The Warriors

The Warriors. 1979 Paramount Pictures
Starring: Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, David Patrick Kelly, Edward Sewer
Director: Walter Hill
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The Warriors (Cleon, Swan, Ajax, Vermin, Cochise, Fox, Rembrandt, Snow, Cowboy, and Mercy) are one of many colorful and racially mixed street gangs in New York City in the late '70s, and they are from Coney Island in Brooklyn. Other local gangs include the Gramercy Riffs, the Baseball Furies, the Boppers, the Jones Street Boys, the Rogues, the Saracens, the Lizzies, and the Turnbull ACs. All of the gangs depicted in the movie have a common uniform, and some of them are pretty colorful and ridiculous...almost to the point of unbelievable.

Cyrus (Roger Hill), the leader of the Gramercy Riffs, the most powerful gang in the Big Apple, calls for a midnight summit for all of the area gangs at Pelham Bay Park up in the Bronx. Cyrus believes that a permanent citywide truce between all of the gangs would allow them to control the city, as there are 60,000 gang members in New York City compared to 20,000 NYPD officers. The idea goes over well with all of those assembled. Unfortunately for Cyrus, and a few moments later, the Warriors, the Rogues (who dress like 1950s greasers) have smuggled a gun in, and their leader Luther (Kelly) kills Cyrus. Fox of the Warriors (Thomas G. Waites) sees it, and Luther starts to aim his gun at Fox, but the police officers swarm in on all sides. During the chaos, Luther begins screaming that the Warriors are responsible for the murder. Cleon (Wright), the Warriors' leader, gets attacked by the surviving Gramercy Riffs members, while the rest of the Warriors rush to a cemetery to regroup. The second-in-command of the Riffs, Masai, takes charge of the gang, and puts a bounty on all of the Warriors' heads, prompting literally every other gang in town to start hunting them down.

Knowing the only thing they can do is escape back to Coney Island, the Warriors begin their long journey home, with Swan (Beck) taking charge in Cleon's absence, although Ajax (Remar) makes it no secret that he wants to be the leader. Ajax is arrested for soliciting an undercover police officer (Mercedes Ruehl) in Riverside Park, and Fox dies in an altercation with the police, leading to a rumble with the Baseball Furies.

Eventually, the remaining Warriors make it back to Coney by dawn, only to find Luther and the Rogues waiting for them, with the signature line "Warriors, come out to plaaaaay". Luther says he had no other reason for killing Cyrus but his own personal gratification. Before the two gangs come to blows, the Gramercy Riffs arrive, acknowledging that the Warriors weren't responsible for the murder. Masai compliments the Warriors ("You Warriors are good. Real good."), and they depart, leaving the Riffs to clean up the mess that the Rogues had made.

A decent cult movie, although some of the flamboyance of some of the gangs and their uniforms still makes me laugh, knowing full well that they wouldn't last a week in a society with real gangs. Recommended movie.