The Warriors (1979)

[Stevicus]

The Warriors (1979) ⭐ 7.5 | Action, Crime, Thriller

1h 33m | R

www.imdb.com

This was a film which came out in my teen years, and I recall it was somewhat controversial at the time. There was even talk about banning it - or possibly giving it an "X" rating to prevent anyone under 18 from seeing it. There was a great deal of violence in the movie.

Has anyone seen it? Does anyone remember it?

I thought about this movie when I was looking at another thread about people rooting for movie villains, and I remembered how the character of Ajax has gained somewhat of a following many years after the movie. Ajax isn't really a villain, and in some parts of the movie, one could consider him a hero. At least in the sense that he's a part of The Warriors, who are the supposed "good guys" in this movie - or at least it's told from their POV.

An interesting premise, the idea that all the street gangs could be persuaded to call a truce and all meet at the call of the leader of the most powerful street gang, Cyrus of the Gramercy Riffs. His plan was to unite all of the street gangs and operate under a single command (his, presumably), and they would all benefit by taxing the crime syndicates and setting up their own protection racket, because, as Cyrus put it "We got the streets, suckers!" Of course, the plan was torpedoed before it even got started, at the very beginning when someone shot Cyrus and blamed it on the Warriors, which is when their amazing but unfortunate journey through the NYC transit system began.

The leader of the Rogues, who shoots Cyrus, is seen talking on the phone on a few occasions during the film, suggesting that he was put up to killing Cyrus by someone, but not really named. That seems to be one of the main questions fans ask about the movie "Who was Luther talking to on the phone?"

Another aspect of this movie is that there are few scenes with actual gun violence. There's the opening scene, then a scene towards the middle when three Warriors are partying with the Lizzies, and then in the final scene on the beach. Other than that, it was just fists, knives, and baseball bats. And one scene with a molotov cocktail, which was enough to scare off the Orphans. The Warriors didn't even have a car, which would have solved all their problems if they had.

Luther was kind of a comical villain who met a just end.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I remember it very well. Tense, fast paced, dramatic, loaded with menace, utterly absorbing from start to finish. Some of the gangs, like the harlequin skater dudes, were nightmarishly sinister. Saw it again a few years ago, and it’s stood the rest of time.

And if I ever find myself bowling home at dawn after a night on the tiles (I don’t anymore) I can faintly hear bottles tapping and a spectral voice chanting “Warriors, come out to play-aay”

Thoroughly recommend this movie.

 

[SalixIncendium]

My memory is foggy at best, as it has been many, many years since I've seen it. I remember "Warriors...come out and plaaaayay!" and a female DJ who would give out coded messages over the radio waves, but that's about it.

I'm going to have to find it streaming somewhere and rewatch it.

 

[Viker]

One of my all time favorites!

 

[Viker]

"Who was Luther talking to on the phone?

The police and/or the Mafia. They "hired" him to put a stop to Cyrus' plan to technically rule the streets of New York. Cyrus could have built an army the cops and other organized crime syndicates would likely have to answer to.

Another theory is that one of the other rival gangs of the Warriors conspired with Luther to get rid of the Warriors.

Could be the DJ. She may actually be the ultimate crime boss in the flick.

Pick what you want.

 

[Viker]

My memory is foggy at best, as it has been many, many years since I've seen it. I remember "Warriors...come out and plaaaayay!" and a female DJ who would give out coded messages over the radio waves, but that's about it.

I'm going to have to find it streaming somewhere and rewatch it.

Might be worth it. It's better than most like movies put out these days.

 

[PureX]

I remember it, but would be in no hurry to see it again. Not bad, but not great, either, IMO. And very dated, now.

 

[Stevicus]

The police and/or the Mafia. They "hired" him to put a stop to Cyrus' plan to technically rule the streets of New York. Cyrus could have built an army the cops and other organized crime syndicates would likely have to answer to.

Another theory is that one of the other rival gangs of the Warriors conspired with Luther to get rid of the Warriors.

