Summary

• The iconic line "Warriors, come out to play!" in The Warriors was actually improvised by actor David Patrick Kelly.
• The movie's cult favorite status came from its lean pace, great characters, and memorable music.
• The Warriors serves as a warning against the criminal underworld of NYC in the 1970s, rather than romanticizing it.

Easily the most iconic line from The Warriors is the villain's menacing "Warriors, come out to play!" and here's the origin story behind the taunt. The Warriors was based on the novel of the same name and follows the titular gang, who attend a summit held by an influential gang leader named Cyrus. Said leader is gunned down while giving a speech, with the Warriors framed for the deed. They then have to travel from the Bronx to Coney Island while being pursued by just about every other gang in the city, who are seeking vengeance.

The movie's lean pace, great characters and music saw it become a word of mouth smash, and it's now considered a cult favorite. The original movie is filled with famous quotes, but the most iconic line from The Warriors comes from the movie's villain, Luther. He taunts the Warriors with "Warriors, come out to play!" while tapping mini-beer bottles together with his fingers. The combination of actor David Patrick Kelly's increasingly frantic delivery and the tapping of the bottles makes it an unforgettable moment, but the origin of the "Warriors, come out to play!" line came from Kelly himself.

"Warriors, Come Out To Play" Was An Improvised Line

David Patrick Kelly Came Up With The Movie's Most Famous Quote

According to The Warriors director Walter Hill, the way the scene was scripted wasn't working, so the director was challenged to come up with something in the moment. For this scene in gang classic The Warriors, Kelly was inspired by his background in Broadway and a creepy neighbor he knew while living in downtown New York, who used to taunt him by calling his name is in a "sing songy" way (via Book & Film Globe).

Luther's "Warriors, come out to play!" is the most quoted line from The Warriors, and has been referenced in the likes of The Simpsons and Luke Cage.

At the time, small bottles of beer were also in vogue and littered the location, so Kelly improvised "Warriors, come out to play!" pretty much on the spot. Luther's "Warriors, come out to play!" is the most quoted line from The Warriors, and has been referenced in the likes of The Simpsons and Luke Cage. It's one of a few examples in cinema where improvised lines went on to be the most memorable quotes in a movie, though this doesn't make Kelly's performance any less impressive.

After playing Luther in The Warriors, Kelly would go on to appear in memorable roles in Twin Peaks and Commando and reunited with Hill on the likes of 48 HRs and Last Man Standing, starring Bruce Willis.

How The Quote Helped The Warriors Become So Influential

Kelly's Improvised Taunt Is One Of Several Reasons The Warriors Became A Cult Classic

Luther's "Warriors, come out to play" taunt helped ensure that The Warriors would become a cult classic and have a heavy influence on cinema for decades to come. However, it's not the only reason Walter Hill's 1979 action thriller went on to have such a lasting legacy. The Warriors was received somewhat negatively upon its release, though over the decades it has, of course, been re-assessed. Much of the contemporary criticism came from the idea that the movie romanticized gang culture — which, of course, is now no longer the case.

Far from romanticizing the criminal underworld of NYC in the 1970s, The Warriors was instead a warning against it, and how thin the line between normalcy and chaos can be in the modern world.

The Warriors is now scene as an example of slick and violent pulp filmmaking in the same league as movies like A Clockwork Orange. Rather than romanticizing gang culture, it's clear that The Warriors instead paints a startling picture of the hypermasculine present-day dystopia characters like Luther, Swan, Ajax, and the other gangs and gang members existed in. Far from romanticizing the criminal underworld of NYC in the 1970s, The Warriors was instead a warning against it, and how thin the line between normalcy and chaos can be in the modern world.