I still remember seeing The Warriors for the first time. It was a late-night showing on TNT. I had never seen anything like it. I was thirteen at the time. I was familiar with Walter Hill and his signature style. 48HRS, Another 48HRS, Extreme Prejudice, and Streets of Fire were already personal favorites. This even amongst his filmography was different from the opening moments of Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel in the black of night.
The sort of matter-of-factly way that things play out though impactful never arched or called attention to itself – a key to Hill was there. But there was something different. There was a sweaty desperation that spoke to being a teenager that was omnipresent. The Warriors in all its style, force, and purpose always lean cutting every bit of fat so it felt like a single sprint across the most dangerous territories of New York City. As the film reaches its finale and crescendos with Luther taunting the Warriors to come out to play Hill’s movie ascended from an oddity that this review had never seen into a Classic that needed to be shared with his group of friends. A film of unrelenting pace, perfectly designed action, editing, score, and performance.
Few directors can deal in the type of archetypes (to be clear not stereotypes) the way that Walter Hill does. It’s the specificity in how he deals with types that distinguishes his work from others who attempt to do so and end up with an empty genre film. Hill leans out his narratives but never at the expense of his themes or the actions of his characters. It makes no difference where Swan (Michael Beck), Ajax (James Remar), or Rembrandt (Marcelino Sanchez) came from or how they were initiated into the Warriors or any other pathology before the story.
Hill makes the Warriors – or any character in the film – actions within a given scene or most importantly in an action set piece the “meat” of the story. This accounts for all the characters we meet in The Warriors – their actions define them. The Baseball Furies, the Lizzies, and the Orphans are all defined by their combat style and not anything they say. This creates a mythology of action, movement, and violence that we see more in Samurai or Marital Arts films than we are accustomed to in the West.
The leanness of the narrative and the visual style create an almost timeless look and feel to a film that’s four decades old. The Warriors even close to 45 years on as one of the foundations of what would become 1980s action films. Something that Walter Hill would continue to define with other classics like 48HRS and Streets of Fire.
The Transfer
Exclusive new 4K remasters of both the Theatrical Cut and the 2005 Alternate Version of the film sourced from the original camera negative, supervised by Arrow Films and approved by director Walter Hill, and Theatrical Cut presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 for the first time on home video. Having watched The Warriors in multiple theatrical events, and all its forms of home video releases – this reviewer can say that the film (both versions) has never looked better than they do in 4K UHD. The image retains the coloring and look of the original experience. The transfer is sharp, and the highlights are the contrast and black levels. The Andrew Laszlo photographed movie now feels like it is on par with the original theatrical presentation. There is none of the dreaded “crushed blacks” that have plagued prior releases. The image is healthy and beautifully represented by the night/low light photography of the film. Arrow Video’s 4K UHD presentation is a sterling example of what can be done with 4K UHD.
The Extras
100-page perfect-bound collector’s book containing new writing by film critic Dennis Cozzalio plus select archival material; Limited Edition packaging with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Laurie Greasley; Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Laurie Greasley; 6 postcard-sized reproduction art cards; Gang logo stickers!
They include the following;
DISC 1: THEATRICAL CUT (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
New audio commentary by film critic Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film
Isolated score option
War Stories
Whole Lot of Magic
Battling Boundaries
Gang Style
Armies of the Night
Sound of the Streets
Come Out to Play
Archival Special Features: The Beginning, Battleground, The Way Home and The Phenomenon
Theatrical trailer
Image Gallery
DISC 2: 2005 ALTERNATE VERSION (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
Archive introduction by director Walter Hill
DISC ONE:
The all-new audio commentary by film critic Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film, begins with the opening and what he’s going to be talk throughout. Some of the details include Hill’s lean economical style and how that helps with understanding the hierarchy of the Warriors; the score by Barry De Vorzon – the work both here and throughout his career; the work of cinematographer Andrew Laszlo – and his collaboration with Hill; the various cast members that make up the Warriors and how they relate to the adaptation and the themes of the film; the way that Hill achieved the chaos during the Cyrus assassination scene; a discussion of a 1972 article discussion the Gangs in NYC at the time in New York Magazine called “Are you ready for the new ultra-violence”; the difference between the film, the historical incident, and the Sol Yorick novel; the 2005 “Director’s Cut” and why it doesn’t work; a discussion of how Michael Beck was cast – also a side discussion of the great Megaforce from director Hal Needham; The