The Wanderers (1979) User Reviews

An homage to the end of an era

[howard.schumann · 8/10 · 23 February 2004]

Based on a novel by Richard Price, Philip Kaufman's 1979 film The Wanderers is a surreal comedy about teenage gangs in the Bronx during the sixties that is both a coming of age film and an homage to the end of an era. The film was considered too strange for American audiences but gained popularity in Europe and eventually landed a theatrical re-release in the U.S. in 1996. Set in 1963 just prior to the Kennedy assassination, The Wanderers deals with a group of high school friends who must ward off challenges from rival gangs while coming to grips with the problems of growing up during rapidly changing times. The film has great music, an authentic sixty'ish look, colorful characters, and nostalgia for the days when alcohol was the favorite drug and the football field was the only battleground. In the film, ethnic gangs populate the Bronx but there are no guns and no knives. We meet the Wanderers (Italian), the Del Bombers (Black), the Wongs (Asian Kung Fu), and the Fordham Baldies (oversized bald guys). All except the sadistic Ducky Boys who seem to suddenly materialize at the opportune moment, are more like social clubs and do little besides partying and hanging out.

Led by slick, good-looking Richie (Ken Wahl), a pizza parlor employee discovered by Kaufman, and his friend Joey (John Friedrich), The Wanderers have their hands full fighting the Baldies and their 6' 7'', 400 lb. leader named Terror (Erland van Lidth de Jeude). One of their members Turkey (Alan Rosenberg) even crosses over and enlists in the Baldies to keep his gang connections going after graduation but the Baldies comically end up enlisting in the Marines. When newcomer Perry (Tony Ganios) comes to the Wanderers' rescue during a street brawl, they recruit him for their gang and become confident enough to challenge the Del Bombers to a fight. After an abortive attempt to discuss racism in class ends in a brawl, the stage is set for a rumble but local mobsters channel this energy into a football game. When the Ducky Boys show up, however, the game turns into a free for all. Although there is lots of violence, it is of the comic book variety and never seems quite real.

The energy never flags throughout The Wanderers and the film is assisted by a great soundtrack that includes many sixties favorites: "Runaround Sue'' performed by Dion and other classic oldies such as The Contours' "Do You Love Me,'' the Shirelles' "Soldier Boy,'' and the Surfaris' "Wipe Out''. Karen Allen plays Nina, Richie's new crush who competes for his attention with his long time girl friend Despie (Toni Galem), the daughter of a local mobster. One of the best scenes is a hilarious game of strip poker with Nina and Despie that is fixed by Richie and Joey to achieve an inevitable outcome. When Nina, the symbol of the new generation, goes to Folk City to hear Bob Dylan sing "The Times They Are a-Changin'', and the boys watch television accounts of the Kennedy assassination, it is clear something has shifted and their lives will never be the same. For those who lived during this time, The Wanderers will bring back many memories. For others, it is an entertaining but often sad journey back to a time of innocence that now seems so very long ago.

Rumble in the Bronx.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 7 September 2009]

The Wanderers, an Italian street gang in the Bronx 1963, preparing for a rumble with rival gang the Del-Bombers, try to enlist other gangs to help their cause. However, as the times are a changing, The Wanderers and all the other gangs of the city must come to terms with pending adulthood, and, the ending of an era.

Directed by Phillip Kaufman, this adaptation of Richard Price's novel stands up as one of the best pictures to deal with gang culture. Laced with crackling adolescent humour, and sublimely sound tracked, The Wanderers triumphs better than most because it captures the time frame perfectly. Encompassing the killing of JFK, and subtly showing (during an hilarious sequence) the enlisting of ignorant youths into the Marines, to be carted off to Vietnam no doubt, The Wanderers has far more to offer than merely angst and high school jinx. The cast are surprisingly strong, Ken Wahl, Karen Allen, Tony Ganios and Erland van Lidth all shine in their respective roles, whilst Kaufman directs with a knowing sense of purpose of the thematics to hand. All of which culminates in a quite eerie final third as the deadly Ducky Boys enter the fray. Not quite as serious as The Warriors, which was released the same year, it's a film that much like this one now feels part of my teen education. The Wanderers is however the smarter picture of the two in terms of substance. The coming together at the finale, the racial harmony bursting out from the screen, is and always should be eternally embraced.

All together now, "I'm the type of guy who will never settle down" 8/10

Alan Rosenberg deserves his Oscar as "Turkey".

