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‘The Warriors’ With Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, and Sean Fennessey

February 5, 2019 · The Warriors (1979) · Action · Crime · Thriller · 1:21:55 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 32:23Cleon — Cleon, the original Warriors warlord who gets killed after the rogue guy claims that the Warriors shot him
Sean Fennessey▶ 33:03Cleon — Agrees with Cleon pick, praising his fighting moves and wishing he had more screen time
Shea Serrano▶ 32:43Cleon — Discusses Cleon's death scene and connects emotionally to the vest/colors aspect of the Warriors

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 44:33The Fox character death scene and the behind-the-scenes firing of Thomas Waits mid-production
Sean Fennessey▶ 47:18Agrees with the Fox death scene being poorly executed because it was hamstrung together
Shea Serrano▶ 46:26The Fox character death scene - it lacks emotional impact and doesn't effectively raise stakes

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 49:08Tony Danza — In the book none of the characters were white, but Paramount didn't want an all black cast for commercial reasons; Tony Danza was supposed to be Vermin but was cast in Taxi instead
Sean Fennessey▶ 49:34Clarified that Vermin is the slick American guy who provides comic relief

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 51:30Multiple trivia facts: movie was rushed to beat The Wanderers, Fox originally supposed to end up with Mercy, Swan was to be captured by gay gang called the Dingoes with Dobermans, Rogues drove 1955 Cadillac hearse, Michael Beck became born again after partying, Mercy's jacket covered broken wrist from stunt injury, production had to pay off gangs in NYC boroughs
Sean Fennessey▶ 51:38The Wanderers director Philip Kaufman made The Right Stuff and it did pretty well, plus explained why Mercy's jacket line always seemed weird to him
Shea Serrano▶ 51:50Acknowledged being too young (26) for some references, noted Dobermans would be more effective than baseball bats and face paint, and connected the jacket to hiding from people looking for someone in pink

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 54:03James Remar — Probably everybody in the movie except James Remar, whose Apex Mountain was 48 Hours (though could be Sex and the City)
Sean Fennessey▶ 54:18Lynne Thigpen — Lynn Thigpen's Apex Mountain is Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (or possibly Sesame Street or Lean on Me)
Shea Serrano▶ 54:16James Remar — James Remar's Apex Mountain was 48 Hours (after briefly suggesting Mortal Kombat 2)

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 55:24James Remar — James Remar - 'most people know who he is, but they don't know his name'

Best Quote

Shea Serrano▶ 58:59I'll shove that bat up your ass and turn you into a popsicle

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:48Gang delegation dynamics - wondered about tension among those not selected as the 9 delegates, and why other Warriors weren't called for backup
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:05Where were the other Warriors members during the crisis, and why didn't they call for backup on pay phones
Shea Serrano▶ 59:09Multiple nits: Cyrus couldn't be heard by 900 gang members in a park, Ajax's poor decision-making with the undercover cop, and why didn't they have friends with cars or make phone calls for rides

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:19Multiple questions: Radio station codes would be discovered by police, Swan and Mercy stayed together maybe a week, Ajax probably dead within three years from armed robbery
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:56Luther's gun shooting wasn't planned - someone else had the gun and passed it when Luther made the impulsive decision to shoot Cyrus
Shea Serrano▶ 1:05:22Radio codes were underground/secret so police wouldn't know, Swan and Mercy lasted tops a week, wants to see Ajax grow up to become the rich guy from Sex and the City

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:10Walter Hill — Walter Hill, the director, because he created a prototype for everything that was about to come with action movies
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:20:28New York, because of the cinematographic techniques that made the city look like a dingy crystal palace
Shea Serrano▶ 1:18:47David Patrick Kelly — Luther, because he's the one person everybody knows and you can play his 'Warriors' clip anywhere

Movies Referenced (31)

John Wick (2014)

4 mentions · Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 3:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mad Max (1979)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 4:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky (1976)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 8:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 30:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Die Hard (1988)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 14:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scarface (1983)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 20:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Death Wish (2018)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 11:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

First Blood (1982)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 15:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 14:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Miami Vice (2006)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 10:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mortal Kombat (2021)

2 mentions · Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons▶ 35:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sex and the City (2008)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano▶ 54:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (6)

Walter Hill

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for 48 Hrs., Aliens▶ 1:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spike Lee

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It▶ 16:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philip Kaufman

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Right Stuff, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Raiders of the Lost Ark▶ 51:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Corman

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Silence of the Lambs, Apollo 13, Little Shop of Horrors▶ 15:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sidney Lumet

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, 12 Angry Men▶ 11:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Annie Hall, Manhattan, Deconstructing Harry▶ 11:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (31)

Mariachi El Bronx

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Shea Serrano · Known for We Bought a Zoo▶ 1:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Remar

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Shea Serrano · Known for Oppenheimer▶ 30:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Union Station

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Twister▶ 29:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Geany Masai

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 26:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael J. Fox

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Shea Serrano · Known for Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II▶ 44:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Donald Trump

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York▶ 41:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Patrick Kelly

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Crow, Flags of Our Fathers▶ 25:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dexys Midnight Runners

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Tommy Boy, Take Me Home Tonight▶ 1:11:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Eddie Murphy

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Harlem Nights, The Nutty Professor▶ 14:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Mays

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano · Known for The Fast and the Furious, Rush Hour▶ 0:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ted Knight

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Caddyshack▶ 1:06:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Terry Michos

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Warriors▶ 49:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

Aaron Sorkin

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for A Few Good Men, The Trial of the Chicago 7▶ 30:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harper Lee

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for To Kill a Mockingbird▶ 30:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lawrence Gordon

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Prey, Lock Up, Watchmen▶ 15:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 12:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Andrew Laszlo

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Innerspace, First Blood▶ 1:19:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