Tuesday October 20, 2020 “In the City” Joe Walsh/The Eagles
Let’s do another Walter Hill film, The Warriors.
“As violent as it is stylish, The Warriors is a thrilling piece of pulp filmmaking.”
In the near future, a charismatic gang leader summons all of the street gangs of NYC in a bid to take over the city. When he is killed, the Warriors from Coney Island are falsely blamed and a bounty is put on them for the other gangs of NYC to hunt them down as they try to get back to their home turf safely.
The film has grown to cult status and has been rated as the number 16 best film of Entertainment Weekly’s “Top 50 Greatest Cult Films”.
“In the City” was written and performed by cousin (not really) Joe Walsh specifically for the movie and he has said that he based the lyrics and feeling from growing up in Queens NY and going to PS 216 where he was a member of a gang himself. He suggested that they may not have been that tough because he had to get back home by 7:30 to practice his clarinet.
The song would later be recorded by the Eagles, which Joe was then a member of, and included on their Long Run album.
If you haven’t seen the movie I encourage you to do so if only to enjoy all the different and very weird gangs that populate the city as well as the names of the Warrior gang members: Vermin, Cochise, Rembrandt, Swan, Ajax, Snow and Cowboy.
Spoiler alert, at the end of film, “In the City” is played by a DJ on the radio as the Warriors receive praise and acknowledgement for their skills and courage from rival gangs and they walk down the beach into a Coney Island sunrise.
Stay safe and well….and Warriors, come out to play...