[marcusbrainard · 8/10 · 21 February 2016]

This was a good movie about growing up in The Bronx in 1963, where the country was going thru unfortunate events of 1963. The actor who did "Terror" was great & played an inmate in "Stir Crazy" and used his aide to let the inmates escape. The Ducky Boys were great and I wonder what they did when President Kennedy got shot? The Ducky Boys are a classic gang that I would keep a long distance from. I wonder if they respect strange black girls in vintage funeral cars, 1951-54 Packard Funeral Cars?

I did like the Marine Recruiter because he reminds the spirit of B.B. Daniel a man who's estate was also on a corner & when his area becomes a building center. The Marine guys would say, "I got a way for all of you to stomp all the heads you want & make the world safe for democracy at the same time." And despite Turkey is in the group, they leave him behind & screaming for his departed buddies and crying out the name of "Terror" like he was some god-like being. It looked like no one saved Turkey from The Ducky Boys. In the book when they called in confession they would get 10 lashes with a car antenna & both the priest and the receiver bow to each and shakes hands because being part of The Ducky Boys, you take punishment as you dish it out. Poor Turkey and proved he made a bad choice in his life. Terror & Pee Wee reminds me of my grandfather & his second wife if they were their ages. Erland was a great, Terror. As for Alan Rosenberg he should got supporting Oscar as Turkey & yelling, "TERROR, BALDIES, WHERE ARE YOU? SAVE ME TERROR! I'M GOING TO BE KILLED BY THE DUCKY BOYS!" Alan showed us he's a good actor. Marcus Brainard

How come this hasn't become a classic?

[Bobbyh-2 · 7 December 2000]

One of the greatest scenes ever put on film is in this movie: Ken Wahl, about to get married, facing the transition between youth and responsibility, peers through a window at the action at Gerdes' Folk City in Greenwich Village, where, he dimly senses, there's a whole new world beyond his comprehension...it's pure gold, like most everything in this movie. I don't recall rock'n'roll songs ever being put to better or more appropriate use in a sound track. I don't recall a movie ever shifting more seamlessly, effortlessly, from gritty naturalism to bizarro impressionism and back. The cast is great! Whatever happened to some of these actors? There really was a Fordham Baldies, and I grew up not far from the old Alexander's in the Bronx, so I can't pretend to objectivity. For me, this is rather like a New York version of American Graffiti; it creates a world that I feel at home in, even if I never was a gang member and we left the Bronx when I was eight. By the way, the adaptation from Richard Price's book is, I think, remarkable. The book is a series of thematically linked stories that become a single organic story in the film. And I can't blame Ken Wahl--or his character--from being besotted by Karen Allen. Personally, I'd have gone right into Gerdes and flung myself at her feet. Oh yeah, the late Dolph Sweet is superb here.

Back to the eighties

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 4 March 2015]

Just finished watching The Wanderers again after so many years. It still stays an all time classic to me. When it just came out I couldn't get enough of that movie. I think it aged well and it's still good after all those years. Maybe the acting and the dialogs are not the greatest but to me it just brings me back to my youth. Okay I preferred The Warriors that came out that same year, but that movie is not comparable even if it is also about gangs. In the Wanderers it's nice to see how the gangs were in that time in New York. It's absolutely not comparable with the gangs from now. The gangs in that time were just friends hanging out together but now they are just gangsters selling drugs and weapons. Anyways, after all those years I still enjoyed this movie, especially the soundtrack.

The Hidden Gem of 1979 - A True Classic

[themonster2000 · 10/10 · 20 July 2007]

This movie is special. It has a great flow, a great story, and captures the essence of the early 60's in NY as the times change. The acting is spontaneous, and the music has to be one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard in a movie. Not just because the songs are good, but how they help tell the story. They come in at the right time, and give goosebumps throughout.

Two of the best scenes in the movie ---- absolute chills down the spine ---- when the women are crying on the street for Kennedy, and the song "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King), provides an indication that there is a shift at that moment in culture. The Wanderers days are numbered. The other scene is the poker game with the girls. Ken Wahl and Karen Allen are priceless, and the song "Baby it's you" is unbelievable.

If you like a little history, some classic songs, and a really good story, mixed with good writing and great acting, this movie is a absolute must see. A Classic. One of my favorite movies of all time.

