposes all the gangs put aside their differences and come together as one organization, and reclaim the streets of New York as their own. The reaction from the assemblage is positive—but a loose cannon faction called The Rogues, led by their psycho leader Luther, assassinate Cyrus. Then in the ensuing chaos, Luther pins the blame on the gang nearest him—the Warriors. But before the other gangs can determine who to blame Cyrus’s death on, the Police arrive and a massive riot erupts, as hundreds of gang members scatter from the area. The Police capture the leader of the Warriors, Cleon (Dorsey Wright).

The remaining members of the Warriors flee the scene. They realize they are implicated in the affair, and that rival gang members and the Police force are both after them. The two senior members Swann (Beck) and Ajax (Remar) have a brief power struggle over who is to lead the Warriors. They are far from their Coney Island home turf, and they have no transportation and no weapons. They must traverse the streets and subway systems to get home. The Gramercy Riffs are the biggest and most influential gang in New York, and they are convinced that the Warriors masterminded Cyrus’s assassination. They order all the gangs of New York to hit the streets and take out the Warriors. Meanwhile, Luther and his gang also plan to hunt down and silence the Warriors, to prevent the truth from getting out. The Warriors travel though the night fighting off streets gangs like the Lizzies, the Skinheads, the Punks, and the ever popular Baseball Furies. But how can the Warriors make it all the way home with the Police, the Rogues, and the Gramercy Riffs all out to kill them?

Though THE WARRIORS exhibits a semi-realistic portrayal of life on the streets, there is a futuristic fantasy element running through the whole thing. Especially the appearances of many of the opposing street gangs, such as the Baseball Furies—a gang made up of thugs clad in baseball uniforms with clown make-up pasted on their faces. Further contributing to the futuristic vibe is complete lack of racial unity within the gangs. For instance the skinhead gang is made up of both bald white and black members. The African-American led gang known as the Gramercy Riffs include some white members. An all female gang is made-up of multi-ethnic lesbians. Only the barely glimpsed Shaolin Monk gang features members of the same ethnicity (in this case, Chinese). THE WARRIORS is notorious for it’s depiction of highly stylized and humorous garbed street gangs including the Riffs, the Rogues, the Turnball A.C.’s, the Lizzies, and other such flamboyant groups. At times it’s like the old days of Pro Wrestling when everyone had to have a gimmick

Walter Hill directs his first film like a veteran, and gives THE WARRIORS a sense of urgency and despair. He masterfully manipulates this story of warring gangs, which transforms into a journey of discovery. THE WARRIORS is about life from the perspective of street gang members, who revel in their individuality and camaraderie. Then the audience witnesses the growth and maturity of the relatively young main characters as they struggle to survive and attempts to get to the promised land (in this case, Coney Island!). Hill has not always had a perfect track record (just check out ANOTHER 48 HOURS or the recent bomb, SUPERNOVA), but here he is in top form. Hill delivers some complex, convincing fight choreography. The concluding fight scene is most impressive, because it takes place in an enclosed area (a bathroom). Hill also employs some slick editing and slow motion shots to give THE WARRIORS an impressive look and a quick pace.

Though the cast members didn’t win any Academy Awards, there is some decent character development, which allows for some decent performances. The members of THE WARRIORS start off as street thugs but by the time the movie is over, they have undergone personal growth. Pressure comes from not only on outside forces (like the gangs and Police), but from other members of the Warriors themselves—a power struggle ensues within the gang, and the Ajax character (James Remar) who creates the tension (and eventually gets busted). In another scene, female gang members attempt to seduce the naïve members of the Warriors. Only one of the guys knows something is wrong, but the others Warriors don’t see it that way (until the women whip out their guns and start firing). Michael Beck is perfect as the lone-wolf leader, Swann. He underplays the character a bit, but his performance works. Contrasting Beck’s portrayal is James Remar as the arrogant and explosive Ajax. This character wants to be the boss of the Warriors, and Remar plays this role to the hilt. But even his dynamic performance is overshadowed by David Patrick Kelly, who performs what has to be the ultimate psycho scumbag in the last 30 years, Luther, leader of the Rogues. With his wild eyes and slimy delivery, you won’t forget his performance. Special mention should go to Deborah Valkenburg as the most defined character in the film, Mercy. This is the kind of role that could easily annoy if performed by a lesser actress. But her portrayal gives the audience a taste of those who are trapped in the street gang lifestyle.

As usual for Paramount DVDs, the only extra is the cool retro theatrical trailer. The trailer is enhanced for 16x9 TVs and has mono sound.

- Darren Collette

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