The Warriors

Every film critic has a handful of movies that it’s impossible for them to be objective about, films discovered in early adolescence that resonate in some way as to make them simply perfect – flaws and all.  For me that list includes Walter Hill’s The Warriors (1979), which ran on The Movie Channel non-stop for years during my latchkey era, part of a rotating schedule which included Dressed to Kill, Blow Out and Tourist Trap (whoever was programming that channel deserves a serious pat on the back).  Based on the novel by Sol Yurick, which itself was based on the classical Greek text Anabasis, Hill’s film is a celebration of 1970’s New York, the urban equivalent of Mad Max, where street gangs rule the night and honor is as tough to defend as your home turf.  

After being framed for the death of Cyrus, a modern-day messiah, the Warriors must make their way from the Bronx all the way back to Coney Island while being chased by every gang in the city.  The journey bounces from subways to side-streets as Swan (Michael Beck) and his crew avoid capture – and temptation – to prove their innocence.

 

Pulled from distribution by its studio after gang fights broke out in theaters across the country, The Warriors is a relentless, melodramatic chase film full of colorful costumes and a ridiculous amount of amped-up machismo.  Of course, if you didn’t grow up watching it whole thing might seem more than a little ridiculous.  Never mind the hardcore 70’s vernacular (“Can you dig it?”) and screaming synthesizer score.  What the hell kind of street gang paints their face like KISS and dresses up in leftover NY Yankees uniforms? 

 

Enjoying The Warriors means buying into director Walter Hill’s comic book mythological fantasy.  But with no pre-film set-up (where are we…the past, the future or some alternate reality) it’s easy to see why audiences expecting a traditional action flick where left scratching their heads.  Of course, the film has been appreciated by just as many fans and critics because those questions were left unanswered.  

 

But that didn’t stop Hill from jumping at the opportunity to correct (some might prefer “tamper with”) the original version, which was rushed into production to beat a number of other gang related movies headed for the screen.  The Ultimate Director’s Cut added very little (if any) new footage to the film other than a comic book panel prologue which compares the Warriors situation to a group of Greek soldiers trapped in Persia circa 1409 A.D.  Otherwise, the most notable changes occur during certain transitions (the action freezes to allow for more animation and text) and the final credit sequence (again, another comic-book still frame instead of the endless beach walk).  

 

The additions were unnecessary.  And, even more disturbing, this new version completely supplanted the original in the digital realm since its release.  So all hail the debut of Arrow Video’s  4K Ultra HD 2-disc limited edition which corrects the error by restoring the theatrical cut from the original negative - with Hill’s approval - and tossing in his director’s cut to boot (it’s all available on Blu-ray as well).  Shot primarily at night, The Warriors is the sort of film that really benefits from HDR, creating silky shadows and intense colors.  Extras include all sorts of new interviews with editor Billy Weber, costumer designer Bobbie Mannix, composer Barry De Vorzon and Walter Hill himself.  Plus new featurettes on the shooting locations, a filmmaker’s roundtable, commentary track and archival extras from the previous release.  It’s all collected in a box set (not provided for review) that adds a collector’s book, fold-out poster and lobby cards. 

 

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