Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979) (1 Viewer)

[Winston T. Boogie]

I enjoyed this theatrically on release but not on subsequent viewings on a smaller screen.

Well, I get that because this picture, despite the budget and B movie status, is really a film to see on a big screen. Hill uses that space and the film does have a power when you see it in a cinema.

Not sure in what format your small screen viewings have been in but I am still really drawn in by the picture when I have watched it in my home theater. This is why I am so excited to see this Blu. I will admit I have a lot of nostalgia for this picture so, I am not exactly without some heavy bias.

 

[Kent K H]

I missed out on the Imprint set for a reasonable price. I'm hoping for a Region 1 company to release the theatrical cut in HD or 4K.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I missed out on the Imprint set for a reasonable price. I'm hoping for a Region 1 company to release the theatrical cut in HD or 4K.

Probably quite possible. Paramount Pictures films do seem to be arriving in a variety of ways. So, I guess The Warriors could even get a release direct from them.

 

[Desslar]

I've not gone through this set yet so can't really comment on what is here for special features yet. They are pretty extensive it seems and there is more than one commentary. The video I posted above from Brian at Just the Discs has a good walk through of what is on the discs. He seems to think the commentaries are great as are the interviews.

Walter himself is not part of the commentaries but he has said before he does not like to explain his films or talk about them too much so I would not expect him to say a lot about them.

At the moment, with what is out there, I would say this is the Criterion level release of The Warriors for now. Not sure how much better a future release could be but most of the features on these discs I think will remain specific to these discs because they were created by Imprint for this release.

Thanks for the info. I'll think about it, but it would need to be a pretty reasonable price. For me the real star of the movie is 1978 New York City, so I'd love to hear a commentary go over filming location choices and any challenges involved with them.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Thanks for the info. I'll think about it, but it would need to be a pretty reasonable price. For me the real star of the movie is 1978 New York City, so I'd love to hear a commentary go over filming location choices and any challenges involved with them.

Well, as you wait for a North American release or less expensive one, if you have not listened to this you might enjoy it:

Episode 17: The Warriors (1979)

The Warriors - special guests: Michael Beck, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, David Patrick Kelly, Terry Michos, David Harris & Sam Shaber

www.projectionboothpodcast.com

I've not listened to this in a long time but I think there is extensive talk about the locations and they actually go around visiting them during the show. Multiple cast members are involved in this discussion and so it is pretty much a 2 hour deep dive into the film.

Best of all, it's free so if what you want to hear is extensive discussion of the making of the film this might be your ticket.

 

[Desslar]

Well, as you wait for a North American release or less expensive one, if you have not listened to this you might enjoy it:

Episode 17: The Warriors (1979)

The Warriors - special guests: Michael Beck, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, David Patrick Kelly, Terry Michos, David Harris & Sam Shaber

www.projectionboothpodcast.com

I've not listened to this in a long time but I think there is extensive talk about the locations and they actually go around visiting them during the show. Multiple cast members are involved in this discussion and so it is pretty much a 2 hour deep dive into the film.

Best of all, it's free so if what you want to hear is extensive discussion of the making of the film this might be your ticket.

Thanks! That sounds like just what I'm looking for. I'll definitely give it a listen.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I've never owned it on home video but this thread makes me want to view it again. Michael Beck was one of the leads in the following year's Xanadu, a film I love and watched recently. The Warriors runs for 92 minutes and Xanadu for 96, most contemporary films are over two and a half hours, either poorly edited or with too much filler. Viewing films at home is great, but cinema just hasn't the same appeal as during the 1970s/80s.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

The Warriors runs for 92 minutes and Xanadu for 96, most contemporary films are over two and a half hours, either poorly edited or with too much filler.

Hill knows how to pace a film. I think the way they cut the theatrical version was brilliant. It probably has been influential on how other people cut a scene or a picture but yes, the big releases tend to be really long and they no longer really edit to create a pace that works for the story, it's now always cut to the stopwatch and to bombard you with movements and never having to look at anything more than seconds because that fools the brain into thinking you are seeing action and supposedly dulls your sense of time passing.