“Warriors … come out to play-ay!”
Director Walter Hill’s 1979 gang epic is a curiosity in 2018. The film ruled its opening weekend with a $3 million haul, en route to a respectable $22 million. A few movie goers greeted the film with violence during its first week of release.
A 19-year-old gang member died at a drive-in theater showing the film after his gang collided with a rival group. The incident, along with similar clashes, led to theaters beefing up security where the film played.
Sol Yurick’s novel spawned this futuristic film where colorful gangs rule the Big Apple. The story opens as a large number of thugs gather for a possible end to their feuding. The charismatic Cyrus (Roger Hill) tries to unite them but is gunned down mid-speech.
His...