It was inspired by Greek mythology. It was mired in controversy when violence broke out in the theatres. It contains some of the most explosive fight scenes in cinema history. Its following continues to grow more than 25 years after its release. It even recently inspired a best-selling video game.

Yet The Warriors was never intended to be anything more than a good, solid action film, directed by Walter Hill. Certainly, no one involved in the making of The Warriors could have predicted its tremendous growth in cult status over the years, and it's still going strong. TwitchGuru looks back at the street gang epic that's proven too tough to die.

The Warriors was first brought to writer/director Walter Hill by producer Larry Gordon (Die Hard, Predator). Gordon had produced Hill's previous films: Hard Times, a period boxing story starring Charles Bronson; and The Driver, an underrated action thriller starring Ryan O'Neal and Bruce Dern. The Warriors was a 1965 novel written by Sol Yurick, and Gordon thought it would make a great movie.

Hill was initially going to make a western when Gordon approached him with The Warriors. Hill is a big fan of the genre; he loved to joke that all movies are westerns, and he'd previously worked with the outlaw auteur Sam Peckinpah, writing the screenplay for The Getaway.

At the 11th hour, the western project Hill was planning fell apart. He then decided to get The Warriors up and running in its place - fast. The film had to be made quickly - down and dirty, like a B-movie - to make Paramount's February 1979 release date, and Hill was up for the challenge. Having a tight schedule can often be the best thing for a film; working quickly can give a movie raw energy that jumps off the screen, which The Warriors was lucky enough to capture.