Could be the DJ. She may actually be the ultimate crime boss in the flick.

Pick what you want.

I figured it was one of those possibilities, either the police or organized crime. Or maybe the DJ.

 

[Augustus]

I always thought the Baseball Furies were very disappointing and should have been much tougher opponents than they turned out to be…

 

[Stevicus]

The movie could have ended early if only the Turnbull AC's had a faster bus.

 

[Stevicus]

I always thought the Baseball Furies were very disappointing and should have been much tougher opponents than they turned out to be…

Ajax correctly gauged that they were wimps.

 

[We Never Know]

The Warriors (1979) ⭐ 7.5 | Action, Crime, Thriller

1h 33m | R

www.imdb.com

This was a film which came out in my teen years, and I recall it was somewhat controversial at the time. There was even talk about banning it - or possibly giving it an "X" rating to prevent anyone under 18 from seeing it. There was a great deal of violence in the movie.

Has anyone seen it? Does anyone remember it?

I thought about this movie when I was looking at another thread about people rooting for movie villains, and I remembered how the character of Ajax has gained somewhat of a following many years after the movie. Ajax isn't really a villain, and in some parts of the movie, one could consider him a hero. At least in the sense that he's a part of The Warriors, who are the supposed "good guys" in this movie - or at least it's told from their POV.

An interesting premise, the idea that all the street gangs could be persuaded to call a truce and all meet at the call of the leader of the most powerful street gang, Cyrus of the Gramercy Riffs. His plan was to unite all of the street gangs and operate under a single command (his, presumably), and they would all benefit by taxing the crime syndicates and setting up their own protection racket, because, as Cyrus put it "We got the streets, suckers!" Of course, the plan was torpedoed before it even got started, at the very beginning when someone shot Cyrus and blamed it on the Warriors, which is when their amazing but unfortunate journey through the NYC transit system began.

The leader of the Rogues, who shoots Cyrus, is seen talking on the phone on a few occasions during the film, suggesting that he was put up to killing Cyrus by someone, but not really named. That seems to be one of the main questions fans ask about the movie "Who was Luther talking to on the phone?"

Another aspect of this movie is that there are few scenes with actual gun violence. There's the opening scene, then a scene towards the middle when three Warriors are partying with the Lizzies, and then in the final scene on the beach. Other than that, it was just fists, knives, and baseball bats. And one scene with a molotov cocktail, which was enough to scare off the Orphans. The Warriors didn't even have a car, which would have solved all their problems if they had.

Luther was kind of a comical villain who met a just end.

I always liked it.

"Warriors come out and plaaaay"

 

[Stevicus]

Another interesting aspect of this film is that they had to film on location in NYC in the late 1970s, which itself was problematic and even dangerous, as they had to contend with real life street gangs roaming the streets at night.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I always thought the Baseball Furies were very disappointing and should have been much tougher opponents than they turned out to be…

All show and no go, in the end. Did look scary though.

 

[Stevicus]

All show and no go, in the end. Did look scary though.

I wonder how they would have done against the Orphans.

 

[Kathryn]

Dang it, I thought you were talking about Once Were Warriors, which is an excellent movie:

Once Were Warriors is a 1994 New Zealand tragic drama film based on New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling 1990 first novel.[4] The film tells the story of the Heke family, an urban Māori whānau living in South Auckland, and their problems with poverty, alcoholism, and domestic violence, mostly brought on by the patriarch, Jake. It explores the detrimental effects of the colonisation of New Zealand suffered by Māori, and the survival of Māori culture against all odds.

But I'll probably check this one out.

 

[Wu Wei]

Saw it in the theater and later in tv, and i seem to remember a metal band using “warriors come out and play” as an intro, but I can’t remember who

 

[Stevicus]

Of course, this song by Joe Walsh was also in the movie:

 

[RestlessSoul]

I wonder how they would have done against the Orphans.

Orphans woulda scattered

 

[Revoltingest]

I always liked it.

"Warriors come out and plaaaay"