Worth seeing If you are a younger person

[nearhood1 · 7/10 · 30 June 2011]

I first saw this movie at a drive in theater when I was in college back in the late 1970's.

I liked it but didn't think much about it for a long time. Recently I caught it again and realized what a thoroughly good movie it was.

Never mind the setting or time period. If you ever felt any teen-age angst, or if you ever felt a part of anything bigger than you, this is a movie that you can relate to.

The soundtrack is good if you like early 1960's music. But to me this was incidental.

Powerful performances propel this movie, although the ending is a bit strange. All of the acting is A-1 in my book.

More people should know about this

[tmfc-65132 · 9/10 · 27 June 2017]

This film has been a personal favourite of mine for years and it has always amazed me how hardly any people know about it. This film is so fun and full of charm it feels so real and gritty at times. I can't really comment on whether this film is realistic or not however as I didn't grow up in the era the film is set in but the time period has always fascinated me. In my opinion I prefer this film over films like grease or American graffiti and even the warriors because I just find it so enjoyable. The reason people don't know about this is because the film is pretty hard to find , I had to import my Blu ray online because there isn't a UK release but in the USA more people need to pick it up and try it.

A solid film.

[rhinokev · 7/10 · 19 May 2002]

Fine performances by all in this story about growing up, social alienation, belonging, and reaching across lines of prejudice in the Bronx in 1963. The rapidly changing social climate is nicely addressed as a subtext to a plot line that could have easily been dragged into hyperbole, or worse, melodrama. Thankfully, this film is a warts-and-all, brutally honest narrative with hard-hitting performances and gritty, street-level direction and cinematography. Guaranteed to keep a person from channel-surfing - provided that person has an appreciation for solid film-making.

One of the best!

[barbie800 · 10/10 · 15 July 2006]

I came across this movie by accident. It showed up on Cinemax one day and I was hooked just by the first two minutes. This ranks up there as one of my favorite movies of all time. From the opening scenes of the Bronx in 1963 while The Four Seasons "Walk like a Man" is playing to the end when we hear Dion's "The Wanderers" this is truly a special movie. All the actors in this movie are wonderful too. How could you not love Ritchie (Ken Whal)? He is so handsome. I also loved Perry "Leave the kid alone". You have all the gangs like The Baldies, The Wongs, The Ducky Boys etc... and I crack up over Terror & Pee Wee (what a couple). If you like "The Bronx Tale", "The Outsiders", or "Grease", then you will love this even more. Don't pass this one up. It's one of the best!

Don't f#ck with the Wongs!

[theirishwhip · 6/10 · 31 March 2002]

While in Mexico, this film popped up on the dish. I've gotta say, I was captivated by this odd little film. There's no telling why this film was made however I did appreciate it's randomness. I'd recommend this film to any teens that want 'Greese' with a little attitude.

They Call Me The Wanderer.

[beermonsteruk · 10/10 · 23 January 2020]

1979 had 2 great "gang" films out, The Warriors, and The Wanderers, but while The Warriors was pretty much all about the gang warfare, the Wanderers was actually a lot deeper, (not that the warriors isn't a great film, it is,) and expands on friendships, gangs, gang rivalries, racism (imagine that classroom scene appearing in a movie today?) Girls, and general coming of age stuff young lads go through.

Set in early 1960s New York, in the multiracial and multiethnic Bronx, to a fantastic soundtrack, the classic old songs go down a treat here, and from the opening scene of the Fordham Baldies strutting down the street to The Four Season's "Walk Like A Man" this sets the tone of the movie for me.

Aside from the great soundtrack, the film has plenty else to offer particularly the characters, we get to know the Wanderers, an Italian American gang of close knit friends, mainly dealing with Richie and Joey, as well as Turkey, a fellow Wanderer who has aspirations to join The Fordham Baldies, plus the arrival of Perry, an out of towner recently moved to New York, who steps in to save the Wanderers from a sticky situation and therefore becomes their newest member, welcomed with open arms, adds to their confidence.

Speaking of the Fordham Baldies, they are one of the most feared gangs of the Bronx, led by the huge Terror, the Wanderers have trouble with this gang, and are saved from a vicious beating by newcomer Perry, who subsequently joins the Wanderers.

Other notable gangs include the Del Bombers, the toughest of the black gangs, led by the charismatic Clinton Stitch, The Wongs, a Chinese gang, and the mysterious Irish-American gang, The Ducky Boys.

