Movie · 1979 · Action, Thriller · 1h 34m · R · English
Curator score: 7.9/10 (188.4K ratings)
These are the armies of the night. They are 100,000 strong. They outnumber the cops five to one. They could run New York City. Tonight they're all out to get the Warriors.
Overview
Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island gang called the Warriors is wrongly blamed for Cyrus' death. Before you know it, the cops and every gangbanger in town is hot on the Warriors' trail.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.85/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director
Walter Hill
Production
Paramount Pictures, Lawrence Gordon Productions
Cast
Michael Beck, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Dorsey Wright, David Harris, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Brian Tyler, Tom McKitterick, Marcelino Sánchez, Roger Hill, Steve James, Terry Michos, Lynne Thigpen, Mercedes Ruehl, John Snyder, Irwin Keyes, Antone Pagán, Sonny Landham, Thomas G. Waites, Johnny Barnes
Where to watch
fuboTV, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, stylized New York chase movie that turns a gang war into a mythic night journey. Its comic-book look, propulsive momentum, and vivid street-level world make it a cult action classic with real personality.
Best for
fans of gritty 70s action with a heightened, almost fairy-tale style
viewers who like urban survival stories and nonstop pursuit plots
people drawn to cult cinema, iconic outfits, and memorable gang factions
audiences who enjoy movies that feel like a nocturnal city odyssey
Skip if
you want realistic crime drama over stylized pulp
you dislike repetitive chase structure or thin characterization
you need a fast, modern editing style and contemporary action grammar
you are put off by exaggerated violence and macho posturing
Overview
The Warriors is one of those movies that takes a simple premise and makes it feel like a legend. Walter Hill strips the story down to a single night, then fills New York with color-coded gangs, subway tunnels, and a constant sense of movement. It plays like a comic book crossed with a street-level fever dream.
Worth noting
What gives it staying power is how clearly it understands the city as both playground and trap. The Warriors are always in motion, always improvising, and the film keeps turning transit, neighborhoods, and public spaces into obstacles. That makes the movie feel less like a crime picture than a survival odyssey.
Bottom line
It’s also fun in a very specific, very 70s way: blunt, strange, and stylish without apology. The dialogue has become iconic, but the real appeal is the atmosphere — a whole world built from attitude, music, and momentum. If you like cult action with a strong visual identity, this is essential.
Top Letterboxd reviews
robyn (5★) · 4069 likes
The scene on the subway when they're sitting opposite the rich kids is probably the best depiction of a class divide I've ever seen, you know? That pretty much silent scene tells you a million things about this fantasy world, more than hours of plot ever could.
When Swan stops her fixing her hair, silently reassuring her she's got nothing to prove it just gets me man, makes me wanna cry.
laird (5★) · 1849 likes
How I see myself: A Warrior
How others see me: A Baseball Fury
How I really am: An Orphan.
kayla (4★) · 1558 likes
100% would’ve gotten caught that’s way too much running for me
comrade_yui · 1249 likes
a really great promotion for the virtues of public transportation
Alexei Toliopoulos (5★) · 1011 likes
My remake:
*clink*clink*clink* “Warriors! Come out as gaaaaay!”