The Wanderers (1979) ***1/2 [Kaufman Double Feature Pt. 1]

Philip Kaufman's The Wanderers (1979), cowritten with his wife Rose and based on the novel by Richard Price, is the story of teens in gangs growing up in the Bronx in 1963. It's a bit episodic in nature and it kind of meanders (or wanders, perhaps?) but it's very entertaining. Its theme of fighting between races is never satisfactorily explored either, but it has a lot of really memorable characters and a killer soundtrack. Michael Chapman's cinematography is, as always, a feast.

Recommended for fans of The Warriors (1979) (review), American Graffiti (1973) (review), The Outsiders (1983) (review), and Animal House (1978).

Philip Kaufman Films Ranked