Warrior’s homage in John Wick Chapter 4; the work of costume designer of Bobbie Mannix; the original prologue – including an entire character being deleted from the film; the editing of the film and Hill’s collaboration with editor Billy Webber; the work of Deborah Van Valkenburgh as Mercy – which leads a larger conversation regarding Hill’s female characters in his filmography; the review of the film by Pauline Kael – who loved the film; the review of the film by Roger Ebert – who did not like the film; The Last Gun, which was a script Hill wrote that lost financing for in the wake of the failure of The Driver which was being developed at the time and how this brought him to The Warriors; a larger discussion of Hill’s writing style – which he was inspired from the screenplay for Point Blank; the initial casting of lead Thomas Waites – who immediately clashed with Hill, which eventually leads to the death of the character and Waites eventual diminished role; the box office success and the early screenings and the violence and murders that erupted in the wake; how the bathroom scene was constructed from directorially, set design, editing, and stunts – and the use of slow motion; the imprint the film has on pop culture over the last five decades since its release; a larger discussion throughout about the personal and professional life of Walter Hill; the way that David Patrick Kelly and Walter Hill collaborated to create the iconic taunting of the Warriors; the homage to Kurosawa with the ending; and much more. Chaw literally wrote the book on Hill, and it shows here with his commentary track for The Warriors. The track is a deep dive into The Warriors its production, Walter Hill as a filmmaker, and what makes this film so enduring. Note that this is a newly recorded track, NOT a port over of the Imprint Disc.
Isolated score option – if one does not have the great score on vinyl (even if you do) this is the option for you. The Barry De Vorzon score is showcased here in 5.1 stereo sound.
War Stories (15:47) – is an all-new interview with writer/director Walter Hill. Hill discusses how the project came about; how he got the greenlight; his screenplays – how he writes them; the changes he made to the story; dealing with the various gangs in order to produce the picture; the style he brought to the film to inform on the specific film he was trying to make; the huge contribution of costume designer Bobbie Mannix; a deleted set piece involving a gay gang; the work of composer Barry De Vorzon; the trouble with Thomas Waites; and much more.
Whole Lot of Magic (84:12) – A new roundtable discussion, via Zoom, featuring filmmakers Josh Olson (A History of Violence), Lexi Alexander (Green Street), and Robert D. Kryzkowski (The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot) discuss their love of The Warriors and the work of director Walter Hill. The roundtable was actually a Podcast episode, here there is a visual component including some sharp editing and cutting to photos, and clips. Some of the details they discuss are the personal impact of the film on their career and life; their first time seeing the film – including Alexander having to watch the film dubbed in German; the working class tone that Hill imbues in all his films – including the subway scene towards the end of the film; the multi-racial gangs that populate The Warriors and other gang movies of the era; the work of Deborah Van Valkenburgh – and how it stands out in the era; the remake that’s being developed; the all gay gang that was cut from the film; a discussion of the character Ajax played by James Remar – and the toxicity of the character; the reasons why the film transcends time and still works for a modern audience; and much more.
Battling Boundaries (8:13) – in this all-new interview with editor Billy Webber he discusses his work on The Warriors and his collaboration with Walter Hill. The featurette opens with a discussion on how Webber after editing Days of Heaven he got involved with The Warriors, how he worked with Hill (as an actor) for the first time in Messiah of Evil; Hill’s approach to editing, and how he worked with the multiple editors on the film; and much more.
Gang Style (9:08) – in this all-new interview with costume designer Bobbie Mannix she opens with discussing that she was involved with two of the biggest cult films in history Xanadu and The Warriors. Some of the details include how she was hired on the film; how they approached costuming the Warriors; the difficulty of getting over 100 gangs clothed and how she approached that work; working with Walter Hill – and his allowing a certain amount of freedom; and much more.
Armies of the Night (5:48) – in this all-new featurette, a companion piece to costume designer Bobbie Mannix other interview, this featurette dives into her Costume Archive. A sort of image gallery of her collected photos, art pieces, patches, notes, textiles, and much more. All set to Barry De Vorzon’s score, this is a great piece looking at something we rarely see even on discs as this.
Come Out to Play (10:08) – in this all-new featurette Adam Rinn, the artistic director of Coney Island USA, takes us on a tour of the iconic locations of the Warriors’ Coney Island home turf. The interview begins what Rinn does and what Coney Island USA and what their purpose. If anyone has seen the great YouTube series Horror’s Hallowed Grounds will know the style of this featurette. Rinn gives us a breakdown of the history of Coney Island, the use of it in The Warriors, and much more. The featurette does a great job of showing us the various locations how they looked back then and now.
