MOVIE REVIEW: The Warriors-1979
A summit of New York City's street gangs from all five boroughs is scheduled to take place in the Bronx. Cyrus (Roger Hill), the messaic leader of New York's largest gang The Riffs, announces that he wishes to unify all invited gangs to become one big powerful conglomerate. This idea angers some gang members, so much so that the leader of the vicious gang The Rogues, Luther (David Patrick Kelly) decides to shoot him. Luther places the blame on a nine member group called The Warriors. The key members of the Warriors are Swan (Michael Beck), the unofficial leader, Cochise (David White) the requisite "bad-ass" black guy....Ajax (James Remar), the ladies man..Rembrandt (Marcelino Sanchez)..the token Hispanic guy. Once the Warriors are aware that Cyrus' murder has been pinned on them, they must make their way back to their home turf, Coney Island. The trip home will not be easy, at any moment rival gangs emerge ready to avenge Cyrus' death. Each gang has a unique over-the-top look and a distinctive way of defending themselves. There is a gang on roller skates, a gang dressed in baseball attire with painted faces, an all-girl gang, a multi-racial Skinhead gang, and the list goes on. Every incident involving the Warriors is broadcasted by a radio DJ (the late great Lynn Thigpen) identified only by her bright red lips and smoky voice. To complicate matters more, members of the Warriors are killed, jailed, and eventually split into two groups. During one of the confrontation scenes a pretty, tough-talking chick(Deborah Van Valkenburgh) arrives to ruffles the feathers of the Warrior gang members. She is whisked away by the gang and joins them in their battle to return home. The final showdown takes place on the Warriors home turf. No more spoilers from me y'all!
This is the ultimate cult classic! You've got great music, great costumes, and great acting! The addition of the faceless radio DJ was totally on point. The fight sequences are more choreographed than the Joffrey Ballet, which added to the quirkiness of the film. The sheer outrageousness of each gang's attire.... no way in hell any real-life "tough" gang would wear such clothing and makeup...yes I said makeup. The closing song "In The City" by Joe Walsh is awesome. I love watching movies with gritty shots of New York before it was cleaned up and turned into the family theme park that it is today. The ending of this film does not disappoint and the dialogue of the film is pretty straight forward, no need to "read in between the lines" with this one. This movie can be found virtually anywhere, your local video store should have a copy. The DVD version of this film was released in 2005 and contains plenty of extras, including commentary from cast members and the director. Rockstar Games created a very cool video game for XBox and Playstation based on this film.
VERDICT: 3.5 Soul Claps
Labels: Movie Reviews
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at 4:30 PM.
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