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.)
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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.