Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Framed for killing the most admired and respected gang leader in New York City during a gang summit, The Warriors suddenly find themselves unarmed and on the run, with every cop eager to lock them up and every other gang member looking for revenge. It’s one hell of a night for these guys, who are just trying to get back to their Coney Island home turf in one piece, but it won’t be easy. Walter Hill’s taut 1978 action-thriller, remastered here in 4K, has a dangerous energy all its own, with near-nonstop adrenaline punctuated by glimmers of social commentary.

The Warriors is newly sourced from an original camera negative scan performed by Arrow. Both the theatrical and the 2005 “Alternate Version” here have been exclusively remastered and approved by director Walter Hill. Disc One’s 1.85:1 aspect ratio also represents the first time the theatrical cut has been properly framed for home viewing.

The movie was relatively low-budget and shot on location in some of the ugliest parts of what was at the time one of America’s nastiest cities, and all of that gritty charm comes through in 4K. The tight grain structure gives way to video noise only occasionally. The story is set almost entirely at night and the blacks are mostly deep and inky, while the palette is purposefully limited, with the gang colors among the only real standouts. The lighting choices are stylized, with sparse moments of bright highlights, as in the NYC subway tunnels.

The movie defaults to uncompressed original LPCM 1.0 mono with DTS-HD Master Audio stereo and Dolby Atmos at the ready. The Atmos track opens up the proceedings by imparting a touch of modern flair: cheering in the big crowd scenes, approaching police sirens, and even an unseen helicopter overhead, with understated atmospheric grace notes throughout.

There’s plenty of walking and talking going on, and the quality of the re-recorded dialogue is limited somewhat by the source elements. As a welcome bonus, Barry De Vorzon’s musical score is available as an isolated DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track.

The theatrical cut includes a new expert audio commentary, new featurettes with Hill and others produced just for this set, and archival supplements. Think of the director’s cut on Disc Two as an extra, albeit in 4K/5.1 and with a vintage intro, modified to include a classical Greek context and a deliberate comic book vibe in the scene transitions. Arrow’s deluxe box also houses a 100-page companion book, four sheets of gang logo stickers, and more.

ULTRA HD 4K BLU-RAY
STUDIO: Arrow, 1978
ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1
HDR FORMAT: Dolby Vision, HDR10
AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos with True-HD 7.1 core
LENGTH: 93 mins., R
DIRECTOR: Walter Hill
STARRING:Michael Beck, James Remar, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Marcelino Sánchez, David Harris, Tom McKitterick