The Warriors (gang)

The Warriors (gang)

The Warriors are a fictional New York City street gang from the cult classic 1979 film "The Warriors". They were also the main characters of the 2005 game "The Warriors".

Turf

The Warriors are based on the west side (and, more recently, the east side as well) of Coney Island, in Brooklyn. Their main stomping ground is comprised by the many amusement parks of Coney Island, particularly the landmark that is Deno's Wonder Wheel, a now-iconic symbol synonymous with Coney Island and The Warriors.

Although they are mentioned only in the video game, never in the film, Coney Island was originally controlled by the Destroyers. Cleon, Vermin, Swan and Cowboy were all lieutenants in the Destroyers before each had a falling-out with Virgil: the Destroyers' treacherous warlord, who (unfairly) perceived them as a threat to his authority because they were so popular in the Destroyer ranks. This foursome proceeded to form the Warriors, who ultimately overthrew the Destroyers and have ruled "the Big C.I." ever since. Virgil was slain in a final confrontation with Cleon and Vermin; the other Destroyers fled Coney Island and have not been heard from since, save those who later joined up with the Warriors.

Uniform

The Warriors' uniform consists of a red leather (or pleather) vest with their logo embroidered on the back. The gang's logo consists of a death's head with eagle's wings (in the video game, it was a serpent with flaming wings). The gang seems to have an overall Native American theme, or at least influence; such is accented by the wearing of bead-necklaces and armbands by some members.

Recently, the clothing chain Steve and Barry's has begun selling a jersey-like t-shirt bearing the name "Coney Island Warriors" as if it were a sports team.

Members

The Warriors are a street family of 120 members, but only the nine chosen to go to Cyrus's meeting are shown in the film. The nine principal members in the film are:

*Cleon : The Warlord, leader of the gang. Named after the Ancient Greek politician. He famously wears a leopard-patterned cloth around his head as well as an Indian-style necklace. After Cyrus's assassination, Luther pins the murder on him, and he is beaten to a pulp by the Gramercy Riffs. He was originally a member of The Destroyers (who controlled East Coney), however, he and Vermin left after he was set-up in a drug deal with another gang, The Satan's Mothers. This led to a bitter rivalry between the Destroyers and the Warriors. Although his fate is never revealed in the film, in the game after beating "Come Out To Play", you return to the hang-out. Here, when you speak with Cowboy, he asks why "The Riffs had to waste Cleon", hinting that he was killed. He is African-American

*Swan : The Warlord, Assuming control after the loss of Cleon, Swan makes the decision for the gang to continue wearing their colors and fight their way back home, though in general his leadership is more level-headed and practical than his brothers-in-arms. After successfully leading the group back to Coney, he wins a gunfight against Luther (The Rogues' leader) using only a knife. During filming, the script was changed so that he ends up with Mercy. Swan, like Cleon, Vermin and Cowboy is a former Destroyer, however, he left the gang with Cowboy under unknown circumstances some time before Cleon and Vermin. He and Cowboy met Cleon and Vermin, the first two Warriors at a "King of the Hill" game and, after winning, the two were made members of the Warriors. He is Caucasian.

*Ajax : A cocky, loud, womanizing Warrior always up for a fight. After the loss of Cleon at the conclave, he engages in a short confrontation with Swan over who should assume command. He is said to be the strongest warrior and is certainly the most aggressive. He wears fingerless leather gloves and a black tank-top under his Warriors vest. Ajax is arrested when he tries to force himself on an undercover female police officer. He is named after the legendary Greek hero. His initiation consisted of a brawl with other members of the Warriors, on the same night as Snow. After getting their colors, the two went to meet a girl in Destroyer turf and were knocked out. Their colors were stolen and the two fought through Destroyer turf to reclaim them. He is Caucasian.

*Snow : He is the Warcheif after Cleon dies. He carries a molotov cocktail around his neck, and his full name is Snowball. He is one of the strongest warriors and Swan's right hand man. He studies Tai Kwon Do and Judo which he shows off in the movie and the game. He is African-American.

*Cochise : A high-kicking Warrior who wears Native American-style jewelry, leather pants and boots. He sports an afro with a red bandanna tied around it. He is named after the Apache Chief. Like Vermin, he was scripted to die and then to be thrown into the Hudson River, though in the finished film he survives. Cochise was born in Harlem but moved to Brooklyn with his mother, when he tried to join the Warriors, Vermin wanted to send him back to Harlem to join The Boppers. Cochise felt the Boppers weren't heavy enough and kept insisting he was Warriors material. The Warriors decided he could join if he went to Harlem and stole a size nine hat from the Bopper leader Big Moe. He is African-American.

