THE PERSONAL TAKE: ARMIES OF THE NIGHT
Author’s Disclosure: Chris Poggiali, the co-author of this book, is a longtime good friend of mine so I wouldn’t try to pretend this is an objective piece on the book. Instead, I offer an exploration of the book informed by our friendship. Hopefully, the end result will give you a bit of added context the normal book review can’t offer.
Something I learned about Chris Poggiali early on is that he’s always got a few projects in the hopper. In addition to the commentary tracks, ‘zine articles and featurette appearances that his colleagues often do, he’s always got more than one book in various stages of development. Bigger projects like those are subject to the whims of the publishing marketplace but he always pushes them along, even if he’s just doing research for his own edification.
Chris’s methodical persistence has paid off handsomely in 2025. Not only he did get These Fists Break Bricks (more info here) back into print with a new publisher, he also got a new project released in the form of Armies Of The Night. This tome, co-written with Fangoria veteran and screenwriter Michael Gingold, focuses on the cult-beloved Walter Hill adventure film, The Warriors. As such, it’s more intimate in scope than the multi-year, multi-film history of These Fist Break Bricks – but it remains just as detailed and informative.
Armies Of The Night offers a carefully researched and organized look at a film steeped in mystique. Ever since its release, The Warriors has been followed by a legend of inspiring gang violence and deaths in the theaters where it was shown. This book delves into that legend but that arrives in its latter stages. In fact, the book has a lot more on its mind than just correcting the record.
It begins with a look at the source novel by Sol Yurick, who reinterpreted the classic Greek myth Anabasis in the context of NYC juvenile delinquency, which he observed up close as a welfare department investigator. You get detailed plot breakdowns for both Anabasis and the novel, which are helpful for analyzing the choices that Yurick made in his adaptation as well as the choices that would be made in adapting the novel for a film.
After a quick look at the book’s reception and its path to screen adaptation, you get a detailed look at the production of The Warriors. It is revealed it was a back-burner project that was pushed into production when another project collapsed for Hill and producer Lawrence Gordon, with the speed of the launch further influenced by a small wave of gang-themed films jockeying to make it to public release, most notably Boulevard Nights and Walk Proud.
The seat-of-the-pants nature of the film’s launch reverberated through its production, something that the reader learns through the book’s combination of in-depth research and fresh interviews. Actors reveal how they got to flesh out their characters with improvisation (fan fave David Patrick Kelly really added a lot to the film in this way, including one of its key moments) and Tom Waites goes into detail about how he had a bigger role that got abruptly carved down due to his on-set conflicts with Hill. Insights into how bits of action and staging were devised on the spot are also included, including a how a future director devised his own scene-stealing bit during the rally.
The script was also subject to the same level of revision and reinterpretation, which comes into play in a fascinating chapter where the final pre-production draft of the script is compared with the film. It sheds a lot of light on how dialogue was improved, scenes were reworked or removed, and characterizations were sharpened, as well as the original vision of what Waites’ character the Fox would have done if he’d stayed in the film longer.
However, the final sections of the book are what I enjoyed most. They explore the film’s release and its after-effects, including an illuminating breakdown of the violent incidents that coincided with its release that reveal how little said incidents had to do with the content of the film and how the press and certain politicians used these moments for hollow crusading and a cynical way to gather attention.
There is also material about films influenced by The Warriors, as well as a short-lived t.v. show involving several creative contributors from the film. Particularly worthy of note here is a section about the film’s network t.v. debut and how it, too, was dogged by controversy, which makes for fantastic reading. A closing stretch about the film’s enduring cult following and influence, including a rock opera-style musical adaptation, ends things on a well-earned note of warmth for a film that had to walk through a life-and-death gauntlet like its protagonists.
Reading Armies Of The Night was rewarding because it hits the right blend of depth and discipline: the text is rich with information and critical insight, yet it is also tight and never wastes time with gratuitous flourishes or pontificating. Gingold’s journalistic background shines through in this sense as does Poggiali’s training as a frequent writer of liner notes and magazine articles. Neither writer wastes a moment and the result has a leanness and propulsive quality that is fitting for a book on The Warriors.
And on a personal note, it’s gratifying to see a friend not only get a book out there but do so in collaboration with one of his own close pals. The authors are fans made good, who have translated their love for genre fare into critical insight and bolstered that insight with well-honed writing chops reflecting their multi-decade experience in the film critic trenches. As such, it’s very easy for me to recommend Armies Of The Night to any fan of The Warriors.
Armies Of The Night will be released on October 21st, 2025 and you can order the book directly from 1984 Publishing by clicking here.