The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 24, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 15, 1979 Page: 12 of 20
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The Rice Thresher, February 15, 1979, Page 12
...And all of it's bad
The Warriors
directed by Walter Hill
Wendy Kilpatrick
The Warriors' ad campaign
gave me fair warning that it ws
strictly grade-B, but I was
disappointed to find that even
its grade-B appeal is pretty
weak.
The film's perfunctory plot
revolves around the quasi-epic
struggle of a Coney Island
gang, accused unjustly of
assassinating a powerful gang
leader, to "bop their way
home." This classic Odyssey
structure has no need to be
boring, especially when
coupled with the romantic
notion of "the armies of the
night." However, for all its use
of lavishly costumed, futuristic
youth gangs, The Warriors
suffers from a lack of magic.
The film might have gained
energy from genre-play,
sociological inquiry, or even
simple character development.
Instead, the episodic action is a
loose series of rumbles and
near-escapes, and several
intriguing questions receive no
directorial attention. Do these
fine-looking young men dress
up in odd uniforms because it is
the only way they know to find
a sense of belonging in the
1980's, or simply to add color
to a basically dull film? What
about the connection between
the police with their uniforms
and nightsticks on the one
hand, and the gangs with their
"colors" and bats/bottles/
blades on the other? Is all this
happening in an imaginary
1978, or in a future New York
which for some reason is
physically and technologically
identical to today's?
The appeal of the film
(surprisingly great, considering
the missed opportunities) lies in
the elemental man-to-man,
hand-to-hand combat between
gangs. In the world of The
Warriors only the treacherous
female "Lizzies" and the
cowardly "Rogues," who really
assassinated the gangland
biggie in the opening scene,
pack guns. While the Lizzies
slither around their enticing
den and the Rogues jeer from
inside their huge car, the
Warriors engage with other
truly-gritty (non-gun-packing)
gangs in the periodic and
excellent rumbles, the only
bright spots in the movie. The
director shows admirable
restraint in the use of gore and
concentrates on the animal
appeal of the heroes. For the
rest of the film the Warriors
stride around manfully,
whenever, for one of several
dull reasons, they can't stay on
the Coney Island train.
I almost neglected the major
plot complication: the Woman
who gets bored with her down-
and-out gang and runs off with
the Warriors "for some real
action." Most of her lines are
unforgivable and her role is
worse. She incites riot among
men ("You know what that is,
don't you—that's Trouble")
and stands around yelling
"Git'em!" during fights. She
takes abuse from the attractive,
aloof Warrior captain ("You're
just part of everything that's
happening tonight, and all of
it's bad"), then sudden,
unexplained acceptance from
the same ("Maybe I was a little
hard on you back there").
Finally, after the Rogues get
their iust desserts and the
Warriors are recognized as "the
Best" by New York's largest
gang, she links hands with the
Warrior captain in a
melodramatic closing pro-
Michael Beck (standing right) and his gang members face unexpected danger as they return to their home turf
cession on the Coney Island
beach.
Except for the rumbles, all
the scenes which could have
been wonderfully satisfying
corn fall quite flat. Suspense
suffers when the same
gimmick, such as the Warriors'
pulling off in the subway just as
the enemy runs onto the
platform, appears too many
times. Catharsis is impossible
because the gang members are
so dull—the members of
several opposing gangs come
across as much more
fascinati^ simply by looking
exotic and avoiding flat
dialogue.
Naturally art was not the
point, but even as silly exotic
adventure, The Warriors
disappointed this grade-B
addict.
**#
Speaking of films with
magic, I recommend The Last
Wave without hesitation.
Don't let anyone tell you too
much about it—just go see it
with all your receptors open.
PASADENA
TEXAS
Where the action is
Dance Seven Nights a Week
Food & Drinks
Hear the Bayou City Beat, nightly —
Johnny Lee, Kenny Fulton, Toni Jolene, and
Robert Herridge — "The Little Fiddler"
4500 Spencer Highway
Pasadena
946-9842
x
V •
;v ffii
s* :r>'
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Rival gang members engage in a violent confrontation in Central Park.
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Heard, Michelle Leigh. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 24, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 15, 1979, newspaper, February 15, 1979; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245396/m1/12/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.