The Warriors: This Too Is a Story of Courage.

You know what I realized the other day? I fucking love The Warriors. I tried relentlessly to get Emmy Doomas to watch this with me tonight but I failed. Resigned to having to watch yet another episode of Law and Order, I sighed- depressed and defeated as I finished the rest of my dinner. Suddenly I stared wide eyed at the screen before me- Luther was on it sans glass fingers but double the creepiness, as the suspected murderer/rapist of a...well a murder and rape. I took it as a sign from Jesus- fuck Law and Order I have The Warriors to watch! My night instantly became better as I settled into the couch, put on my headphones and got sucked into the little gang with a giant heart. Well actually that's not true- it's probably a big gang- but for the Fellowship of the Ring er, the nine delegates from Coney Island, 9 was all they had and ass they did kick.

Cleon

My heart breaks a little more each time I have to see Cleon go down so early in battle. But I suppose he is like Gandalf and Dumbledore- there'd be no room for Swan to grow if the most powerful man in the business was around for the whole ride. Cleon is the shit. Plus I'm wildly attracted to him. He is a true fallen warrior and no one and I repeat NO ONE could rock a head dress quite like that.

Swan

War lord, the strong and silent badass type with a hidden romantic side? Swan in a nutshell. I would choose no other man to lead the Warriors home, he knows how to lead his men victory and just the right way to smack a bitch up.

Ajax

Kind of an asshole. Thank goodness Cleon didn't make him War Lord.

Fox

I've recently become very fond of Fox. The Warrior's scout- he knows the ins and outs of all the gangs- even the so low they ain't even on the radar gang, the Orphans. I love the way he pretends to be impressed by what the Orphans have done and I deeply mourn his sad and tragic death. Another fallen Warrior.

Cochise

Cochise remembers to keep his head on- and calms down the group when Ajax and Swan fight over War Lord roles. He realizes that staying together rather than being divided will be the key to their success- and although he forgets this momentarily during the Lizzies scene, he falls right back into it when he realizes reaching home is only impossible with unity.

Snow

How can you not instantly love a man who carries a loaded Molotov cocktail around his neck? Snow is one of the most underrated Warriors in my opinion, he is level headed, calm and cool- yet can kick some serious Baseball Fury ass.

Vermin

Vermin is semi useless. I've never liked him much as he's a bit too goofy to be a true Warrior, but I suppose we all need some comedic relief every now and then.

Cowboy

Perhaps the most useless of all the Warriors. Cowboy can't run to save his ass- plus he's a cowboy. These are the Warriors- there is no room for cowboys.

Rembrandt

The youngest and perhaps the wisest, who doesn't love them some Rembrandt? He's onto the Lizzies way before the other guys catch on- and suffers through the pain of being knifed to partake in the last epic battle.

So the question of the day becomes, which gang do you love? After a close watching I realized that there are far too many gangs to choose from. But here are some notables.

How can you not love a gang that rocks shiny purple vests?

They win the award for worst gang ever. What are they going to do, invisible knife them to death?

I recently noticed this gang...and I am loving it.

Snazzy jackets are the key to any successful gang, just ask the Pink Ladies.

The Turnbull AC's are pretty terrifying. Plus they have a school bus! And bats!

Of course no bats beat The Baseball Furies bats. Everyone's favorite gang is usually the baseball furies. I tried unsucessfully to be a baseball fury for Halloween. Next year perhaps, next year.

The Lizzies.....or should I say.....

THE LEZZIES.

The Rollerskating guy/ that scene has always really freaked me out. Anybody else?

Then there is of course....The Rogues. How do they all fit inside that one car? And how did Sean Penn figure out that finger glass bottles would be the key to his success?

Well anyways whoever doesn't love this movie can just get the hell out. I have no use for you. If on the off chance that you have not experienced the genius that is The Warriors then do yourself a favor and fix that problem. Sure everyone talks about it and it's amazingness, and that is usually a dangerous thing. But believe it- it is amazing. There is nothing overrated about it, and you'll find yourself wishing you could waste someone the second the movie is over. You could also find yourself shadow boxing during the bathroom scene at the end....or maybe that was just me...

In any case, The Warriors are a true group of heart, resourcefulness and brains mixed with brawn. Since the version on On Demand all those years ago did not feature the fantastic comic book/Greek war story that the DVD I got does, I was enlightened beyond words. The Warriors isn't just your everyday action flick. It's a friggen allegory of the Anabasis- hence that little story up there. How did I never realize this? I must have been too caught up in the excitement and the no shirts under their vests Warriors.

So I leave you with some more delightful pictures of our fantastic Warriors. I haven't decided which one I want to enlarge to poster size but I'm guessing the answer is going to be all of them. Enjoy the stills, and remember the days when The Warriors were stranded and fought for their lives to return home to their turf. Remember THE WARRIORS!