The Warriors novel turns 60

For those who don’t know, I’m a pretty big (ok, major) fan of The Warriors. As it happens, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the original novel which inspired the film, written by author Sol Yurick, so it felt timely for a revisit.

While the film is iconic and has long since acquired cult cinema status, taking on a life of its own, it’s surprising to learn that many people don’t know much about the source material. First published in 1965, the rights were originally bought in 1969 by American International but to no avail, and production stalled for nearly a decade. That was until ambitious young producer, Lawrence Gordon, secured rights himself and brought in director Walter Hill (after collaborating on Hard Times and The Driver, both classics) and writer David Shaber to develop the screenplay. It was originally planned as a western but after the financing struggles, they took the project to Paramount Pictures, who were reportedly interested in “youth films” at the time and found the right home in getting it financed. From there, shooting started in 1978 with now-mythic production stories involving real gangs on the streets of New York. On a tight turnaround, the film released soon after in February 1979, and the rest is history. 

My copy of Sol Yurick’s novel, alongside some physical releases of the film

The book is very different and explores deeper social and cultural themes, injustices, inequalities, no doubt inspired by Yurick’s work in the welfare system. The film, as many will recall, took on a more heightened, action-packed and adrenaline-fuelled approach, set against that stylised neon-lit backdrop, and Yurick wasn’t always kind about how they represented it. Perhaps he felt it lost much of his story’s depth and nuance. Yet, it still makes for a fascinating comparison, and the novel continues to be socially relevant and influential. The film, however simplified, undoubtedly directed people back to the book. It was even dubbed “too radical, too extreme and too violent for the respectable literary establishment of New York” by The Guardian, “yet no writer more fully embodied the city’s anguished spirit in the 1960’s.” In this old rivalry of book vs film, both can be great, and stand on their own terms.

So whether you’re a longtime boppers fan, or interested in the process of cinematic adaptation, the book comes highly recommended and sheds new light on the origin story of this cult classic.