Set in the future, the city of New York is full of street gangs. On one night, the leader of a gang, “Cyrus”, calls a meeting gathering every known gang to one meeting place. As Cyrus speaks to all the gangs present, he is shot and murdered. One of the street gangs known as “The Warriors” is wrongly framed for the murder, and now they are on the run from all the other gangs and the police of New York City. The Warriors will do whatever it takes to survive the night; running, fighting, hiding and travelling to get home.

Can The Warriors survive the long night and prove their innocence?

This is a film that I never saw growing up. While working in a video store as a teen, I was curious to watch the movie. I’ll confess- my Bluray Edition of this film has been sitting on the shelf for some time now, just waiting to be viewed. Recently I had an evening to myself, and I was in the mood for a classic film that I hadn’t seen before.

Within the film’s opening sequence, I was invested. The film gives its audience a great introduction of each member of The Warriors with short and quick dialogue as the credits roll with a funky, futuristic type soundtrack. With minimal effort from the viewer, I was surprised at how much information we gained, such as where The Warriors are heading, why, and what type of characters they all are within the group. The film doesn’t go back to tell backstories of each member of the world they currently live in. Instead, as the audience, you are thrown straight into their world with fun and snappy pacing, which bring me to my next positive point.

The Warriors’ duration felt like a quick one. The reason for this is the film’s snappy pace and the fun transitions in the style of comic book. Considering this film was done in 1973, it still feels modern and provides many fun elements we can even connect to in 2018.

The film’s costumes design is also fresh. Sure, some may disagree as some outfits are a bit out there. As The Warriors encounter other gangs to fight, each band has a gang name with matching outfits and a reasoning for their groups’ names. Some gangs are just thugs, criminals or worse- insane, violent murders. All of the mixed characters presented in the film are fun creations.

As The Warriors travel and survive, I found myself supporting our leads and wanting to see revenge as well as a showdown. The results are gratifying and yet unpredictable.

I felt the film’s soundtracks also deserves praise. The film’s funky techno track sets the film’s pace and tone. People running around and a story that jumps from bad guys to bad guys can be annoying, but put a great soundtrack over it, and suddenly it’s very entertaining.

Overall, The Warriors is, without a doubt, a great classic film. With a basic concept and snappy plot, the film is loaded with brainless fun, entertainment and violence. My only real regret is I didn’t watch this film sooner.

8.9/10

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Review Written by Peter Walkden