Throwback Thursday: The Warriors

 Waaaaarriors, come out to plaaaaaaay! The Warriors is a very unique and fun movie. Based around the efforts of a gang to get back to their territory after being framed for the murder of local hero and leader of the largest gang in New York Cyrus, the Warriors face some interesting challenges on the long journey home.

 This movie is just plain fun. The soundtrack, the fights, the action scenes all mesh together perfectly to make an entertaining and memorable movie. The story was based on a novel license which kind of surprised me. Other than the same general concept they don't have much in common, which is actually pretty common with Hollywood adaptations. Apparently at the time of release rival gangs would end up in the same theater to watch it and get in to a real life brawl, this caused Paramount to pull advertising for the movie for a few weeks. Uncharacteristically the studio also offered to pay for extra security and damages caused by rowdy patrons. 

 When the movie was released it met with harsh critique and received generally bad reviews from critics, as often happens audiences disagreed. While negative advertising and poor reviews kept it from doing overly well in the theaters it gained a cult following and has always done well when a new home video product comes around. The movies sustained popularity has led many critics to walk back their criticisms(much like the original Star Wars) and it currently is held in generally high regard.

 I first saw The Warriors with my father when I was around twelve. I re-watch it every year or two and always enjoy it. It is such a unique movie you really can't adequately describe it to someone who hasn't seen it. I can say the soundtrack is very memorable, it has many memorable lines and some very creative gang designs(see the Baseball Furies for an example). It was made in 1979 and still holds up very well. The cast shines when they are together and you can feel the real life comradeship that developed during the shoot of the movie(which was notoriously difficult, over-budget, and dangerous with bricks being thrown at the actors filming in the Bronx, shooting also had to be suspended because of a double murder investigation happening nearby). The people who made this movie went through a lot and it really shows in the final product.

 The Warriors definitely has that timeless quality. You should watch this movie at least once in your life. It is not for everyone but I enjoy it. I would also say read the book, it is a much different experience and you may like it if you don't enjoy the movie. Thank you for reading! I will leave you with one of my favorite parts of the soundtrack.