*Fox : The Scout, Fox is very familiar with other gangs' tactics, territory, and numbers. He dies when he's thrown in front of a speeding train while struggling with a police officer. (Mercy later tells Swan that "the cops got him" because Fox told her to run as soon as he began fighting; she was not aware he died). In the script, Fox was originally the love interest of Mercy, but the two actors had no chemistry and the Mercy romance was transferred to Swan. The actor playing Fox left the film over this, which necessitated his being written out of the story. For his initiation, Fox had to enter Savage Huns territory with Vermin wearing a shirt that said "Fuck You Huns" and trash their business operations, kill their book keeper and steal their wares from a messenger boy. He is Caucasian.

*Rembrandt : The Writer, the gang's graffiti artist, wears the standard Warrior's vest along with a messenger bag and has an afro. The youngest member, Rembrandt is far less battle-hardened and is frequently looked after by the other members of the gang. He is most likely named after the famous painter. His initiation consisted of two brawls: one with homeless people from around Coney, and the second with other members of the Warriors. He appears to be of Puerto Rican descent.

*Vermin : The bearer, he is a cheery, cocky, and loud Warrior, almost as much as Ajax, (sans the cheeriness). In the movie he was scripted to be shot by The Lizzies as he was jumping out the door. He is Caucasian.

*Cowboy : A Warrior who wears a Stetson cowboy hat and a shirt underneath his vest. He is an optimistic, happy-go-lucky Warrior. Cowboy, like Swan, Cleon and Vermin, Cowboy is a former Destroyer. He and Swan left the Destroyers under unknown circumstances some time before Cleon and Vermin. He and Swan met Cleon and Vermin, the first two Warriors at a king of the hill game and, after winning, the two were made members of the Warriors. He is Caucasian.

*Mercy : A prostitute (a fact which she denies when questioned by Swan) who is originally a member of the Orphans but finds herself aligned with The Warriors as soon as they meet. At the end of the film, she apparently quits her seedy job and pursues a relationship with Swan. She is Hispanic.

Other Warriors

* Ash: He was the most visible member of the Warriors who weren't at the conclave. He joins the same time as Rembrandt in the game. However, in level nine, "Payin' the Cost," Ash is jumped and killed by several Destroyers. This inspired Cleon to move into Destroyer turf, systematically destroying their businesses, and killing their lieutenants and Warchief before finally tracking down and killing their Warlord, Virgil.
* Jones
* Malcolm
* Lynx
* Rhino
* Cody
* Royce
* Ace
* West
* Terrance

Formation and History

At an unknown point in time, Cowboy and Swan left The Destroyers under unknown circumstances. On April 16, 1978, Cleon and Vermin left the Destroyers. This was caused by Virgil setting the two up in a drug deal with the Satan's Mothers. Virgil gave them fake drugs to sell to the Mothers. This caused the Satan's Mothers to turn on Cleon and Vermin, eventually forcing the two to fight Spider and Tiny, the Mothers' Warlords. Upon defeating them, the two returned to the Destroyer's Hangout and deserted the gang, forming the Warriors.

On May 6, 1978, the first two Warriors were at a King of the Hill Contest in Pelham hosted by a bum living in the area's junkyard. At the contest, they met Cowboy and Swan, who won the competition and were invited to join the Warriors. As part of their initiation, the two trashed the stores under Destroyer control in west Coney, telling the owners the Warriors were in control of west Coney. To add insult to injury, they snuffed out all of the Destroyers burners in west Coney and, after Cowboy informed the others, took over a warehouse that the Destroyer's used as a flophouse, making it the Warriors hangout.

On June 15, 1978, Ajax and Snow were recruited as muscle for the gang. Their initiation consisted of brawling with their felow Warriors, however, after they earned their colors, they went to visit a girl in Destroyer turf, were knocked unconscious and had their colors stolen. The two then fought through Destroyer turf to steal their colors back from Lemmy and L.C., two of the Destroyer lieutenants. After the two escaped to their turf, Cleon berated them for "stirring shit up" on their first night as Warriors.

The next prominent Warrior, Fox, was recruited as a Scout on July 22, 1978. Vermin accompanied Fox for his initiation, which was to enter Savage Huns turf (both were wearing a shirt with "Fuck You Huns" written on it). Fox's mission was to trash the Huns' business operations, murder their book keeper and mug their errand boy. During this invasion, Fox fought and defeated the Huns' leader, Ghost.

