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The Warriors
Directed by	Walter Hill
Produced by	Joel Silver
Written by	Sol Yurick (story) David Shaber Walter Hill
Starring	Michael Beck James Remar David Patrick Kelly
Music by	{{{music}}}
Cinematography by	{{{cinematography}}}
Editing by	{{{editing}}}
Distributed by	Paramount
Released	February 9, 1979
Running time	93 min.
Language	English
Budget	$360,000
Preceded by	{{{preceded_by}}}
Followed by	{{{followed_by}}}
IMDb profile

The Warriors is a 1979 film directed by Walter Hill about a gang fighting their way back home after being framed for the assassination of a gang leader. It is set primarily in New York City with a final scene taking place in Coney Island. It is based on the 1965 novel The Warriors by Sol Yurick. It also spawned a videogame of the same name in 2005.

Although the film uses real locations, it is more of an urban fable than a realistic portrayal of contemporary New York City street life. The gangs are dressed in matching flamboyant uniforms, usually with a recognizable theme, which gives the film a comic book feel.

The subject matter of the film was controversial upon release and was linked to several incidents of gang violence at theaters.

The cast of the film includes Michael Beck as Swan, James Remar as Ajax, David Patrick Kelly as Luther, the late Lynne Thigpen as the radio DJ, and Sonny Landham and Mercedes Ruehl in minor roles.

Contents 1 Plotline 2 Violence in Theaters 3 Gangs 4 Comparisons between The Warriors and the Anabasis (and other works) 5 Spinoffs 6 External links

Plotline

Cyrus, leader of the Gramercy Riffs, declares a truce and calls a summit with the intention of uniting all of the New York City area gangs against the dwindling power of the NYPD. However, during his speech he is assassinated by Luther, a member of the Rogues. Luther subsequently frames the Warriors, who in turn are forced to flee the summit, which has since devolved into chaos. The Warriors make their way at night through sparsely populated subways, streets and alleys in New York City while running from and battling hostile gangs and the police. The film ends after a final showdown with the Rogues at the protagonist's home turf at Coney Island.

Violence in Theaters

After the film's release, fights broke out between rival gangs at the theaters. There was also a handful of incidents of teen violence which were blamed on the movie. Media pressure prompted Paramount to remove advertisements from all print sources, though subway posters and film trailers were unaffected. When advertisements resumed after six days, the "inflammatory" images were replaced with only the film's showtimes and reviews from reputable critics. Theater owners were relieved of their contractual obligations if they did not want to show the movie due to safety concerns and Paramount offered to pay costs for additional security and damages due to vandalism. Most theaters that continued to show the movie enjoyed packed houses. A Boston theater manager said it was their most popular movie since My Fair Lady was released 15 years earlier. [1]

Gangs

The Warriors gang is based in the western neighborhoods of Coney Island, on the edge of Brooklyn. Their gang uniform consists of a red leather embroidered vest witht the Warriors' logo on the back. The gang has a overall American Indian theme, and their logo consisting of a Indian head surrounded by flames. This theme is accented by the Indian-style bead necklaces and armbands worn by some members. Their main stomping ground and base turf is the among the many amusement park areas of Coney Island, particularly the landmark that is Deno's Wonder Wheel, a now iconic symbol synonymous with Coney Island and The Warriors.

While in The Warriors video game, the Warriors are shown to having somewhere between 30-50 members, only nine are shown in the film, apparently the "nine delegates" sent for by Cyrus. The nine aptly named principle members in the film are:

• Cleon: The Warlord, leader of the gang. (Named after the Ancient Greek politician)
• Swan: The Warchief, second-in-command of the gang.
• Fox: The [foxlike] Scout. Fox is very familiar with other gangs tactics, turf, and numbers.
• Rembrandt: The Writer, the gang's grafitti artist, he wears the standard gear, and an afro (Named after the famous painter)
• Ajax: A cocky, loud, womanizing Warrior always up for a fight. He wears fingerless leather gloves and a black tank top under his Warriors vest. (Named after the Mythical Greek Warrior)
• Snow: A Warrior who is quiet and reserved but can still handle himself. He has an afro.
• Vermin: A cynical member of the gang. In the video game, Vermin is revealed as one of the co-founders of the Warriors, along with Cleon.
• Cochise: A high-kicking Warrior (originally from Harlem) who wears Indian-style leather boots and pants. He also sports an afro and red bandana tied around his head. (Named after the Apache Chief)
• Cowboy: A Warrior who got his name from always wearing a Stetson cowboy hat.

Along the way, the Warriors encounter the following fanciful gangs, from north to south:

• The Turnbull A.C.'s: (Also going by the names Turnbulls, Bulls, or A.C.'s) A bus-riding skinhead gang. They travel in large numbers and wear denim jackets and blue jeans. The origin of 'AC' possibly comes from "antichrist".
• The Orphans: A low-tier gang that appears non-threatening. They wear green shirts with "ORPHANS" stitched into the back, and blue jeans. It is not known whether or not the members are or were in fact orphans at any time. Their leader is known for the quote: "You see what you get, Warriors? You see what you get when you mess with the Orphans?"

