Blu-ray Disc/DVD REVIEW |
 The Warriors: Ultimate Director’s Cut  Studio: Paramount Film Year: 1979 Film Length: 1 hour 33 minutes Genre: Action/Thriller Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 BD Resolution: 1080p BD Video Codec: MPEG-4 AVC @ over 20MBPS Colour/B&W: Colour Audio: |
Release Date: July 3, 2007 Film Rating:  1/2 / Starring: Michael Beck, James Remar, Deborah Van Valkenburgh Screenplay by: David Shaber and Walter Hill Based on the novel by Sol Yurick Directed and Produced by: Walter Hill ”Warriors, come out to play...”
The Warriors is Walter Hill’s action fantasy about a small number of guys from the title gang who must battle their way across New York City in a manner reminiscent of Xenophon’s “Anabasis.” It’s thoroughly entertaining and a lot of fun, even today at 28 years after its initial release. Hill maximizes the film’s stylized choreography, wardrobe and makeup to create a slightly futuristic world where gang members dress in neon colors and fight in the manner of samurai warriors. It is actually easier to appreciate the film today than when it originally played in theatres. (At that time, the film was known less for itself than for the fights that would break out after people saw it.) This isn’t a typical action film or a star vehicle (the cast is almost entirely made up of unknowns). Instead, it’s an extended roller coaster ride that feeds on its own style as it carries the viewer through the various twists and turns. The Warriors is on its third DVD release. The first was a 2001 anamorphic release of the original theatrical cut. The second was a 2005 anamorphic release of a new print, slightly adjusted by Walter Hill with the addition of a brief introduction scroll about Xenophon’s tale (read aloud by Hill) and the inclusion of comic book panel transitions at several points in the film. (I must confess preferring the original release version.) This “Ultimate Director’s Cut” has now been released on Blu-Ray, with all the special features of the 2005 disc, along with 1080p transfers of the revised feature and the original theatrical trailer. The print itself is identical to the 2005 release, even down to a typo in the end credits – but the new 1080p transfer is marvellous.  VIDEO QUALITY: 4 ½ /5 1/2The Warriors is presented in a superior 1080p MPEG-4 AVC transfer that improves on the prior releases in every area. Colors and details are richer and clearer throughout. The brightly colored gang wardrobes and makeups get a much better showcase in high definition than I’ve ever seen before. An early shot of a rival gangmember at the opening meeting reveals a tattoo of “MOM” emblazoned on his arm – something I could not see before. A late shot over Michael Beck to a rival gang has effectively been rescued by this transfer – where the standard definition view of this was a murky mess of dark and undistinguishable shapes, in high definition, the bodies can now be seen with much greater clarity. The print is in good condition – I didn’t see much grain. (Grain is evident when you watch the trailer, also in high definition, in the special features area) Given that the film is primarily set at night, much of the film’s look is quite dark. For this reason, the transfer has several areas where the video information per second drops to below 20 mbps. (The transfer is literally drawing mostly black frames in these moments) This is not a criticism of the transfer – just a note that it is limited in places by the source. AUDIO QUALITY: 3/5 The Warriors is presented in English in a 640k 5.1 surround mix, and in French and Spanish in a mono mix. To be honest, there isn’t much use of the surround channels or the subwoofer in this mix, other than for music. The dialogue and most of the sound comes from the front channels. The only thing to hear from the rear is the music, along with the occasional sound effect. The higher clarity of the transfer also makes clear where some dialogue doesn’t completely match the timing of the actor speaking onscreen. (One late discussion between Michael Beck and David Patrick Kelly is a good example of this.) SPECIAL FEATURES: 4/5 The Blu-Ray presentation of The Warriors presents all of the special features from the 2005 “Ultimate Director’s Cut” release in standard definition, with the theatrical trailer getting an HD transfer.
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