The Warriors

Walter Hill’s 1979 cult flick still has enough of an audience to warrant action figures

Comments (0) By Nick Keppler Thursday, Nov 22 2007

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The Warriors, screening today at the River Oaks Theatre, comes off like A Clockwork Orange without the arty ambience. The 1979 cult film, directed by Walter Hill, stars a bunch of people known primarily for their role in, ah, The Warriors. The film is the story of a New York City gang war in which the titular group is framed for the assassination of a charismatic gangster who tried to unify the city’s clusters of hooligans and who, in the film’s most memorable scene, is enticed and almost killed by an all-female gang named, suggestively enough, “The Lizzies.” While Clockworkbrilliantly delved into the moral and social implications of hooliganism, The Warriors just shows a bunch of thugs, in ‘70s punk gear, going at each other in a noir tone and setting, for the crowd that eats up that sort of thing (and they did; in 2005, action figures and a video game were released for the legion of fans the movie had amassed over the last two decades). But don’t think The Warriors has no high-art connotations; its plot is loosely based on the Greek epic Anabasis, although we do mean loosely. 11:55 p.m. Friday and Saturday, November 23 and 24. 2009 West Gray. For information, call 713-866-8881 or visit www.landmark-theatres.com. $8.25.
Fri., Nov. 23, 11:55 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 24, 11:55 p.m., 2007