• The Baseball Furies: A gang in New York Yankees uniforms, wielding baseball bats and wearing facial makeup similar to that of the rock group KISS, only multicolored instead of black and white. Most members wear gray uniforms with black stripes, and a few wear black uniforms with gray stripes. The Furies were created because of Walter Hill's love for baseball. Along with the Warriors themselves, the Baseball Furies are the most popular gang with fans of the movie. In Greek Mythology, the Furies were the embodiment of vengance.
• The Lizzies: An all-female gang (possibly lesbian - the gang name is the pejorative (possibly misspelled) for a lesbian). At first they appear non-threatening, but the opposite is soon learned.
• The Punks: A gang with a leader who strolls around on rollerskates. Each member wears denim overalls and a different color striped shirt.
• The Rogues: The gang that framed the Warriors for Cyrus’ assassination. The regular gang members wear black shirts, black leather jackets, black pants, and black leather hats. The gang leader, Luther, wears a gray shirt, a gray zip-up hoodie, a black leather vest, a sheriff's badge, black leather pants, and a faded pink-ish headband.
• The Gramercy Riffs: A well-organized gang in martial arts robes and pants, and said to be the biggest gang in the city. Cyrus was the leader of this gang, before he was murdered. At the end of the film, they can be seen wearing black t-shirts and black denim pants. Some leaders of the group apply their own style to their outfits, such as Aviators sunglasses.

There are many more gangs besides the ones listed, which adds to the depth of the film. The script had many gangs listed, including ones that didn't even appear in the film, or were never named on screen. Some of these gangs and several others play a role in the video game.

• The Boppers: A more colorful African American gang from Harlem. They wear shiny purple vests, ties, purple fedora hats, and white-ish pants. Their lieutenants wear the same as other members, except for gold hats and jackets.
• The Hi-Hats: An artsy SoHo based gang that literally looks like a bunch of clowns, or mimes. They wear white face paint, black high hats, black suspenders, black pants and a red long-sleeved shirt with black stripes. Some members in the game wear white long-sleeved shirts and white hats. Their appearance is said to be inspired by the film A Clockwork Orange. In the video game, their leader is a portly artist by the name Chatterbox.
• The Boyle Avenue Runners: They wear a black tank top with red trim, and blue jeans. The gang member who appears to be the leader wears the same tank top and jeans, but is wearing a black and white vest with an odd pattern on it.
• The Jones Street Boys: They wear black and yellow striped shirts and jeans. Some members wear a black and white striped shirt in the game.
• The Moonrunners: They wear a shiny silver jacket with yellow stripe around both arms and the gang logo on the back, and blue jeans, with some members also sporting navy combination caps.
• The Panzers: They wear blue jeans, hats, shirts, and a long, thin shirt with an army camoflauge design on it. However, from the few gang members that were shown, the color of the shirt is up to the gang member himself. Their name and garb originate from the Panzer line of German tanks in World War II.
• The Saracens: They wear black tanktops with white trim, and black pants. Saracens were known as pirates of the Mediterranean in Greek folklore. Their burner is comprised of a sabre and cobra.
• The Destroyers: They wear blue denim jackets with their name printed on the back. The Destroyers were the gang that Cleon and Vermin originally belonged to, until (as depicted in the video game) they were set up to be killed by the Destroyer's leader Virgil at the expense of the Satan's Mothers. They ended up fleeing from the Mothers and began their new gang, The Warriors, and began to call Coney Island home. This formed a rivalry with The Destroyers, whose home turf was Coney Island, originally.
• The Satan's Mothers: They are not actually seen in the film, but can be seen in the theatrical trailer. They wear what seems to be a denim jacket with no sleeves, and the gang's logo on the back. Dressed in World War I German helmets and biker gear, they are seen as synonymous with the Hells Angels.

The film has gained something of a cult status, largely for its impressive stuntwork and gritty, retro feel. As in A Clockwork Orange, few of the gang members carry any weapon more dangerous than a baseball bat or knife, and most don flamboyant matching uniforms that today most would find hard to take seriously: face paint/mime makeup, baseball uniforms, wide-brimmed fedoras, as well as the Warriors' Indian costuming.

The closing theme song, "In the City," was by Joe Walsh of The Eagles.

Comparisons between The Warriors and the Anabasis (and other works)

The Warriors is (very) loosely based on Xenophon's Anabasis, about his experience as a member of a Greek mercenary army trapped in Persia circa 400 BC. While the events of the two stories are quite different in places, fans have tried to map out the parallel characters and places in the two stories. Also, many other elements of Greek mythology have been implemented into the film (see other sections).

The Warriors Name	Anabasis Name
"Boppers"	Persians
Central Park	Cunaxa
Cleon	Clearchus
Coney Island	Hellas
Cyrus	Cyrus the Younger
Gang leaders	Satraps
The Gramercy Riffs	The Persian Immortals
Atlantic Ocean	The Black Sea
Luther	Tissaphernes
Manhattan	Babylonia
Masai	Artaxerxes II
Mercy	Queen of Cilicia
New York City	Persian Empire
The Orphans	Armenians
Swan	Xenophon
The Warriors	The Ten Thousand

Spinoffs

The Warriors video game, based on the movie, was released by Rockstar Games in October 2005. The game's first half acts as a prequel to the film, while the second half follows closely to the film's events. A modern-day remake of the film featuring new gangs is set to be directed by Tony Scott and has been announced with a tentative release date of 2006. Additionally, Mezco Toys makes Warriors action figures.

In 2002, a reenactment of the Warriors movie was done via a bicycle messenger alley-cat style bicycle ride. Eighty-nine gangs of between five and nine cyclists (800 participants) in coordinated gang theme costumes rode from the central Bronx to Coney Island between dusk and dawn on a summer night. Along the way, various competitions were set up between the gangs to reenact the trials of the Warriors (see external links).

External links

• The Warriors (original) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Warriors (remake) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Warriors Movie Site
• Warriors Bike Ride Site
• Gaming Murals Displayed in New York's Union Square

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