The Warriors (1979) Review

Possibly one of the coolest movies ever, The Warriors combines great lighting, setting, and camerawork to create an amazing film. The movie takes place entirely at night which means that most of the lighting comes from neon signs in the sketchy neighborhoods that the movie takes place in. The grungy New York subway system and rugged apartment buildings work as a wonderful tapestry for the film's simple, yet amazing story. The film is about a gang called the Warriors that are accused of murdering a rival gang leader, which causes for a vendetta against their heads. The rest of the film is this small gangs struggle to get back home to Coney Island all the way from Central Park as every other gang in town and the police try to kill them. The movie utilizes some amazing camerawork and editing to show excellent fight scenes that are rugged and personal, featuring hand to hand combat and knife fights. One of the best battles of the film is between the unarmed Warriors and a rival gang armed with baseball bats, which quickly becomes a swordfight-like battle.

The movie also features some excellent themes that I could relate too, especially how the Warriors are judged by other people. One of the scenes involves the Warriors on a subway train when a group of kids coming from a prom show up on the same train. The prom kids look at the Warriors, worried they'll get stabbed, and quickly rush off of the train. The strong part of this scene is that when one of the Warriors fixes her hair to look better for the prom kids, she is quickly stopped by the gang leader, giving her a look signifying that she doesn't have to prove anything to them, they're proud of who they are. The movie is full of subtle events like this that show off complex emotions and relates to what is experienced as a teenager, everything's a struggle to survive.

The movie also has a gritty comicbook feel which I loved, integrating some slow motion and great transitions. The look of the movie is quite gritty and due to the lighting creates a surreal and vibrant atmosphere. New York constantly feels like a living city, lots of extras in the film are constantly going through their average lives. The first scene of the film probably had a few thousand people dressed up in the cool gang costumes. The costume design in the film is superb, each gang having their own look and style, featuring matching outfits, and sometimes facepaint.

The Warriors is one of the best films ever, incredibly underrated. It's one of my dad's favorite movies and thats the only reason I was lucky enough to see it, as well as another classically underrated film, Streets of Fire. There isn't a lot you can say about a movie this good beside urging others to see it, which is why I highly recommend this film. One of the best movies of all time.

Rating: 10/10