Sound of the Streets (24:33) – in this all-new featurette, film historian Neil Brand, discusses the work of composer Barry De Vorzon’s score for The Warriors. This is a deep dive into De Vorzon’s style, the instruments he used, the technology employed, the players he played with to accomplish this forward-thinking score. Brand’s brings an academic researched quality to this featurette that allows a great dissection of this ground-breaking score. Included are samples of the score and clips to illustrate Brand’s points.
Archival Special features – all four featurettes can be found in a single sub-menu.
The Beginning (14:06) – an archival featurette looking back on how The Warriors was developed and formed into a screenplay from Sol Yorkic’s novel. Featuring comments by producer Lawrence Gordon, actor James Remar, editor David Holden and director Walter Hill.
Battleground (15:23) – an archival featurette looking back on the production of The Warriors and the difficulties director Walter Hill and assistant director David O. Sosna shooting on location in New York City – including firing a First AD, the trouble with the locations, production (thinks like the short nights in NYC), and more. Featuring comments by producer Lawrence Gordon, Executive Producer Frank Marshall, editor Billy Webber, assistant director David O. Sosna, actor Michael Beck, and director Hill.
The Way Home (18:06) – an archival featurette looking back on the look of the film with contributions from the director of photography Andrew Laszlo. The featurette goes into detail on how the costuming, production design, action set pieces, and lighting gave the film its unique look. Featuring comments by cinematographer Laszlo, producer Lawrence Gordon, Executive Producer Frank Marshall, costume designer Bobbie Mannix, editor Billy Webber, assistant director David O. Sosna, actor Michael Beck, and director Hill.
The Phenomenon (15:22) – an archival featurette looking back on the cast, visual, action, style, and post-production that created the cult classic that is the film. Including a look at the original opening of the film. Featuring comments by actors David Patrick Kelly, Michael Beck, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, composer Barry De Vorzon, editor Billy Webber, director Hill, cinematographer Laszlo, Executive Producer Marshall, editor David Holden, and others.
Theatrical trailer (1:43)
Image gallery (8:20) – this image gallery consisting of over 100 photos featuring production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and more plays automatically with the Barry De Vorzon score. Note there is no way to navigate the gallery but one can pause the stills at any time.
DISC TWO :
NOTE: Arrow Video should be complimented for not just including the “Director’s Cut” of the film as an afterthought. This is a full-on restoration in 4K with the same bells and whistles (e.g. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision). Though many won’t bother with this version of the film, this reviewer would definitely recommend it as a time capsule of the era. Remember this “Director’s Cut” was made at the height of the DVD Era when studios were making truckloads of money off the format. The care and consideration they’ve approached this version of the film with, elevates this particular set into the Top Ten of 2023 discussion (if not Top 5).
Archive introduction by director Walter Hill (1:17) – Hill discusses why the changes were made for this “director’s cut” though he admits it’s not a director’s cut.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video has hit it out of the baseball furies park with this edition of The Warriors. This UHD Set is everything you could possibly want – Picture, Sound, and Special Features are all brilliantly produced. Highest Possible Recommendations – a contender for Best Catalog Release of 2023!
The Warriors have come out to play in this new 4K UHD Limited Edition from Arrow Video including a new 4K Restoration approved by Walter Hill!
The Film
I still remember seeing The Warriors for the first time. It was a late-night showing on TNT. I had never seen anything like it. I was thirteen at the time. I was familiar with Walter Hill and his signature style. 48HRS, Another 48HRS, Extreme Prejudice, and Streets of Fire were already personal favorites. This even amongst his filmography was different from the opening moments of Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel in the black of night.
The sort of matter-of-factly way that things play out though impactful never arched or called attention to itself – a key to Hill was there. But there was something different. There was a sweaty desperation that spoke to being a teenager that was omnipresent. The Warriors in all its style, force, and purpose always lean cutting every bit of fat so it felt like a single sprint across the most dangerous territories of New York City. As the film reaches its finale and crescendos with Luther taunting the Warriors to come out to play Hill’s movie ascended from an oddity that this review had never seen into a Classic that needed to be shared with his group of friends. A film of unrelenting pace, perfectly designed action, editing, score, and performance.
