Overall Rating
  Awesome: 58.93%
Worth A Look: 32.14%
Average: 2.68%
Pretty Bad: 3.57%
Total Crap: 2.68%
5 reviews, 82 user ratings
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| Warriors, The |
by Brian McKay
"A Classic, Made More So - Can You Dig It?"
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(This review is specific to THE WARRIORS: ULTIMATE DIRECTOR'S CUT). There's a school of thought that classic films should never be tampered with. Lovingly preserved, yes, but never altered in any signifigant way from the original. And until recently, I belonged to that school of thought, dismissing the colorization of old Black and White films, or the CGI sugarcoating of the first STAR WARS trilogy. But then I saw Walter Hill's re-envisioning of his 1979 classic, THE WARRIORS.As Hill explains in a brief introduction, the Director's Cut of WARRIORS is the way in which he originally envisioned the film - as a living graphic novel. Subsequently, the film contains both a new introduction and several animated transition panels that fade in and out seamlessly with the live action sequences to create a smoothly flowing narrative. Likewise, the film has been painstakingly restored and enhanced with the addition of a vibrant color scheme, further adding to the "comic book" atmosphere.
Beginning with a voice-over introduction that tells the tale of a small band of ancient Greek soldiers trapped a thousand miles behind enemy lines, it quickly segues to a title card that declares the film's setting to be "Sometime in the Future . . ." From there, the film picks up where most long-time viewers will remember - with various members of street gang The Warriors riding the subway towards a huge secret gang conference (although it can't remain a secret for long with thousands of brightly-dressed gang members in attendance).
The conference has been called by Cyrus (Roger Hill), leader of the Gramercy Riffs, the city's biggest gang. Cyrus has a vision to unite all of the gangs in the New York City area, allowing them to greatly outnumber the police as they run amok committing crimes and gaining control through bribery and intimidation. Cyrus's chants of "Can you dig it?" enthrall the crowd, but Luther (David Patrick Kelly), the sleazy leader of the Rogues, has other plans. After assasinating Cyrus with a smuggled handgun and sending the crowd into a panic, he quickly blames the Warriors for the killing, since one of their members actually witnessed Luther pulling the trigger.
After their leader, Cleon (Dorsey Wright) is captured by the Riffs, The Warriors soon discover that they are being hunted by every gang in the city for Cyrus's murder. They have until dawn to get to their home turf and, hopefully, clear their name - and they will have to "bop" all the way back.
Although the cool-headed Swan (Michael Beck) emerges as the new leader, he does so over the objections of the belligerent Ajax (James Remar). They also pick up Mercy (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) along the way, a trash-talking party girl who ignites sparks with the reluctant Swan.
The beauty of a film like THE WARRIORS lies in both its simplicity and its over-the-top flamboyance. Gang members in this world wear colorful matching outfits ala CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Mime costumes, zoot suits, baseball uniforms, Karate Gi's - every gang has a theme and a costume to fit it. Sure, it's silly and fantastical - but in the world that Hill has created, it all works. The story itself is simplicity defined - all it is is nine guys trying to make their way home, with the seeds of a love story sown between Swan and Mercy. So why does this movie rock so fucking hard?
For one, the characters are all likable and unique. Even if the acting is laughably bad at times, the characters still radiate an aura of coolness, especially the bad-ass Swan, who seems to have ice water in his veins. For another, the fight scenes still hold up quite well after 25 years, as the Warriors slug their way home with fists and baseball bats (the subway station men's room brawl is, quite simply, Epic). But it is the film's themes of brotherhood and courage that resonate the most. These same themes, which have worked so well in films like THE SEVEN SAMURAI or SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, have a universal appeal that is difficult to deny.
Plus it's often very funny, with Remar's Ajax providing the bulk of memorable one-liners. One could start a Warriors drinking game based on how many times he makes a comment about "wimps" or "faggots".Visually stunning and emotionally gripping, THE WARRIORS is a classic that, after a quarter-century, has finally recieved the loving finishing touches that it so rightly deserves. In addition, the director's cut DVD conains a full director's commentary, cast interviews, deleted scenes, and four "making of" featurettes. All for only $14.99 at Best Buy. WARRIOR fans - Come out to play!
link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=1003&reviewer=258
originally posted: 06/01/06 03:06:12
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USA
09-Feb-1979 (R)
DVD: 04-Oct-2005
UK
N/A
Australia
02-Aug-1979
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