David Patrick Kelly’s last line in The Warriors was "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!". And that’s how I reacted when I heard that the film is being remade. I can’t post a link to the Variety squib, but here’s what Ain’t It Cool News has to say:
It sounds like they’re really doing it, not just talking about it. And my heart breaks.
As I’ve mentioned before, DPK is one of my very favorite actors. He made his screen debut clanking those bottles together and whining “Warr-i-orrrrrs…come out and play-i-ay!” He’s been in other movies, of course, The Crow, for instance. But “Luther” was his signature role. If they’re really doing a remake, then the character will no longer be uniquely his.
Well, Rilchiam while I agree with your concern about a remake of the Warriors, it is not because of someone screwing with DPK’s work. (BTW, I met him on a plane once - very nice guy). True, I doubt anyone could replicate his unique brand of Luther-ness, but I am more concerned about how someone could try to remake the Warriors in general. It is one of those movies that kind of shouldn’t have worked - I mean, all of the over the top out fits and make up, the weird tensions and sexual energy. It was just bizarre, and one false move one way or the other would make it either too serious to be fun or too laughable to get into. I doubt MTV could replicate that…
That movie succeeds and lives on as an understated favorite because it succeeded in one simple way that many movies miss: the sum of the whole is far greater than the individual pieces.
The acting is not good.
There are no name actors carrying the movie.
The plot is thin, weak, and not overly believable.
The various gangs are laughably bad, not at all intimidating, and have insanely weird themes.
The love story portion fails on 2 counts: There is no love and there is no story.
But, somehow each and every failure of a portion of the movie blends together to create the kind of poorly done movie that just resonates with a viewer. I am inclined to think it is the kind of thing that is unexplainable in its success. Sort of like Carrot Top.
WordMan and Mullinator: You are very right. I should have thought of that. If it really does happen, it will immediately become a bad memory. And as Ol’Gaffer projected, whichever pud they get to play Luther will be specifically targeted as pathetic compared to DPK. Or just plain pathetic.
WordMan: You met him? No s***! Can you…uh…[shuffle, blush…] e-mail me with any details of the conversation, if you remember them?
poopah, Yes, he was! He was the assassin. Check it out on DVD.
lawoot: I think you’re right: the only gun was the one used to kill Cyrus. I guess that was supposed to set the Rogues apart as the only ones who couldn’t use their fists.
Plot? It was about a NYC subway ride home. What more do you want? It really was like that, I swear!! If anything, the movie held back on the violence, the sweat, the body bumping and groping, and the intensity of a NYC subway ride to Coney Island. Is it any wonder why the MTA has only one line going to the Stillwell Avenue Station for the next three years?? That’s their version of crowd control.
Tamerlane, that’s the only DPK film I can’t watch, because it’s the only one where his character doesn’t deserve his death.
But if you want to see an awesome DPK/Walter Hill endeavor, check out Last Man Standing! He gets some good go-offs, actually shows some sensitivity, and doesn’t die until the last scene!
They are so going to screw up the works if they remake The Warriors… Just like Rollerball, this movie only works because it fit the time it was made. The imagery, the almost surreal NYC landscape made sense back then. Today, who would believe a gang would walk 1 block without a gun? They travelled an entire night on the NYC subways and ONLY met gang members and police (except for the end). Graffiti covered everything, and guys roamed the subways on roller skates. It won’t work like that today.
In order to be a financial success, they will have to update the movie and then it will just suck like Rollerball. I also “can’t wait” to see the martial arts the gangs will be using. yawn I loved the fact that the fight scenes in the original were flat out toe to toe street fights.
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