The Wanderers
Directed by Philip Kaufman
Written by Rose and Philip Kaufman from a novel by Richard Price
1979/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
Chubby Galasso: It’s a shame to see kids beatin’ each other’s brains out, especially when there’s no financial advantage.
My favorite thing about this throwback to the early sixties was its fantastic soundtrack of rock and pop hits from the period
The year is 1963. The city is New York. At the local high school boys join gangs that represent their ethnicity, etc. The Wanderers are an Italian Gang. It is a more innocent age. There is always a brawl going on but fists are the only weapons. Their main rivals are the Baldies. We focus on a group of guys who just graduated high school. Some of them are beginning to think about breaking away. Others comfortably assimilate into the lives of their parents. With Karen Allen as a love interest and free thinker and Linda Manz as a pint-sized female hanger-on to the Baldies.
I had never seen nor heard of this movie. I like Philip Kaufman’s films a lot and this was a solid springboard to better things. The non-professional cast of teenagers were appealing though none would go on to stardom except Karen Allen.
