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We don’t need much space to allow for a synopsis of
the film, so let’s do that first: It’s the future.
New York. Gangs rule the city.
A summit is held to provoke peace and communion among the
thugs, but the legendary speaker Cyrus is shot dead halfway
through his rousing tongue. Coney-Island gang ‘The Warriors’
are wrongly fingered as the culprits, and as a consequence
spend most of the evening trying to escape a horde of singular
gangs – with such names as ‘the baseball furies’
and ‘the orphans’ – in an effort to get home/to
safety.
First things first, “The Warriors” is a film that’s
as cheesy as a beef lasagne – even more so now –
but that seems to be part of the film’s appeal. The over-the-top
gangs (with their wacky costumes and painted faces), the video-game-esque
soundtrack, the stilted but effective dialogue, and the well
staged but generally silly fight sequences – it’s
all meant to be taken about as seriously as a newspaper headline
on April 1st.
Still, it has dated since it’s initial – rather
controversial – release in 1979. The violence is pretty
tame, the script seems even thinner now than it did then,
and the performers really aren’t all that.
On the other hand, there’s a lot here that still works:
the direction is tight and effective, the cinematography is
beautiful, the plotting is effectual, and the characters are
as entertaining as they are amusing. This is the best Hill’s
film has ever looked on DVD. The sound rocks, the vision’s
divine, and the occasional spec of grain is fairly unobtrusive.
DVD Extras
In terms of extras there’s a couple of goodies. Firstly,
not being a fan of the audio commentary (this doesn’t
really call for one anyway), Hill does an introduction to
the film instead, letting the film speak for itself.
The four-part making-of (sectioned off under different subjects)
is fairly comprehensive though – covering everything
from casting to the film being pulled at cinemas because of
raucous gangs attending, and you’ll probably learn more
from it than you would’ve a commentary anyway. Both crew
and cast – including Remar, Patrick Kelly, and a significantly
older Beck – share many tales from the film’s making.
And finally, there’s the original trailer for the flick.
Conclusion: Movie 75% Extras: 70%
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