After a meeting of the local New York gangs goes wrong, The Warriors find themselves accused of killing the leader, forcing them to make their way across the city while under threat at every corner.
Written by Sol Yurick, David Shaber, and Walter Hill, with Hill directing, this late 1970s classic holds up to this day. The story seems simple at first and it gets more and more complex as they meet enemies, potential friendly folks, etc. The film makes them go through a bunch of things and makes it all entertaining. The main ones that stand out, even this many years later, are the Furies for their look and how they come and make an impression right away. The film is one of these where it’s better to go in completely blind for the story, but that is difficult at this point. Still, those who love the story, LOVE it, leading to it being a classic at this point for many reasons. This is one of the most loved Walter Hill films and it’s been a cult classic for so long, it’s hard to think that some have never seen it.
The cast here is one of the main reasons why the film is such a classic. James Remar here is fantastic and really makes his presence known and his talent shine. Michael Beck joins him and steals a few scenes from Remar. Then we get everyone else who is practically legendary along with those two. The film’s design and style have a grit to it, something about it feels like you are in the trenches with the gangs, like you are crossing late 1970s NYC with The Warriors. The film is shot in a way that makes it look great to this day. This film is one that is hard to review fairly from a film nerd’s point of view, but it is a classic and one that is bound to remain so.
This new release from Arrow Video boasts a 4K remaster of both the original cut of the film and the 2005 cut of the film which was approved by Walter Hill. This release also has a ton of extras, including a new interview with Walter Hill that makes the release worth picking up. The archival extra The Way Home about director of photography Andrew Laszlo is a highlight and so is the interview with Bobbie Mannix about the costume design called Gang Style. The feature Come Out to Play is a fun look at the filing locations and The Beginning is a solid archival extra about the Warriors and how they came to be. There is a whole lot more on this release, making it one that is interesting even for those who think they know everything there is to know about The Warriors. This is a solid re-release of the film with so much in terms of extras and goodies (like new art, a booklet, and a lot more on top of the disc extras) in a two-disc set. This is one of those that should sell out in this film nerd’s opinion.