The Warriors (1979)

VERDICT:
8/10 Red Leather Vests

Took me a while to get around to seeing this movie, but I’m glad I can finally say that it’s as awesome as I’ve always heard it was.

The Warriors takes place in an alternate New York City that’s overrun by hundreds of gangs who strike fear into the hearts of others by painting their faces like mimes and getting dressed in overalls and roller skates. Truly terrifying, but whatever, just go with it.

So when the leader of the largest gang in the city is assassinated at a gang convention (I guess that’s what you’d call it), a gang of nine – The Warriors – are falsely accused of the murder and have to book it from the Bronx back to their home turf on Coney Island with every gang in the city hot on their asses. It’s a pretty straightforward story, but it’s a cool one all the same.

I don’t really know what genre this movie would fall into. Probably somewhere between action/adventure with a dash of drama thrown in there to add some credibility to it. But I love movies that take place over the course of one day and really keep the intensity up over a short span of time. That’s something that The Warriors does really well and does a good job of keeping you engaged.

And considering that it was made in 1979 and it would be a good while until it actually looked like people were making contact with their punches during a fistfight (think Rocky), the gang fights that take place amongst The Warriors and every other freakshow in New York are pretty legit. The fact that the fight scenes aren’t a laughable mess and are different each time is impressive even in its own right.

It’s a really original movie that borderlines on being epic in scope and I really have a thing for movies that take place in the 70s in New York City. NYC was a lot different back then (now think Taxi Driver) and being that I’m a current resident, it’s wild to see movies that serve as a kind of time capsule back a period when you wouldn’t be caught dead in Central Park after dark.

Even though I really liked this movie, it’s also one that I’d love to see get remade. It has good characters with a mixed bag of actors playing them, good dialogue, and a great setting, but creating a connection between the audience and nine other main characters over the course of an hour and a half is kind of stretching it. Cut it down a handful next time and you’re golden.

The Warriors is fun, it’s quotable, and it’s just freakin’ cool. I wish simple action movies like this still got made.