“Warriors! Come out and play-ay!” At this point, more people probably know that quote than have seen the movie that it comes from, thanks to the outsized influence The Warriors has had on pop culture. References to Walter Hill’s 1979 action hit can be found in everything from Spike Lee movies to anime to hip-hop, and the 2005 Rockstar Games adaptation is beloved in its own right. The story is simple, but you gotta go with it a little: At the beginning of the film, nine members of The Warriors, a street gang from Coney Island who all wear matching leather vests, are called to a summit at Van Cortlandt park in the Bronx. There, the charismatic Cyrus calls for a citywide peace agreement among the brawlers, pushers, and street-level toughs of New York City, pointing out that they outnumber the cops three to one. Then Cyrus is struck by an assassin’s bullet, and the Warriors are framed for the crime. From there, the film is a ticking time bomb as the gang tries to cross 30 miles of enemy territory, crossing nearly the entirety of New York by subway and by foot. Along the way, they encounter — and fight — gangs dressed in matching costumes, including the Lizzies (an all-female gang in sport coats and teased hair) the Baseball Furies (dressed in baseball uniforms and colored face paint), and the Hi-Hats (a gang of literal mimes). |
