To inaugurate our triumphant return, I have decided to pull out all the stops- to make this article one for the ages. Our absent months have been fraught with new experiences, culminating with several written discourses that you will have an opportunity to read. But for today, let us turn our sights to a film that has captured my imagination for the past few weeks, a little flick that I like to call The Warriors!

Released in 1979 to much fervor (reportedly, gang fights broke out at certain showings in New York,) The Warriors was able to establish for itself a nice legacy, one that spans several forms of media. The plot, simply put, is as follows: all of the myriad of gangs in New York City are summoned to the Bronx to attend a unification meeting. Cyrus, the leader of the Grammercy Riffs, feels that he can unite every gang, and that they can begin taking over the city borough by borough, ousting organized crime and the law along the way. The Warriors are a Coney Island gang, fiercely territorial and a little suspicious, but they attend. They arrive to find thousands of other gang members already there, awaiting Cyrus' message. He delivers his cheesy speech, part gospel and part ghetto, arousing interest from seemingly everyone- that is, except one gang, the Rogues. Their leader, in a direct violation of "the truce," is "packing" (for the uninitiated, it means that he has a gat.) He shots Cyrus, and in the confusion, blames it on the Warriors. The cops come, and all hell breaks loose. The seeds have been sown: the Warriors are marked for death by every gang in the city, with every cop also out to bust gang members. Their only hope is to make it home to Coney.

Well, maybe that was a little more than simply put. Anyway, a few more details should be brought up at this point. First, the gangs are ridiculously easy to pick out. No doubt video games (more on these later) took a cue and followed suit. In order to better understand the artistic composition of this city, a little something should be said about the major gangs.

The Warriors- From Coney Island, these tough mothas don't take jive from nobody. Their garb is fashioned after that of the American Indian. It takes on specific significance here, as their journey can be compared to forced relocations, such as the Trail of Tears, or simply to the oppression that Indian's have had to endure over the years. Obviously a street-smart bunch, they also benefit from being racially integrated. This not only forces the viewer to see beyond the normal problems of race relations, but shows a dream that even gangs could one day integrate. The social impact is not lost today.

The Rogues- Despicable and bad in everyway, this gang thrives on anarchy. They appear as bikers in black leather, probably an intentional allusion to the Hells Angels. Additionally, some of the members seem strangely Nazi like, probably also intentional. They are not integrated, composed only of dumb-looking white guys. As they eventually get that which is coming to them, that fact could be important.

Grammercy Riffs- An all black gang that is unquestionably the largest and most powerful in the city. Their leader, Cyrus, really had something going, but with his death those dreams died. They come across as the most professional, as all the members seem to be trained in one martial art or another. Almost everyone wears an orange kimono, with some of the higher ranking members in other pimped out tunics.

Turnbull A.C.s- To preface, I have no idea what "A.C." stands for, and I don't think that anyone involved in the making of the movie does either. Were it not for its racial integration, this would easily be the Neo-Nazi modeled group. Their shaved heads, multiple tattoos and constant scowls seem to endorse this. However, as they have black members, that assessment doesn't hold up. What they can be seen as, however, are barbarians. They travel around in a reclaimed school bus, hanging out the windows with sticks and chains in suit. Once they dismount the bus (in hot pursuit of the Warriors,) they charge as if a soulless mob. Without a doubt, they are one of the more disturbing, unfriendly gangs.

Boppers- Stereotype city. This all black gang consists of jive looking playas decked out in purple silken vests and hats. They seem to control the radio waves. When the random radio announcements are sent out, they are generally addressed specifically to the Boppers. Despite their appearance at the beginning, they don't figure in to the Warrior's challenge of getting home.

Lizzies- Laugh it up I know, but this is an all female gang, complete with butch mamas and serious lesbian overtones. Much like the siren's of Homer, these chicks lure some of the Warriors away from their quest, and almost destroy them. Deception and a funky juke box are their greatest weapons. Their worse weapons include guns and knives, which they handle very poorly.

Orphans- Dickensian to the max, these quasi-bums are a poor gang with a poor rep: in fact, they are so low down, they weren't even invited to the big meeting. Their uniform reflects their shitty status, a green shirt and raggedy jeans. They are a threat to the Warriors for a time, but one well-placed Molotov cocktail is all it takes to get them running.

High Hats- While they appear at the meeting and in the beginning montage, they soon drop off the face of the earth, and it is easy to see why. Essentially, they are mimes with Lincoln-esque stove pipe hats. They wear stipped shirts and suspenders. They paint their faces. They are the epitome of pansy. No gang comes anywhere near this close to coming off as weak and stupid. If it weren't for the theatrics of Alex and his Droogs from A Clockwork Orange, they would he total jokes.

Baseball Furies- The authors favorite, these cats don't take ANYTHING from ANYONE. Dressed in what seem to be Yankee's uniforms, shirt, paints, socks, shoes and all, they make it a point to each grab a bat and then begin swinging randomly. No doubt, they put up a good fight, but with their painted faces, they seem like clowns. Even though they are armed, the Warriors still manage to school them.

Other gangs that appear include a group dressed entirely in Cabana-wear, a group of Asians wearing Mongolian mountain garb, a troop of Camouflage wearers, and a gang that wears overalls and appear as total simpletons. Mad props must be given to the costumers and the art direction, as it was bold to make everything so bleeding obvious. Anyway, it is a copyrighted theory of mine that these gangs and this film are the direct precursor to their side-scrolling, beat em up genre of video games. The creators of Final Fight, Double Dragon, Renegade, River City Ransom and the plethora of others no doubt knew their sources well. This film legitimatized a comic book sort of narrative which translates perfectly to the video game screen. Using the template established in this film, these designers had a definite means of creating indentifable sets of characters to be continually trashed and smashed. In fact, this dialectic will probably come full circle: rumor has it that Rockstar Games, those goons behind the Grand Theft Auto games, are working on a PS2 version of the film. Imagine the lush environments from these games, combined with non-stop gang warfare across New York. Oh, beautiful will it be.

Those are the principle players, and a little more besides. As for the sources of this tale, there are two principle spots of extraction. The first of which comes to us from the Greek's, a tale by Xenophan entitled Anabasis. It chronicles a stranded group of men's attempt to make their way home across land infused with peril. Tapping into this source, native New York writer Sol Yurick wrote a novel entitled The Warriors. Focusing more on realism, the basic elements of the film are all there. As a side note, this book is rare as all hell, with most copies now costing somewhere over $100. Director Walter P. Hill took these two foundations and applied his own visions. The result is a film that almost began with the words "Somewhere in the near future…" His New York is nearly post-Apocalyptic, complete with ruin and destruction.

The fights in this film, of which there are a good amount, are very well choreographed. Action is sometimes overemphasized, but it works well with the general comic book feel. The script is downright laughable at times, but it captures some period dialogue for all of us cultural archeologists. Aside from the gangs, the next most powerful aspect of this film are the sets, which are the logical peak of what can be considered grim and urban. The feel of a dying New York City is central to the plot, and is remembered the whole way through.

So, why all this then? Who gives a crap about this now very dated film? Well, it remains amazing as an artifact, not only of urban life in the late seventies, but as a film in which groups attempt to overcome the usual American prejudices. It was the direct precursor to that genre of fighting game that we all know and love so well. It was, perhaps unintentionally, the funniest film to have been made that year, when cheesiness is taken into account. Plus, it contributed to America that wonderful phrase, "Can you diiigggg iitttt?" This film is worth seeing and watching over and over again.