The Warriors (The Ultimate Director's Cut)

This movie is made of the win. I wish that there was more special features or that the movie was extended or something, but overall this movie is a very interesting view on a dystopian future where gangs have style, and "waste" people instead of killing them... most of the time. If you've ever seen A Clockwork Orange it's kinda like that, but more about action than psychological, and not really as intelligent, but that's okay.

This DVD came to me in very good cosmetic condition. It runs perfectly and has yet to skip once.

I'm not giving The Warriors 1 star, but this review is for the directors-cut dvd. I anticipated this release and the day it came out I bought it and invited a few friends over to watch it. I was MORTIFIED at how this thing was edited. The picture was clear, there were now comic strips edited in, and partial scenes were animated. WHAT. THE. F$@#?! I had only watched this movie on vhs and that's how I believe it should be watched-- in it's old, fuzzy, cheesy glory. This dvd is one more reason why you should never re-touch a classic. LAME.

This is truly a classic, and a great one. Some people have tried to review this movie on the basis of accuracy or reality, but that just won't do. You might as well argue how the Millenium Falcon had gravity or why good guys never get hit by bullets in action movies, etc. No, no, to fully enjoy this movie you have to surrender some sense of reality and accept this movie as is.

With that in mind, this is simply a wonderful movie. The action is intense and the characters are flavorful. Given the "cheesiness" factor, I thought the acting was great. And the lines, though many times were moronic were also unforgettable.

For example, who can forget Luther with his 3 bottles and "Warriors, come out and plaaaay".

Or Mercy "Those guys are after you".
Swan "I know they're after my a**, but now they know I know it".

Or Mercy "This is a mens room!"
Vermin "Are you kidding?!"

I mean, they're so bad they're good, you know what I mean?

Still, the other gangs were menacing and the atmosphere was good throughout the movie, backed up by good mood music. The Furies were frightening with their makeup, baseball bats and numbers, and so were the Punks in the station. The movie could have done with a few more fight scenes, the only 2 real fight scenes were the above ones.

My verdict: When I first saw this movie when it came out, it was part scary and very exciting. Over time, I've seen this movie a few more times and with today's gangs and run of the mill serial killers much more scary than their 70's counterparts this movie still has the atmosphere.

We are more wise, that's why the movie is less scary and believable and the dialog funny now, but it's a great cult classic, and that's what it is. The characters like Swan, Cochise, Ajax, Mercy, Luther, etc. are our old friends, and we watch the movie to see them say their cheesy lines or to watch the chase through the park and the station over and over again. No one should ever miss this movie.

This is a very entertaining movie, although I seriously doubt if street gangs have ever been so unintentionally humorous. Compared to the reality of what street gangs do, these gangs seem more like contestants for a reality show. That is not a slam on the movie, I believe the movie was just a sign of the times. It's a shame Michael Beck didn't get better roles after this film, although I've read that his casting in the absolute stinker "Xanadu" may have seriously derailed his career. Still, I think he's great as the impromptu leader of the representatives of the Warrior gang. Overall I think this is a fun movie. The words "fun" and "street gang" usually don't belong in the same sentence, but this movie is purely entertaining.