On August 18, 1978, Cochise, who had moved to Brooklyn from Harlem and wanted to join the Warriors. Vermin told the him to return to Harlem and join The Boppers, which Cochise rejected, feeling that the Boppers weren't heavy enough and saying that their shiny purple shirts were not his style. The Warriors decided Cochise could join if he brought back a size nine Fedora hat. Cochise, accompanied by Snow travelled to Bopper turf and interrogated several members, eventually learning that their leader, Big Moe, wore a size nine hat. After bribing one of Moe's girls, a stripper named Debbie, Cochise learned the location of Moe and was given her access card to Club 45, the Boppers' night club. Cochise fought Moe and defeated him, stealing his hat and becoming a Warrior.

On April 13, 1979, exactly three months before the Conclave, the Warriors needed a Writer (graffiti artist). They found Rembrandt, a skilled writer in the area and recruited him along with Ash. The two underwent their initiation which consisted of brawling with bums from west Coney as well as fellow Warriors. Upon completion of their initiation, the two were taken out to Coney where they were shown the basics of mugging, stealing car radios, break and enters, jumping through windows, smashing fences and using Flash.

Over the course of the next three months, the Warriors heard rumors of Cyrus of the Gramercy Riffs planning a big meeting with New York's heaviest gangs. The Warriors spent then next three months building their rep and getting onto the Riffs' radar by fighting with several other New York gangs, including minor league gangs such as the Orphans and numerous heavier gangs including the Baseball Furies, the Moonrunners (whose turf they infiltrated to tag subway trains that travelled all across the city to get their name out), the Destroyers (whose turf they completely conquered after the murder of Ash), the Turnbull AC's (whose lieutenant, Birdie, they killed), the Hurricanes (who they severely weakened, killing their lieutenant named Sanchez and severely injuring, if not killing their Warlords, Deigo and Vargas), and the Hi-Hats (after the Warriors were almost killed by the Hi-Hats at a writer's contest in SoHo, they trashed their hangout. To avenge this, the Hi-Hats invaded Coney, only to suffer the loss of their Warlord, Chatterbox). These actions brought attention to them via the DJ, however, they were finally put on the Riff's radar by the Saracens. The Saracens did this as payment to the Warriors, who set up the Jones Street Boys (J.S.B.s, who are bitter rivals with the Saracens). The J.S.B.s were bribing crooked cops with stolen goods to put pressure on the Saracens with the hopes of becoming the only gang in Bensonhurst. Edge, the leader of the Saracens, contacted Cleon, and asked for his help. Cleon sent Cowboy and Cochise to Bensonhurst, the two stole wares from local stores and planted them in the J.S.B.s' hangout, they then stole car radios and planted them in the trunk of a cop car. After planting the loot in the J.S.B.s' hangout, they informed the cops of the alleged betrayal of the J.S.B.s (claiming that the J.S.B.s ripped them off). The cops arrested the J.S.B.s in the hangout, however one of them mentioned the deal they had when two Detectives (Harrison and Garrison, who were seen in the Flashback Level "Roots"), and were arrested based on the loot planted in their trunk. As a result of this, the Saracens put in a word with the Riffs, allowing the Warriors to attend the meeting.

The meeting is held in Van Cortlandt Park, in The Bronx at midnight, on July, 13, 1979 (evidenced the fact the game starts exactly three months prior to the Conclave, notably, both April 13 and July 13 in 1979 were on a Friday). Cyrus, the apparent leader of The Gramercy Riffs, stands on top of a tall wooden frame and gives a speech to the surrounding members from various gangs.

The eloquent and intelligent Cyrus tells the assembled gangs that a citywide truce is needed, and that the gangs can unite to control the city and capitalize on the dwindling power of the NYPD. The gangs cheer Cyrus's ideas, but during the speech a nearby man pulls out a gun and kills Cyrus. Panic ensues. The murderer - revealed to be Luther, head of The Rogues - screams that the Warriors are responsible for killing Cyrus. While the Riffs beat Cleon, the leader of the Warriors, and the police arrive to break up the gathering, the other eight Warriors escape the melee and debate what to do. The Warriors now have a bounty on their heads, and the entire city's gang population is out hunting for them.

The Warriors begin their long journey from the Bronx back to Coney Island. The second-in-command, Swan, takes charge, though the hot-headed Ajax openly voices his desire to be acting gang warlord. The Warriors slowly cross the dangerous Bronx and Manhattan territories, narrowly escaping police and other gangs every step of the way. In the Bronx, they pick up Mercy, a feisty girl who quickly becomes attracted to Swan. When the Warriors get separated from one another in Manhattan, three Warriors are seduced by members of a female gang called the Lizzies. Back at the Lizzies' apartment, the women draw weapons to kill the Warriors, but the men narrowly escape again. During the night, gang member Fox is killed in a scuffle with police, while Ajax is arrested by an undercover police officer and taken to jail.

