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 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

The Bronx, 1963. The 50's style greaser gang the Wanderers find themselves becoming obsolete as the world changes all around them. The beginning of the Vietnam war and the assassination of President Kennedy signify the end of innocence while these lovably macho and rugged Italian-American lugs deal with gang fights, racial conflicts, finishing high school, and the awkward, yet inevitable transition from adolescence to adulthood. Director/co-writer Philip Kaufman delivers a vivid, funny, moving and sometimes even surreal evocation of a magical period in time; he makes especially inspired use of the authentically gritty urban locations and a fantastic golden oldies soundtrack. The uniformly terrific acting from the top-drawer cast rates as a substantial asset, with especially stand-out work from Ken Wahl as proud, charismatic gang leader Richie, John Friedrich as brash, excitable shrimp Joey, Karen Allen as the sassy Nina, Toni Kalem as Richie's sweet, but overbearing girlfriend Despie Galasso, Alan Rosenberg as the bumbling Turkey, Tony Ganios as the intimidating, but good-hearted and protective Perry, Linda Manz as scrappy tomboy Peewee, Erland van Lidth as fearsome, hulking behemoth Terror, Dolph Sweet as smooth, hearty bowling alley owner Chubby Galasso, William Andrews as Joey's abusive, muscular pop Emilio, and Val Avery as decent, but ineffectual history teacher Mr. Sharp. Among the film's many memorable moments are: the Wanderers hassling attractive women on the street with a raunchy pastime called "elbow t**," a genuinely erotic strip poker game, the Wanderers getting lost in a rival gangs' neighborhood (this particular set piece is very eerie and nightmarish), a football game which degenerates into a savage brawl with the scary and strange gang the Ducky Boys, and the mass a cappella rendition of Dion's classic song "The Wanderers" at Richie's bachelor party. Michael Chapman's slick cinematography gives the picture an attractive bright and glossy look. The dialogue is often profane, yet still eloquent (favorite line: "Don't take no wooden p**sy!"). But what really makes this movie so special and poignant is the extremely touching loyalty and camaraderie the main characters have for each other. A tad uneven in spots, but overall a gloriously rough'n'ready gem.