As you may imagine, their is trouble ahead with these gangs, some of whom are not always enemies, and the conclusion of the film was very satisfying for me, and includes a great battle near the films climax.

This film deals with so much here, set in the early 60s, this film deals with many social changes coming from the late 50s/early 60s into the gradual transformation to the swinging 60s (See Richie turning his back on a young Bob Dylan in the folk club singing "The Times They-Are A Changing" and returning to the old songs he's used to), as well as the JFK assassination, and the Marines actively recruiting (Vietnam war) young men, I cannot understand why this film is not held in higher regard, as for me this is up there with the likes of American Graffiti and Stand By Me as one of the all time Great coming of age movies.

Excellent film, must see.

9.5/10

Classic Gang Film

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 17 July 2017]

Set against the urban jungle of 1963 New York's gangland subculture, this coming of age teenage movie is set around the Italian gang the Wanderers.

This story is something like a blend between "The Warriors" and "American Graffiti", though for some reason is not as well known as either of them. My suspicion is because there are no real breakout stars. A few familiar faces, but nobody huge. This likely sent it back into obscurity.

What stands out for me is the dynamite soundtrack. The film is funny and has a good plot, but that soundtrack is just perfect and something I would gladly listen to over and over again. I don't know how music rights worked at the time, but today a film like this would probably cost a fortune just on licensing.

The Wanderers

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 14 June 2023]

Philip Kaufman will soon be laughing all the way to the bank when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is released. He is the co-creator of the character Indiana Jones along with George Lucas.

The Wanderers shares much with Lucas's American Graffiti which was a coming of age film with a wall to wall 1950s soundtrack.

The Wanderers is set in 1963 and aims to be more ribald and grittier. The Wanderers are an Italian-American gang at high school decked out in baseball jackets. Their leader is Richie (Ken Wahl) more interested in making out with a local girl than fighting. Especially the older gang called the Fordham Baldies.

Other high school gangs are drawn along racial lines and there is an initial ruckus with the black students which leads to a rumble arranged without guns and knives. It later evolves into a football match so the community elders can place bets on the outcome.

This is an episodic movie of young people emerging in a nation that is about to change. JFK is assassinated and Bob Dylan is singing about The Times They Are A-Changin'.

It climaxes with a big showdown with the toughest Bronx gang the Ducky Boys, when the other gangs reunite to take them on. The Ducky Boys are shown to be silent and surreal. Maybe they represent adulthood or the upcoming Vietnam war.

Many of the Fordham Baldies have been inadvertently recruited to the marines, so they can have a reason to fight.

Kaufman who directed and co-adapted the novel by Richard Price is unsure with the material. Not crudely funny enough to be like Porky's or Animal House. It does not have the pure nostalgia appeal of American Graffiti. It lacks the violent action of The Warriors.

WONDERFUL COMING-OF-AGE MOVIE

[McCormack7 · 17 January 2001]

This film has so much more to it than other 'gang' films of the era. I remember when it came out at the cinema and was unfairly compared to 'The Warriors' which is a very different film (although both have the gangs in New York setting). I love this film as it is witty, funny, sad, and has a dark and stylistic tone. PHILIP KAUFMAN is a great director and really proves it here. The acting is great, and it is interesting that only KAREN ALLEN 'made it' to Hollywood fame and went onto make films like 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', 'Starman', 'Scrooged' and 'Perfect Storm'. What happened to the other actors? This is a 'cult' epic if ever there was one and it seems to have grown in popularity over the years. Deservedly so in my opinion. Timeless and charming - THE WANDERERS are forever!

In a pre-Kennedy assassination America, a group of high-school friends grapple with rival gangs as well as the process of growing into adulthood.