Meanwhile, the Gramercy Riffs are visited by a Rogues member who was at the conclave - the only witness to Luther firing the gun. The Riffs realize the Warriors are innocent, and they head to Coney Island. When day breaks, the Warriors finally return home but quickly have more trouble, as Luther and The Rogues are waiting for them. The two gangs meet on the beach, where Swan suggests he and Luther fight a one-on-one duel. Luther pulls a gun, but Swan quickly throws a knife into Luther's wrist, disarming him. Before more violence has a chance to happen, the Riffs mass on the beach and acknowledge they have learned the truth of Cyrus's murder. The Riffs' new leader, Masai, compliments the remaining Warriors and lets them go. As the Riffs swarm on the Rogues, the Warriors head off down the shore.

Film

Cyrus, the powerful gang leader of the Gramercy Riffs, calls a midnight summit for all the New York City area gangs, with all gangs asked to send nine unarmed representatives for the conclave. The Warriors, a gang based in Coney Island, Brooklyn, is one such gang.

The eloquent and intelligent Cyrus tells the assembled gangs that a citywide truce is needed, and that the gangs can unite to control the city and capitalize on the dwindling power of the NYPD. The gangs cheer Cyrus's ideas, but during the speech a nearby man pulls out a gun and kills Cyrus. Panic ensues. The murderer - revealed to be Luther, head of the Rogues gang - screams that the Warriors are responsible for killing Cyrus. While the Riffs beat Cleon, the leader of the Warriors, and the police arrive to break up the gathering, the other eight Warriors escape the melee and debate what to do. The Warriors now have a bounty on their heads, and the entire city's gang population is out hunting for them.

The Warriors begin their long journey from the Bronx back to Coney Island. The second-in-command, Swan, takes charge, though the hot-headed Ajax openly voices his desire to be acting gang warlord. The Warriors slowly cross the dangerous Bronx and Manhattan territories, narrowly escaping police and other gangs every step of the way. In the Bronx, they pick up Mercy, a feisty girl who quickly becomes attracted to Swan. When the Warriors get separated from one another in Manhattan, three Warriors are seduced by members of a female gang called the Lizzies. Back at the Lizzies' apartment, the women draw weapons to kill the Warriors, but the men narrowly escape again. During the night, gang member Fox is killed in a scuffle with police, while Ajax is arrested by an undercover police officer and taken to jail.

Meanwhile, the Gramercy Riffs are visited by a Rogues member who was at the conclave - the only witness to Luther firing the gun. The Riffs realize the Warriors are innocent, and they head to Coney Island. When day breaks, the Warriors finally return home but quickly have more trouble, as Luther and the Rogues are waiting for them. The two gangs meet on the beach, where Swan suggests he and Luther fight a one-on-one duel. Luther pulls a gun, but Swan quickly throws a knife into Luther's wrist, disarming him. Before more violence has a chance to happen, the Riffs mass on the beach and acknowledge they have learned the truth of Cyrus's murder. The Riffs' new leader compliments the remaining Warriors and lets them go. As the Riffs swarm on the Rogues, the Warriors head off down the shore.

Video game

Both the video game and the movie involve the same characters and locations. The primary difference, however, is in the fact that a large portion of the game takes place before the actual movie begins, with Rembrandt's initiation. The flashback missions show how Cleon formed the Warriors and how each of the other members joined. The Flashback missions take place in 1978, a full year before the movie is set. The events of the movie itself take place near the end of the game.

The game also looks deeper into various characters, fleshing them out and giving them personalities and backstories, where they might have only been seen in the background or mentioned in passing in the film. Cleon, for example, is the leader of the Warriors. The game portrays him as somewhat of a protagonist, whereas he dies within the first few minutes in the movie. The Warriors' insignia, a winged skull, is changed in the video game to a cobra with flaming wings. Many of the original actors voiced their roles in the video game, with the notable exceptions of Roger Hill (who portrayed Cyrus), Tom McKitterick (Cowboy), David Patrick Kelly (Luther) and Marcelino Sánchez (Rembrandt).

Etc.

"The Warriors" is also the name of a Muskegon, Michigan-based street gang. It is unknown if their name is a reference to the fictional gang.Fact|date=August 2008

ee also

* The Baseball Furies
* The Boppers
* The Gramercy Riffs
* The Hi-Hats
* The Hurricanes
* The Jones Street Boys
* The Orphans
* The Rogues
* The Saracens
* The Turnbull AC's

References

*imdb title | id=0080120 | title=The Warriors (original)
*imdb title | id=0423512 | title=The Warriors (remake)
*imdb title | id=0486048 | title=The Warriors (video game)
* [http://warriorsmovie.co.uk The Warriors Movie Site]


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