Few directors can deal in the type of archetypes (to be clear not stereotypes) the way that Walter Hill does. It’s the specificity in how he deals with types that distinguishes his work from others who attempt to do so and end up with an empty genre film. Hill leans out his narratives but never at the expense of his themes or the actions of his characters. It makes no difference where Swan (Michael Beck), Ajax (James Remar), or Rembrandt (Marcelino Sanchez) came from or how they were initiated into the Warriors or any other pathology before the story.
Hill makes the Warriors – or any character in the film – actions within a given scene or most importantly in an action set piece the “meat” of the story. This accounts for all the characters we meet in The Warriors – their actions define them. The Baseball Furies, the Lizzies, and the Orphans are all defined by their combat style and not anything they say. This creates a mythology of action, movement, and violence that we see more in Samurai or Marital Arts films than we are accustomed to in the West.
The leanness of the narrative and the visual style create an almost timeless look and feel to a film that’s four decades old. The Warriors even close to 45 years on as one of the foundations of what would become 1980s action films. Something that Walter Hill would continue to define with other classics like 48HRS and Streets of Fire.
The Transfer
Exclusive new 4K remasters of both the Theatrical Cut and the 2005 Alternate Version of the film sourced from the original camera negative, supervised by Arrow Films and approved by director Walter Hill, and Theatrical Cut presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 for the first time on home video. Having watched The Warriors in multiple theatrical events, and all its forms of home video releases – this reviewer can say that the film (both versions) has never looked better than they do in 4K UHD. The image retains the coloring and look of the original experience. The transfer is sharp, and the highlights are the contrast and black levels. The Andrew Laszlo photographed movie now feels like it is on par with the original theatrical presentation. There is none of the dreaded “crushed blacks” that have plagued prior releases. The image is healthy and beautifully represented by the night/low light photography of the film. Arrow Video’s 4K UHD presentation is a sterling example of what can be done with 4K UHD.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1: THEATRICAL CUT (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
DISC 2: 2005 ALTERNATE VERSION (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
DISC ONE:
The all-new audio commentary by film critic Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film, begins with the opening and what he’s going to be talk throughout. Some of the details include Hill’s lean economical style and how that helps with understanding the hierarchy of the Warriors; the score by Barry De Vorzon – the work both here and throughout his career; the work of cinematographer Andrew Laszlo – and his collaboration with Hill; the various cast members that make up the Warriors and how they relate to the adaptation and the themes of the film; the way that Hill achieved the chaos during the Cyrus assassination scene; a discussion of a 1972 article discussion the Gangs in NYC at the time in New York Magazine called “Are you ready for the new ultra-violence”; the difference between the film, the historical incident, and the Sol Yorick novel; the 2005 “Director’s Cut” and why it doesn’t work; a discussion of how Michael Beck was cast – also a side discussion of the great Megaforce from director Hal Needham; The Warrior’s homage in John Wick Chapter 4; the work of costume designer of Bobbie Mannix; the original prologue – including an entire character being deleted from the film; the editing of the film and Hill’s collaboration with editor Billy Webber; the work of Deborah Van Valkenburgh as Mercy – which leads a larger conversation regarding Hill’s female characters in his filmography; the review of the film by Pauline Kael – who loved the film; the review of the film by Roger Ebert – who did not like the film; The Last Gun, which was a script Hill wrote that lost financing for in the wake of the failure of The Driver which was being developed at the time and how this brought him to The Warriors; a larger discussion of Hill’s writing style – which he was inspired from the screenplay for Point Blank; the initial casting of lead Thomas Waites – who immediately clashed with Hill, which eventually leads to the death of the character and Waites eventual diminished role; the box office success and the early screenings and the violence and murders that erupted in the wake; how the bathroom scene was constructed from directorially, set design, editing, and stunts – and the use of slow motion; the imprint the film has on pop culture over the last five decades since its release; a larger discussion throughout about the personal and professional life of Walter Hill; the way that David Patrick Kelly and Walter Hill collaborated to create the iconic taunting of the Warriors; the homage to Kurosawa with the ending; and much more. Chaw literally wrote the book on Hill, and it shows here with his commentary track for The Warriors. The track is a deep dive into The Warriors its production, Walter Hill as a filmmaker, and what makes this film so enduring. Note that this is a newly recorded track, NOT a port over of the Imprint Disc.
Isolated score option – if one does not have the great score on vinyl (even if you do) this is the option for you. The Barry De Vorzon score is showcased here in 5.1 stereo sound.
