Can you dig it? Well actually yes Mr Hill, I bloody can!
During my schooling as a teenager there were a handful of films that it was deemed cool to love, The Wanderers, Scum, Quadrophenia and The Warriors, and it's perhaps a weird thing to say... but I still feel here in my middle age that these are still cool films to be adored and cherished.
I have just sat through The Warriors again for about the hundredth time in my life, and it still entertains me as much now as it did back then, sure it's dated, sure I see more cheese than I thought it had back then, but I also see a visually tight movie that actually delves interestingly into the lives and psyche of young gangers.
The plot is simple, all the gangs of New York City are called to a meeting where they are called to unite to take over the city, the leader of the gang known as The Riffs is a guy called Cyrus who is the one calling for the unity. He is shot and killed during the rally and The Warriors are wrongly framed for his murder. The Warriors then have to make their way back home to Coney Island with every gang in the city out to kill them, and also with the police hot on their tail as well. This journey is excellent as we are introduced to a number of gangs trying to get the better of The Warriors, the fights are well choreographed, the clothes are wonderful, and some of the dialogue is now teenage folklore.
The film was criticised on release for glamorising gangs, but I fail to see how this opinion was formed, if anything, when analysing the main characters, the film has a sad streak running through it. Be that as it may, the films triumph is getting the will of the viewer to hopefully see the unfairly tarnished Warriors make it home to Coney Island, which builds to the climax of the film that is both poignant and punch the air greatness. 8/10
In a dysfunctional New York City, the charismatic leader "Cyrus" (Roger Hill) assembles all the gangs and declares that it is time for them to overwhelm the police and to take control of their city. Amidst cheering crowds he is promptly gunned down - and the "Warriors" are held responsible. Led by "Swan" (Michael Beck) they must run a gauntlet of other avenging gangs and try to establish just who pulled the trigger. What now ensues is a really well paced, gritty, series of escapades that pit them against a whole range of thugs and hoodlums - of varying degrees of efficiency - whilst trying to evade the cops. Along the way back to Coney Island, they encounter serial hooker "Mercy" (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) and despite their initial hostility, she and "Swan" start to respect each other as their perilous journey comes to head. The whole look of this film is effective. There is not a great deal of dialogue - but what there is is frequently quite pithy. The story gathers pace with some well staged combat scenes, and some intense urban cinematography that lends well to the underlying purpose of the story of a lawless and dystopian society the is still the home for valour and courage, honesty and comradeship. On the downside, though they do their jobs well enough here, none of the acting is especially memorable, but maybe that is what helps this whole thing hit home. Next time you eat an ice lolly...!
