Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979) is based on a book of the same name, and follows the events of one night in gangland New York, after a meeting of all the gangs in the city ends in the shooting of the most powerful leader. Coney Island gang The Warriors end up being accused of taking the shot, ironically by the actual shooter, and the film follows The Warriors as they attempt to find their way home amidst rival gangs and the police.
The film if full of action packed fighting scenes, chases, and tense moments of wandering the spooky streets at night. While The Warriors works as an action film, it fails to deliver a realistic account of gangland New York, with cleaned up vernacular and outrageously inept rival gangs and cops. Once you see Swan (Michael Beck) lead his group past the first couple of gangs with relative ease, the viewer knows they will be fine getting past the rest.
The structure of the film works well, and the fact that the story takes place over just one night gives a pace and adrenaline rush which will keep the viewer hooked. Also, there are a few snippets of a lady DJ who acts as a public service announcer for the enemy gangs, and keeps them updated on the Warriors progress, which gave a heightened sense of danger within the story. Hill utilizes a comic strip template for the movie, which at first seems like a really interesting way of linking scenes, however, some of the tag lines become ridiculous and it ends up feeling a little silly.
As a gang film is does not deliver the gritty realism which some might expect, but as an action thriller attempting to entertain it succeeds. Just try not to laugh too much.
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