[mwilson1976 · 7/10 · 3 April 2020]

Based on the novel of the same name by Richard Price, The Wanderers is set in the Bronx in 1963 and follows the exploits of a gang of Italian - American teenagers and their ongoing power struggles with rival gangs the Fordham Baldies and the psychotic Ducky Boys. Never really finding the first run audience it deserved (it was beaten to the Box Office by Walter Hills' The Warrior's), this touching coming of age drama and end of an era saga has since become a cult favourite since its theatrical rerelease in 1996. Director Philip Kaufman intentionally cast unknown actors in key roles after teenagers from across New York City turned up to audition, including Linda Munz, who was so convincing that the character of Peewee was specifically written for her having never appeared in the novel. Most of the filming took place on location in the Bronx, and drew the attention of real life gangs and former members of the 'real' Baldies who complained that they were being portrayed badly in the film. The climatic football game and mass brawl with the Ducky Boys takes place at Van Contlandt Park, filming got so out of hand that supposedly several cast members and camera crew ended up getting hospitalised. Kaufman and Price compiled the movies soundtrack themselves, it includes one of the best uses of Ben E Kings' Stand By Me ever committed to film, the song playing in the background as the death of JFK is announced to a shocked public. The film also features Bob Dylan performing The Times They Are a-Changin, but the song was not included on the soundtrack album released by Warner Bros Records.

Intelliegent and surreal

[Boyo-2 · 10/10 · 21 September 1998]

This may appear to be your typical coming-of-age-in-da-Bronx movie, but it actually is a lot more than that. It has a surreal quality in the form of the Duckie Boys, who appear and disappear with equal ease. Of course they are symbolic of the troubled times to come in the 60's. Throughout the issues the film deals with, there are great performances, a killer soundtrack and a real feel for the period. I can't imagine anyone not getting something from viewing this fine movie.

Dated but timeless nostalgia high school flick

[=G= · 6/10 · 20 July 2003]

"The Wanderers" is a high school nostalgia flick centered on a 1963 Bronx street gang of the title name. Lame, tame, and a trip down memory lane, this jambalaya of things early 60's (circa 1979) will be of most interest to the 60ish crowd for nostalgia reasons though the comedy and drama are timeless. Of the same ilk as "Hollywood Knights" or "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" though it didn't launch as many careers and is probably the lesser of the lot. (B-)

Worth watching 50+ times..

[tjmichela · 10/10 · 27 May 2015]

I have watched this movie at least 50 times. It is my all time favorite movie. I just mailed my DVD copy (I have VHS also)last week to friends in Santa Barbara. I spoke to them this afternoon and they told me they loved it. My friends wife adores Ken Wahl. When The Wanderers was first released I went to every movie house and Drive-In it was playing at and took a different friend each time. The only person that didn't like this movie was my wife at the time. I even have the soundtrack on 8-track tape. A few songs in the movie were not on the released soundtrack, ie, I Love You by the Volumes. I have also read the book written by Richard Price who appears in the movie as one of the bowling sharks, the one with the mustache. The book is a very good read but does not follow very close to the movie.

Discount THE WARRIORS

[kazjin_ · 7/10 · 29 March 2020]

Discount THE WARRIORS? That is probably too harsh, but that is how this (otherwise enjoyable) movie felt.

THE WANDERS was a bit too long for its relatively simple plot. Many scenes (I watched the director's cut) seemed unnecessary, contributing little to the plot's advance. Not-so-subtle (and for the movie totally irrelevant) hints were used to remind the audience of the film's time period. That is OK for elementary school plays - not so okay for professional films.

If you, like I, found this film after looking for films similar to THE WARRIORS, than you did not find what you were looking for. This film is better classified as a 60s Bronx Coming of Age film. If you start with that expectation, than I am sure you will enjoy THE WANDERERS just fine!

An Underrated Classic Of Gang Films,Teen Films,Coming of Age films and Cinema.

[jcbutthead86 · 10/10 · 13 June 2012]

The Wanderers Is one of the most underrated,overlooked movies of all time and a classic of gang films,teen films and coming-of-age films and one of my all time favorite movies.

Based on Richard Price's novel and set In 1963 Bronx,New York, The Wanderers tells the story of an Italian gang called The Wanderers focusing on three members of the gang Richie(Ken Wahl),the leader of the gang,Joey(John Friedrich),the hyperactive little guy In the gang who lives with an abusive Father and Perry(Tony Ganinos),the gentile giant who's new In town and joins The Wanderers and Is a neighbor of Joey's. The three characters along with The Wanderers deal with love, growing up, changing of the times, and rival gangs such as the all-black gang The Del-Bombers, the bald headed gang The Fordham Baldies, an Asian gang called The Wongs and probably the scariest gang of them all The Ducky Boys a group of small guys who are silent,but come in large numbers.

