The Warriors Details

This vivid and violent gangland thriller from director Walter Hill is, essentially, an urban western. It centres on a New York gang whose members battle their way back to home turf following the murder of a rival gang leader during a ceasefire meeting. Despite the gritty storyline and locations, there's a doomed, romantic feel to the film and a poetic quality to the exhilarating fight scenes. Hill sketches the characters with some sympathy and is rewarded with excellent performances from the largely unknown cast, led by Michael Beck and Drugstore Cowboy's James Remar.

Slick exploitation movie, a retelling, in urban teenage terms, of Xenophon's epic retreat with his Ten Thousand following the death of Cyrus; the pace is fast, and the action violent, though stylised.