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What is a Bucket Movie? Overlooked, weird and rare films, that for one reason or another fell through the cracks and failed to get a mainstream audience. Cult classics, unknown oddities and the extremely hard to find, finally get the press they deserve here!

The Warriors (1979) Review

April 5th 2010 21:01
warrirors, coney,
Thier all bad news, but you can't help but to cheer for them.
We all love the anti-hero, the underdog who breaks all the rules to get the job done. The bad guy you can cheer for, the lovable rogue. In Hollywood nowadays the anti-hero has almost become cliché, but when the Warriors was made, film was just emerging from the age of square-jawed heroes and damsels in distress, Dirty Harry had taught us being bad was good, but was the world ready for a brutal uncompromising film like “The Warriors”?

Put simply, this is a film without good guys. The heroes of the film are a gang of street toughs from Coney island, five chosen out of a much larger gang to represent “The Warriors” At a large meeting in the Bronx, where the Charismatic gang leader Cyrus encourages the gangs to unite to conquer New York, but he's murdered in the middle of his speech, and the Warriors are framed, sending all of New York's many gangs after them. What follows is one of the most amazing adventures ever filmed, as the outnumbered Warriors, stuck behind 25 miles of enemy territory fight their way back to Coney island. The Movie takes place in a stylized reality, reminiscent of a comic book with colorful costumes and settings, but underlying a gritty, realistic depiction of New York's gangs. The iconic imagery of imaginative Games like the Baseball Furies, The Rifs, the Rogues and the High Hats made this movie very memorable, and an almost instant cult-classic.

Walter Hill was still a young director when he made “The Warriors” and backers were scarce. The film was made on a shoestring budget, using unknown actors and borrowed equipment. The production was riddled with setbacks, the original actor to play Cyrus who was really involved with New York gangs disappeared before filming started. The real street gang in the charge of the Coney Island area, “The Homicides” threatened the actors wearing the Warriors costumes claiming they were gang colors on their turf. Actors received threats and had to remove their costumes right after scenes were filmed. Other gangs were angry about not being cast as extras, one tore
Movie poster, warrirors of the night, warrirors
Before people even saw the movie, this poster stirred up controversy all by itself!
through the set during a lunch break stealing thousands of dollars worth of equipment. After that a real New York gang called “The Mongrels” were hired for security. The Film was shot at night, on location, in the freezing rain, guerrilla film making at it's purest. Even after release, the film met with controversy and violence, many people protested the film and tried to have it banned. The gritty, realistic fight scenes often caused real fights to break out at screenings and many theaters canceled the film, fearing further violence.
The film was based on the Novel by Sol Yorick by the same name (which in turn is based on "Anabasis", the legend of a stranded Greek legion) , but lacking the novels graphic rape scenes and racial undertones. In the Novel the Warriors were a Black/Hispanic gang, but the movie depicts them as racially diverse, this make far more profound a statement that the source material.. Among all the profanity and violence there is not one utterance of a racial slur, not once in the movie is race even mentioned. Even in our tolerant time the idea of a colorblind, post racial street gang is radical to say the least. The Warriors are a family abandoned by society,but they stick together, and fight for one another. This is why we can cheer for them, even though in real life these people would be criminals and lowlifes. They stand together, their bond transcending race. Quite a message for what many see as just a film about bad guys.
This films has created a unique cult-following, worldwide. Watching moves from other countries you'll see sly references (Most notably in the Korean action classic “City Of Violence”) and lines. Much of the film's fictional lingo has made it into real life (You gotta know how to soldier!) And this once obscure film as almost gained enough popularity to disqualify it from the blog with the release of the Rockstar video game based on the movie. Don't be one of the posers who plays the game and pretends to know how to soldier like a real hard set. Pick up the DVD and lean how to really bop, the Samurai has spoken.
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Posted By: Joshua the Samurai - Category: W
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Comment by Matt Shea

April 13th 2010 05:30


20/20 Filmsight
Great pick for a review, Josh - amazing film.

Don't be one of the posers who plays the game and pretends to know how to soldier like a real hard set. Pick up the DVD and lean how to really bop, the Samurai has spoken.

It's funny you say this because a number of people love the (what I think is an average) video game and laugh at the film - people sometimes approach it a little too seriously and just don't get it.

Love it to bits - it has its faults, but there's some real filmmaking skill (eg by the end of the credits you know exactly what's going on, why it's going on and you're already beginning to get a grip on the different gang members).

Also, need a theme for a party? Warriors is it!

Comment by Joshua the Samurai

April 13th 2010 15:33


Bucket Movies
Weird, Rare, and Overlooked Film
Ultimate Battle
The Samurai does enjoy the game, it's a ton of fun but in the end it's like Grand theft Auto without the cars. The Film is a work of art, the game kills an afternoon.

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