The Wanderers Is a great film from beginning to end and will stay with you after you watch it because it's funny,tragic,nostalgic,haunting and unforgettable. The film is funny because of the way it depicts teenage life for The Wanderers in the early 60s,whether it's picking up girls,going to parties,or getting in fights with other gangs. The music fashions,style and the way the characters act seems true to what was going on at the time and they're definitely is a realism to it. The film is like a great mixture of George Lucas' American Graffiti,Walter Hill's The Warriors and Barry Levinson's Diner all in one. The film also paints a world where every teenager in the Bronx is in a gang and all of the gangs are different by race like the all Italian gang (The Wanderers),a Asian gang(The Wongs) Black gang(The Del-Bombers),Bald gang(The Baldies),a silent gang(The Ducky Boys). The way the gangs are shown in the movie is exaggerated,funny,surreal and at times scary but also unique. The film has an episodic nature where some scenes aren't connected to one another and sometimes character tend to disappear,but there isn't a wasted scene in the film and the movie has a great energy and flow. Some of the scenes will have meaning and will stick with you after you finish. Like the best Teen films or Coming Of Age films The Wanderers is a film about dealing with the last grasps of being a teenager and facing the tough challenges of being an adult,where the characters face the fact that they're not going to be teenagers or in a gang forever,or it's dealing with life teenage and other relationships,parents or an uncertain future. This is one of the reasons why The Wanderers sets itself apart from other gang films. Like American Graffiti,The Wanderers is about the end of the 50s and the beginning of the 60s where the innocence and fun of the late 50s was being replaced by the dark times of the 60s. The characters especially Richie,Joey and Perry know that the times are changing faster than they and they're is a bunch of powerful moments in the film that give way to the changing of the era's and will stick with you after the film is over. The film moves at a solid pace and at times feels like a 90 minute film than a 117 minute film with great energy and break neck speed. Although The Wanderers is not an Action film they're a couple of fight scenes in the film that are well done and brutal and add to the greatness of the film. I know people have been comparing The Wanderers and The Warriors and trying to say which film is better,stop comparing them. As someone who owns and loves both films they both shouldn't be compared,The Wanderers is coming of age Comedy-Drama,The Warriors is an Action film,the only thing they have in common is that they're both gang films. Both are classic films and shouldn't be compared. The ending of the film is beautiful,sad,tragic and at the same time optimistic and will make the viewers make up their minds about what happened to the characters. A great ending.

The whole cast does a great job. Ken Wahl does a great job as Richie,the leader of The Wanderers. John Friedrich is wonderful as the hyperactive Joey. Tony Ganios is wonderful as Perry,the gentle giant who's new in the neighborhood and becomes a member of The Wanderers. Karen Allen does a great job in her small role as Nina,a girl Richie and Joey meet. Toni Kalem does a fine job as Despie,Richie's girlfriend. Alan Rosenberg is funny as Wanderers' weasel Turkey. Jim Youngs does a great job as Buddy,a ladies man. Erland Van Lidth is excellent as Terror leader of The Baldies. Linda Manz is outstanding as PeeWee Terror's girlfriend. Dolph Sweet gives a memorable performance as Chubby,Despie's father and a local gangster who helps The Wanderers out when needed. William Andrews frightening and intense as Emilio,Joey's abusive Father.

Director Philip Kaufman does a masterful job Directing the film moving the camera when ever he can, never slowing down. Kaufman's direction gives the film a since of edge and realism and at times creepiness. A year before in 1978 Kaufman directed the great remake Invasion of the Body Snatchers a creepy and terrifying film and Kaufman brings the same terrifying tone in this film with The Ducky Boys scenes.

The soundtrack is amazing with great songs like Walk like a man,Soldier Boy,Baby It's you,The Wanderer,Stand By Me and many more. The soundtrack greatly fits with the tone of the late 50s and early 60s.

In final word,if you love Gang films,teen films,Coming of age films and love films like The Warriors,The Outsiders,Rumble Fish and American Graffiti or cinema in general,I highly suggest you see this underrated classic. Highly Recommended. 10/10.

OK with usual flaws.

[apjc · 6/10 · 11 November 2017]

Liked the film to a certain point, but really wish Hollywood would change the generic narrative. Italian & Black gangs are basically decent guys, Chinese gangs are fearsome for using Kung FU. Whilst all White gangs are vicious ignorant brutes, get real. All gangs are Clanish, which is worse than racist, our Scottish gangs have been fighting each other for centuries. If you ignore the obvious stereotyping of White gangs you can enjoy this film if only for the soundtrack itself.

