The Warriors

"These are the armies of the night. They are 100,000 strong. They outnumber the cops five to one. They could run New York City. Tonight they're all out to get the Warriors."

1979 1h 34m EN

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 2,500

ActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island gang called the Warriors is wrongly blamed for Cyrus' death. Before you know it, the cops and every gangbanger in town is hot on the Warriors' trail.

“These are the armies of the night. They are 100,000 strong. They outnumber the cops five to one. They could run New York City. Tonight they're all out to get the Warriors.”

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Cast

Michael Beck
Swan
James Remar
Ajax
David Patrick Kelly
Luther
Dorsey Wright
Cleon
David Harris
Cochise
Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Mercy
Brian Tyler
Snow
Tom McKitterick
Cowboy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Walter Hill
Writers: David Shaber, Walter Hill
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Walter Hill, shot by Andrew Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Barry De Vorzon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Freeman A. Davies shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Beck and James Remar and David Patrick Kelly carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "These are the armies of the night. They are 100,000 strong. They outnumber the cops five to one. They could run New York City. Tonight they're all out to get the Warriors.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Walter Hill directs. Andrew Laszlo behind the camera. Barry De Vorzon scores. Freeman A. Davies cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.
347 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Walter Hill, shot by Andrew Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Barry De Vorzon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Freeman A. Davies shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Michael Beck and James Remar and David Patrick Kelly carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "These are the armies of the night. They are 100,000 strong. They outnumber the cops five to one. They could run New York City. Tonight they're all out to get the Warriors.".
9IMDB entry: tt0080120 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 15 themes, including "new york city", "street gang", "gangster", "disc jockey".
11Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Andrew Laszlo
Original score: Barry De Vorzon
Editing: Freeman A. Davies
Costume design: Bobbie Mannix
Makeup / hair: Mike Maggi
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $22,490,039
Return: 562% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Warriors (1979)

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Walter Hill

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2018-01-12
★ 9/10
How do you review a movie like The Warriors? I've got a real short way for ya: The Warriors is the best movie of the 1970s. Final rating:★★★★½ - Ridiculously strong appeal. I can’t stop thinking about it.
John Chard2019-11-13
★ 8/10
Can you dig it? Well actually yes Mr Hill, I bloody can! During my schooling as a teenager there were a handful of films that it was deemed cool to love, The Wanderers, Scum, Quadrophenia and The Warriors, and it's perhaps a weird thing to say... but I still feel here in my middle age that these are still cool films to be adored and cherished. I have just sat through The Warriors again for about the hundredth time in my life, and it still entertains me as much now as it did back then, sure it's dated, sure I see more cheese than I thought it had back then, but I also see a visually tight movie that actually delves interestingly into the lives and psyche of young gangers. The plot is simple, all the gangs of New York City are called to a meeting where they are called to unite to take over the city, the leader of the gang known as The Riffs is a guy called Cyrus who is the one calling for the unity. He is shot and killed during the rally and The Warriors are wrongly framed for his murder. The Warriors then have to make their way back home to Coney Island with every gang in the city out to kill them, and also with the police hot on their tail as well. This journey is excellent as we are introduced to a number of gangs trying to get the better of The Warriors, the fights are well choreographed, the clothes are wonderful, and some of the dialogue is now teenage folklore. The film was criticised on release for glamorising gangs, but I fail to see how this opinion was formed, if anything, when analysing the main characters, the film has a sad streak running through it. Be that as it may, the films triumph is getting the will of the viewer to hopefully see the unfairly tarnished Warriors make it home to Coney Island, which builds to the climax of the film that is both poignant and punch the air greatness. 8/10
CinemaSerf2022-06-29
★ 7/10
In a dysfunctional New York City, the charismatic leader "Cyrus" (Roger Hill) assembles all the gangs and declares that it is time for them to overwhelm the police and to take control of their city. Amidst cheering crowds he is promptly gunned down - and the "Warriors" are held responsible. Led by "Swan" (Michael Beck) they must run a gauntlet of other avenging gangs and try to establish just who pulled the trigger. What now ensues is a really well paced, gritty, series of escapades that pit them against a whole range of thugs and hoodlums - of varying degrees of efficiency - whilst trying to evade the cops. Along the way back to Coney Island, they encounter serial hooker "Mercy" (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) and despite their initial hostility, she and "Swan" start to respect each other as their perilous journey comes to head. The whole look of this film is effective. There is not a great deal of dialogue - but what there is is frequently quite pithy. The story gathers pace with some well staged combat scenes, and some intense urban cinematography that lends well to the underlying purpose of the story of a lawless and dystopian society the is still the home for valour and courage, honesty and comradeship. On the downside, though they do their jobs well enough here, none of the acting is especially memorable, but maybe that is what helps this whole thing hit home. Next time you eat an ice lolly...!