Cult 101: The Warriors (1979) on 35mm
Director: Walter Hill Run Time: 93 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1979
Starring: David Harris, David Patrick Kelly, Dorsey Wright, James Remar, Michael Beck
Country: United States
Language: English
Presented as part of the 2023 edition of Cult 101.
About the film:
A battle of gigantic proportions is looming in the neon underground of New York City. The armies of the night number 100,000; they outnumber the police 5 to 1; and tonight they are after the Warriors – a street gang blamed unfairly for a rival gang leader’s death.
The action takes place at night, underground, in the sub-culture of gang warfare that rages from Coney Island to Manhattan to the Bronx. Members of the Warriors fight for their lives, seek to survive in the urban jungle and learn the meaning of loyalty.
“No one could have predicted it would be considered one of the greatest “cult classics” in film history… there isn’t a living director that can capture what made this movie work!”
—Dante James, Film Threat
Based on Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel of the same name, which he based on “Anabasis” by Xenophon – who died in 350 BC – about Greek mercenaries sent to seize the Persian throne. The result is an intense and stylized film marking a dazzling achievement for cinematographer Andrew Laszlo.
About the filmmaker:
Walter Hill is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western genre. He has directed such films as The Warriors (1979), Hard Times (1975), The Driver (1978), Red Heat (1988), Last Man Standing (1996), Undisputed (2002), and Bullet to the Head (2012), as well as writing the screenplay for the Jim Thompson crime drama The Getaway (1994) starring Steve McQueen and directed by Sam Peckinpah. He has also directed several episodes of television series such as Tales from the Crypt and Deadwood and produced the Alien films.
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