Excellent drama

[preppy-3 · 10/10 · 16 March 2007]

Story takes place in 1963 in the Bronx NY area. It deals with a gang of kids called the Wanderers and their coming of age. It focuses primarily on Perry, Joey (John Friedrich) and Richie (Ken Wahl). Richard Price's novel was a short but horrifying view of that place and era. The movie retains the names of the characters but lightens the tone completely. There's multiple stories going on and the movie is full of incredible sequences.

Highlights include: a classroom "discussion" about race; the Wanderers marching down an alley to the title tune; the Baldies revenge on Joey and Richie; a small role for the then unknown Olympia Dukakis; a game of "elbow tit"; Karen Allen's introduction; a trip to Ducky Boys territory; a memorable party and football game; JFK's assassination and a violent rumble.

All the acting is great but Wahl and Allen stand out. There's exceptional direction by Philip Kaufman and excellent use of period music.Also nice to see Linda Manz and author Richard Price have small roles. Also noted comic book artist Neal Adams did the Wanderers poster at the football game. Some people should be warned--the violence is infrequent but strong and there's tons of swearing and racial slurs.

I've seen this movie multiple times and every single time I find it fascinating. The direction, music, acting and stories just pull you right in. This movie never hit it big because of lousy distribution back in 1979 and the violence caused by another gang picture "The Warriors" limited its release. I remember theatres in Boston MA refused to play it! Still it has attained a deserved cult attention over the years. Just fantastic. A definite must-see!

The tensions of youth in a changing era, and its not changing for the better.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 10 May 2022]

This film starts with a very eye-raising scene in a 1963 Bronx classroom where an avant-garde teacher has an exercise on racial tensions which results in some colorful language. The classroom, mostly half black and Italian, already has enough tensions going on, but that gets the film rolling with the issues of the era which of course are accompanied by a soundtrack of some of the greatest hits of the time. The Italians want to dominate their school and their streets, their turf they say, and they have enough issues with a gang called the baldies, whom by the looks of it aren't people they should mess with. There's one three times their size who doesn't take any crap from anybody, but obviously is going to get some when he is drunk and we manipulated into joining the Marines, something his teeny little sidekick is unhappy about. The lead character played by Ken Wahl is basically a decent guy, getting into all sorts of teenage pranks that would be considered a no no in any civilized society in any era, but it helps get him the girl played by Karen Allen. Other members of their gang have various issues, and there is an insinuation that one of them (who has switched from their gang to the baldies) is having issues with his sexuality, a disturbing scene that leads to an even more disturbing scene.

There really isn't a strong plotline, just daily events in their lives that shows their conflicts with more than just the big bald dudes that hang outside the Marine recruiting station, and that leads to a rumble on a football field during an actual game. Nearly a decade before she became a household name as Cher's mother in "Moonstruck", Olympia Dukakis had a bit part in this film as one of the young men's mothers, obviously abused by her husband, but in her first scene giving her sona knowing eye of what a jerk she thinks her husband is. This has some interesting characterizations, as well as some vintage Bronx footage, and the film doesn't resort to ridiculous teenage gang cliches. Not a classic, but a well-written study about growing up in a tough time in a tough neighborhood.

Puppet show

[AtRise2020 · 2/10 · 13 March 2024]

I grew up in the area of the Bronx where The Wanderers was filmed. That was very nostalgic. That was about it. The "Italian Gang" were portrayed as lascivious dopes with even their backstory looking very cliche and insensitive. The Italians are portrayed as buffoons and not sympathetic characters of whom many in real life in that neighborhood grew up in poverty and with tough family issues (not the lascivious father kind, either). Just throwing in a pregnancy doesn't make it real. The "Baldies" are equally comical. Gang fights in the film were silly and for some reason, when Hollywood depicts the Bronx, it always results in TV's Happy Days. There's one good scene where the protagonists find themselves in a rival gang's turf; but even the foggy atmosphere couldn't make up for the nerdy looking gang members. I have to say some of the smartest kids in my neighborhood were Italian. But the dumb, whop is a stereotype that emasculates the men and vulgarizes the women of a vibrant culture. The film does not take a lesson from its own classroom scene where the teacher tries to deflate racial stereotypes. He fails and so does this film. The African-American students are treated less callously, and they are more likeable for that. The film is not worth the time. This is not West Side Story.