Released in 1979, The Warriors didn’t have a long theatrical life, but it’s become a beloved cult film from video and cable. It’s hard to believe it’s 35 years old, but it’s now celebrating that anniversary.
Just as we saw with Scarface, the rappers did a lot to keep the Warriors alive, but it was also popular with metal fans as well. In fact, anyone who loves a well crafted action film would probably be a fan of The Warriors, and director Walter Hill made a lean, mean piece of entertainment that moves quick, and doesn’t waste time. (The fight scenes in The Warriors are also some of the best choreographed action segments I’ve ever seen.)
As Walter Hill told Esquire, the production very fast on a tight schedule and budget, which can often give a movie its immediacy and feel. “We shot it very quickly,” Hill recalled. “There were quite a few other movies shooting in New York at the time and we were the lowest-budget one.”
Not only have fans loved The Warriors for its memorable dialog (“Can you dig it?!”), but as Hill explained, it showed gangs matter of factly, not as a social problem, but a way of life everyone has to live with. And thank God a planned remake of The Warriors hasn’t gone through. Larry Gordon, the producer of The Warriors, told Hill he spent three to four times more money trying to develop a new script than he spent making the original movie.
