History YMMV / TheWarriors

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: The case can be made that Swan and Ajax are NotSoDifferent. Swan is considerably more pragmatic than Ajax, but similarly eager to lead, happy to bust some heads, proud, and sexually aggressive. Tellingly, Swan's objection to Ajax staying behind to rape a woman alone at night in a park isn't that it's immoral, but simply the wrong time and place for such detours when they can do the same thing in the comfort of their own turf.

* ValuesDissonance: [[spoiler: Cyrus’s death]] and the circumstances surrounding it would never work in a post 9/11 world where security became much more tense to prevent a similar disaster. Had the film been released in the 21st century [[spoiler: Cyrus]] would have tons of guards and the event would have strict gun control.

* HamAndCheese: The entirety of David Patrick Kelly's performance as Luther.

** It's hinted via the phonecalls Luther makes or receives that he [[AmbigiousSituation may possibly]] have carried out the hit on Cyrus not just for the hell of it, but at the request of someone else who wanted him out of the way. This is an intriguing plot point that is unfortunately never elaborated upon.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Cyrus' plan of uniting the gangs and taking over the city sounds like it would have made a great movie, but it's a RedHerring that is quickly scrapped and forgotten. [[spoiler:That said, it ''does'' get a slight revisit in the comic sequel ''Jailbreak'' when the Riffs and Warriors team up to help bust out Ajax and the imprisoned Riffs. Swan tells Masai that Cyrus was onto something, but Masai just coldly rebuffs him and says that that dream died with Cyrus.]]

* NightmareFuel: The Baseball Furies. You're running for your life in the middle of the night in New York City and you come across a gang of creepy, face-painted mutes wielding baseball bats coming towards you....

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Let's not mince words, it's easy to not care one bit about anyone in this film considering they're entirely composed of street gangs who've done all sorts of crimes for their own benefit. The film's ending is pretty bleak too when you think about it; although most of the Warriors make it back to Coney, they're still stuck in a life of violence and poverty, with little hope of things improving. Swan even lampshades this once they get back to Coney, looking around in disgust and stating "''This'' is what we fought all night to get back to?" It still manages to less grim than the novel though and trying to avoid this trope is probably a big reason why the film is only a loose adaptation, as the protagonists there are depicting committing ''far'' worse acts than the film's protagonists.

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Let's not mince words, it's easy to not care one bit about anyone in this film considering they're entirely composed of street gangs who've done all sorts of crimes for their own benefit. The film's ending is pretty bleak too when you think about it; although most of the Warriors make it back to Coney, they're still stuck in a life of violence and poverty, with little hope of things improving. Swan even lampshades this once they get back to Coney, looking around in disgust and stating "''This'' is what we fought all night to get back to?"

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
** The opening introduced the Hi-Hats, a gang that dress like mimes, but we never got to see the Warriors beat up any mimes. Same goes for The Boppers, a gang that dress like stereotypical pimps. These two cases were fixed in the game.

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Let's not mince words, it's easy to not care one bit about anyone in this film considering they're entirely composed of street gangs who've done all sorts of crimes for their own benefit.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The movie is ''loosely'' based on a little known book by Sol Yurick. In fact, it's more faithful to Xenophon's ''Anabasis'' than Yurick's modernized (and deconstructed) version.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Let's not mince words, it's easy to not care one bit about anyone in this film considering they're entirely composed of street gangs who've done all sorts of crimes for their own benefit.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Cyrus' plan of uniting the gangs and taking over the city sounds like it would have made a great movie, but it's a RedHerring that is quickly scrapped and forgotten. [[spoiler:That said, it ''does'' get a slight revisit in the comic sequel ''Jailbreak'' when the Riffs and Warriors team up to help bust out Ajax and the imprisoned Riffs. Snow tells Masai that Cyrus was onto something, but Masai just coldly rebuffs him and says that that dream died with Cyrus.]]

** Given their overalls and bright long-sleeved shirts, the Punks don't look particularly threatening, especially since their leader Vance even rolls around in roller skates. However, the fact that they [[TheQuietOne never speak]] gives them an air of menace when they pursue and finally fight the Warriors.

* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: The real life residents of the now-cleaner and safer Coney Island don't just love this movie, they ''regularly celebrate it,'' up to and including annual screenings and a mural inside the local United Artists movie theater. To most Brooklynites today, the [[BigRottenApple unapologetically grimy and violent depiction of their borough]] is just [[WartsAndAll part of the legacy]], if not [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing kind of badass]].

** Given their overalls and bright long-sleeved shirts, the Punks don't look particularly threatening, especially since their leader Vance even rolls around in roller skates. However, the fact that they [[TheQuietOne never speak]] gives them an air of menace. It also helps that their fight with the Warriors is easily one of the tensest scenes in the film.

* NarmCharm: That DJ has to know there's no way the Warriors are actually listening to her, but still commits completely to the bit and puts on some pretty great music.

** Cyrus's speech, culminating in his "Can you dig it?" rallying cry.
** Luther clanking the glass bottles together with his fingers and taunting the Warriors with the chant "Warriors, come out to play!".

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Cyrus' plan of uniting the gangs and taking over the city sounds like it would have made a great movie, but it's a [[RedHerring red herring]] that is quickly scrapped and forgotten.
** It does get a slight revisit in the comic sequel, ''Jailbreak'', as the Riffs and Warriors team up to help bust out Ajax. Snow tells Masai that Cyrus was onto something, but Masai just coldly rebuffs him and says that that dream died with Cyrus.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: With no pun intended, the Baseball Furies. Some viewers think they're [[RuleOfCool awesome]]; others [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment wonder what the filmmakers were thinking]].

** Cyrus's rallying cry of "Can you dig it?" and Luther's taunt, "Warriors, come out to play!" pop up all over the place.

* CriticalDissonance: When it came out, the movie was roasted by most critics [[note]]A notable exception being Pauline Kael, who loved it in her review for -- ironically -- ''The New Yorker'' [[/note]], who lambasted it as a mindless, plot-less, absurdly unrealistic, violent schlock-fest. However, it attracted considerable popularity, largely for being [[SoBadItsGood a mindless, plot-less, absurdly unrealistic, violent schlock-fest.]]

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was negatively received by most critics (Creator/PaulineKael being a notable exception); worse, after a promising start at the box office, it quickly fizzled. The latter was mostly caused by outbreaks of gang-related violence -- different gangs in the same theater at the same time came to blows -- which in turn led to reasonable fears from both theater owners and non-gangster audience members, and also to the studio essentially pulling support with advertisements being culled to a minimum. Now it's considered a cult classic.

** The radio announcer is played by Lynne Thigpen, who would later go on to portray The Chief in ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego''.

* CriticalDissonance: When it came out, the movie was roasted by critics, who lambasted it as a mindless, plot-less, absurdly unrealistic, violent schlock-fest. However, it attracted considerable popularity, largely for being [[SoBadItsGood a mindless, plot-less, absurdly unrealistic, violent schlock-fest.]]

* AgeLift and VagueAge: caused by DawsonCasting young adults as teens in movie where the dialog implies high-school age for the main cast. Notably, the general age of the underage main characters was also changed in the adpation, to late teens rather than early to mostly mid-teens, like the characters in the novel. The novel's characters also behave a lot more suspiciously, immaturely and nervously, and there is a much harsher take in the novel on teen male toxic masculinity.

* AgeLift and AmbiguousAge: caused by DawsonCasting young adults as teens in movie where the dialog implies high-school age for the main cast. Notably, the general age of the underage main characters was also changed in the adpation, to late teens rather than early to mostly mid-teens, like the characters in the novel. The novel's characters also behave a lot more suspiciously, immaturely and nervously, and there is a much harsher take in the novel on teen male toxic masculinity.

** It does get a slight revisit in the comic sequel, ''Jailbreak'', as the Riffs and Warriors team up to help bust out Ajak. Snow tells the leader that Cyrus was onto something but the leader just coldly rebuffs him and tells him it was a one time deal to make up for the events of the movie.

** The Pimps wear denim overalls over brightly striped shirts. It makes them look like overgrown children. The roller skates don't help matters.