Review of Young Warriors (1983) by Troy F — 28 Mar 2013

Young Warriors has a good story concept and driving force for its action, but its nearly wasted in this film with ridiculous circumstances and a pace that slows the film down and drags it nowhere. The film starts off with a group of college friends partying it up like its Animal House, then Kevin of the group finds out one night that his sister was raped and killed.

He gets driven over the edge and darkness begins to peer over him as he seeks revenge against the killers, dragging his friends into it. I have to honestly say the film handles things in an original way that sways around the cliches, but its dark turns are brutal and just ridiculous.

They throw in a few cheap things to makes us uneasy and create a dramatic impact on us when its like, seriously? You couldn't have prevented these things? The film does succeed on the action bits, good old low budget 80's slow-mo blow shit to bits madness, but it almost becomes hard to enjoy when the film goes sourly depressing.

Is this an 80's revenge action flick or Ordinary People? I don't know, but for a solid portion of the film, both don't mix that well. I'll give it to the ending, its fucking ridiculous and theres no aftermath from the other characters responding to it much, but its kind of badass no matter how silly.

I won't reveal, but its nearly on par with the ridiculousness of Death Wish 3's ending. This is a rare film, and after going through the painstaking search of a copy to watch for years since its only VHS and theres VHS rips circulating "deep" on the net, I understand why its not gotten a DVD release.

Nobody really saw it back than, its been obscured since, and it deserves to stay that way. So no, this doesn't get the title of a lost classic like other 80's action trash does. It's trashy, but it has its minor merits.