Blu-ray Review The Warriors Blu-Ray Review (1 Viewer)

[JohnRice]

Director Walter Hill’s low budget counter-culture film The Warriors made quite an impact in 1979, and is an effective example of bare-bones story telling.  Even if its gritty, street story is a bit more fantasy than reality.
 



The Warriors (1979)



Released: 09 Feb 1979
Rated: R
Runtime: 93 min




Director: Walter Hill
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller



Cast: Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright
Writer(s): Sol Yurick, David Shaber, Walter Hill



Plot: A street gang known as The Warriors must fight their way from the Bronx to their home turf on Coney Island when they are falsely accused of assassinating a respected gang leader.



IMDB rating: 7.5
MetaScore: 65





Disc Information



Studio: Paramount
Distributed By:...

Continue reading...

 

[Walter Kittel]

Funny you should mention James Patrick Kelly and his iconic line from the film. Certainly one of the more memorable things about the film. I definitely agree with your description of certain aspects of the film including the notion that parts of the journey are akin to something one might experience in a horror film. The bus chase sequence in particular.

I think Walter Hill is a terrific action director and he has made a number of very gritty films that I have invariably enjoyed, including The Warriors. While this film did not invent the trope of a DJ communicating certain messages via the airwaves (Super Soul in Vanishing Point comes to mind) it did have influences on other films; one that stands out was the use of a female disc jockey communicating the status of the bounty on John Wick in the fourth film of that franchise.

I haven't seen this film in a long, long time; but I might have to remedy that. Thanks for the nicely done review.

- Walter.

 

[JohnRice]

I definitely agree with your description of certain aspects of the film including the notion that parts of the journey are akin to something one might experience in a horror film.

It actually didn't occur to me it does tend to feel like a horror movie until I was completing the review. Then I rewatched the "Come out to play" scene, and it really does play like horror, as well as other scenes.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I got my 4K/UHD from Arrow last week. I planned on watching it this week. I love this movie! When this movie came out, authorities were saying the film caused teen violence across urban cities. I’ll probably watch the alternate version first.

Thank you for your review.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Lynn Thigpen played the female DJ. She was a fine character actress that died too early in life.

 

[titch]

Thanks for the review, but the Amazon link appears to be to the old blu-ray.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thanks for the review, but the Amazon link appears to be to the old blu-ray.

When I click on it, it goes to the Arrow Blu-ray:

See on Amazon

 

[titch]

When I click on it, it goes to the Arrow Blu-ray:

See on Amazon

Obviously a Gremlin in the system! I get still redirected to Amazon UK if I use the review link. But your link works fine.

 

[cineMANIAC]

I went with the alternate (original?) art. Felt the green cover was too cartoony, which is ironic since Director Hill was going for a comic book vibe when he made the film. That look isn't my jam.

Initially I wasn't even interested in this after not being impressed while watching my DVD copy. I've never actually seen the entire film, which is why I decided to go ahead with a 75% blind buy. Maybe I'll appreciate the film more via this fresh 4K scan. I'm looking forward to the NY grit the most

 

[mskaye]

I got my 4K/UHD from Arrow last week. I planned on watching it this week. I love this movie! When this movie came out, authorities were saying the film caused teen violence across urban cities. I’ll probably watch the alternate version first.

Thank you for your review.

I saw this film on its original release in a theater in Brooklyn and we knew we were watching something special. And for those of us in NY/Brooklyn at the time, it was like a home movie (like so many movies and tv at that time...) It's an awesome film, that's raw and fun and exists in its own comic book world. Walter Hill could always be a special director - esp at that time. And he made like 5-6 really influential movies in a row - The Driver, The Warriors, The Long Riders, Southern Comfort and 48 Hrs. That's a streak.

 

[TravisR]

And he made like 5-6 really influential movies in a row - The Driver, The Warriors, The Long Riders, Southern Comfort and 48 Hrs. That's a streak.

Hill was definitely on a great run for a while. I love Streets Of Fire too. That movie seems like it exists or could exist in the world of The Warriors.

 

[JohnRice]

Obviously a Gremlin in the system! I get still redirected to Amazon UK if I use the review link. But your link works fine.


View attachment 206857

I don't know how that could happen, because I definitely linked the Arrow Blu Ray on the US site. All I can guess is something must be cached in your browser, but I don't know how that could send you to a different address.

 

[Walter Kittel]

And he made like 5-6 really influential movies in a row - The Driver, The Warriors, The Long Riders, Southern Comfort and 48 Hrs. That's a streak.

Before he made those films, Hill directed Hard Times which may or may not be influential - but it is one of my favorite Charles Bronson features. It features some memorable dialog (particularly from Strother Martin's Poe), well choreographed fights, and cinematography that captures the locations of the film to good effect.

Big fan of Southern Comfort also. I've owned just about incarnation of that film on home video media, including a pretty poor 4:3 Laser Disc. (The Blu-Ray release of this film was a welcome addition to my library.)

- Walter.

 

[mskaye]

Hill was definitely on a great run for a while. I love Streets Of Fire too. That movie seems like it exists or could exist in the world of The Warriors.

Yes agreed. It's a visual fable like The Warriors. I love the Jim Steinman songs in STREETS. Those are classics. I wish Streets was a little more R rated. Felt just a touch too tame and wanting to be broader in its appeal. Needed more of the "badass-ness" of 48 Hrs IMHO and was dinged by the semi acting of the lead character. He looked great though. Lane and Dafoe are gorgeous in it.

 

[JohnRice]

Yes agreed. It's a visual fable like The Warriors. I love the Jim Steinman songs in STREETS.

Steinman songs are always fun, but what I like even more is the smoking Ry Cooder soundtrack.

 

[Baenwort]

I went with the alternate (original?) art. Felt the green cover was too cartoony, which is ironic since Director Hill was going for a comic book vibe when he made the film. That look isn't my jam.

Initially I wasn't even interested in this after not being impressed while watching my DVD copy. I've never actually seen the entire film, which is why I decided to go ahead with a 75% blind buy. Maybe I'll appreciate the film more via this fresh 4K scan. I'm looking forward to the NY grit the most

Wasn't there a cut of this film that had comic book pannels between scenes?

 

[mskaye]

Wasn't there a cut of this film that had comic book pannels between scenes?

yes - that's the expanded new improved cut and it should be avoided at all costs...

 

[RichMurphy]

It was fun seeing David Patrick Kelly in the 2022 New York revival of "Into The Woods". He didn't say his trademark line, alas.

 

[Wayne Klein]

I got my 4K/UHD from Arrow last week. I planned on watching it this week. I love this movie! When this movie came out, authorities were saying the film caused teen violence across urban cities. I’ll probably watch the alternate version first.

Thank you for your review.

I was around at the time and saw it. I remember those reports. I think it was nonsense-an example of a few isolated cases being blamed on a popular movie.

 

[Wayne Klein]

yes - that's the expanded new improved cut and it should be avoided at all costs...

Yep. It was an interesting idea that should have been applied to another film.