War Stories (15:47) – is an all-new interview with writer/director Walter Hill. Hill discusses how the project came about; how he got the greenlight; his screenplays – how he writes them; the changes he made to the story; dealing with the various gangs in order to produce the picture; the style he brought to the film to inform on the specific film he was trying to make; the huge contribution of costume designer Bobbie Mannix; a deleted set piece involving a gay gang; the work of composer Barry De Vorzon; the trouble with Thomas Waites; and much more.
Whole Lot of Magic (84:12) – A new roundtable discussion, via Zoom, featuring filmmakers Josh Olson (A History of Violence), Lexi Alexander (Green Street), and Robert D. Kryzkowski (The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot) discuss their love of The Warriors and the work of director Walter Hill. The roundtable was actually a Podcast episode, here there is a visual component including some sharp editing and cutting to photos, and clips. Some of the details they discuss are the personal impact of the film on their career and life; their first time seeing the film – including Alexander having to watch the film dubbed in German; the working class tone that Hill imbues in all his films – including the subway scene towards the end of the film; the multi-racial gangs that populate The Warriors and other gang movies of the era; the work of Deborah Van Valkenburgh – and how it stands out in the era; the remake that’s being developed; the all gay gang that was cut from the film; a discussion of the character Ajax played by James Remar – and the toxicity of the character; the reasons why the film transcends time and still works for a modern audience; and much more.
Battling Boundaries (8:13) – in this all-new interview with editor Billy Webber he discusses his work on The Warriors and his collaboration with Walter Hill. The featurette opens with a discussion on how Webber after editing Days of Heaven he got involved with The Warriors, how he worked with Hill (as an actor) for the first time in Messiah of Evil; Hill’s approach to editing, and how he worked with the multiple editors on the film; and much more.
Gang Style (9:08) – in this all-new interview with costume designer Bobbie Mannix she opens with discussing that she was involved with two of the biggest cult films in history Xanadu and The Warriors. Some of the details include how she was hired on the film; how they approached costuming the Warriors; the difficulty of getting over 100 gangs clothed and how she approached that work; working with Walter Hill – and his allowing a certain amount of freedom; and much more.
Armies of the Night (5:48) – in this all-new featurette, a companion piece to costume designer Bobbie Mannix other interview, this featurette dives into her Costume Archive. A sort of image gallery of her collected photos, art pieces, patches, notes, textiles, and much more. All set to Barry De Vorzon’s score, this is a great piece looking at something we rarely see even on discs as this.
Come Out to Play (10:08) – in this all-new featurette Adam Rinn, the artistic director of Coney Island USA, takes us on a tour of the iconic locations of the Warriors’ Coney Island home turf. The interview begins what Rinn does and what Coney Island USA and what their purpose. If anyone has seen the great YouTube series Horror’s Hallowed Grounds will know the style of this featurette. Rinn gives us a breakdown of the history of Coney Island, the use of it in The Warriors, and much more. The featurette does a great job of showing us the various locations how they looked back then and now.
Sound of the Streets (24:33) – in this all-new featurette, film historian Neil Brand, discusses the work of composer Barry De Vorzon’s score for The Warriors. This is a deep dive into De Vorzon’s style, the instruments he used, the technology employed, the players he played with to accomplish this forward-thinking score. Brand’s brings an academic researched quality to this featurette that allows a great dissection of this ground-breaking score. Included are samples of the score and clips to illustrate Brand’s points.
Archival Special features – all four featurettes can be found in a single sub-menu.
Theatrical trailer (1:43)
Image gallery (8:20) – this image gallery consisting of over 100 photos featuring production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and more plays automatically with the Barry De Vorzon score. Note there is no way to navigate the gallery but one can pause the stills at any time.
DISC TWO :
NOTE: Arrow Video should be complimented for not just including the “Director’s Cut” of the film as an afterthought. This is a full-on restoration in 4K with the same bells and whistles (e.g. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision). Though many won’t bother with this version of the film, this reviewer would definitely recommend it as a time capsule of the era. Remember this “Director’s Cut” was made at the height of the DVD Era when studios were making truckloads of money off the format. The care and consideration they’ve approached this version of the film with, elevates this particular set into the Top Ten of 2023 discussion (if not Top 5).
Archive introduction by director Walter Hill (1:17) – Hill discusses why the changes were made for this “director’s cut” though he admits it’s not a director’s cut.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video has hit it out of the baseball furies park with this edition of The Warriors. This UHD Set is everything you could possibly want – Picture, Sound, and Special Features are all brilliantly produced. Highest Possible Recommendations – a contender for Best Catalog Release of 2023!
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of The Warriors is out December 19th
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