This was a good movie about growing up in The Bronx in 1963, where the country was going thru unfortunate events of 1963. The actor who did "Terror" was great & played an inmate in "Stir Crazy" and used his aide to let the inmates escape. The Ducky Boys were great and I wonder what they did when President Kennedy got shot? The Ducky Boys are a classic gang that I would keep a long distance from. I wonder if they respect strange black girls in vintage funeral cars, 1951-54 Packard Funeral Cars?

I did like the Marine Recruiter because he reminds the spirit of B.B. Daniel a man who's estate was also on a corner & when his area becomes a building center. The Marine guys would say, "I got a way for all of you to stomp all the heads you want & make the world safe for democracy at the same time." And despite Turkey is in the group, they leave him behind & screaming for his departed buddies and crying out the name of "Terror" like he was some god-like being. It looked like no one saved Turkey from The Ducky Boys. In the book when they called in confession they would get 10 lashes with a car antenna & both the priest and the receiver bow to each and shakes hands because being part of The Ducky Boys, you take punishment as you dish it out. Poor Turkey and proved he made a bad choice in his life. Terror & Pee Wee reminds me of my grandfather & his second wife if they were their ages. Erland was a great, Terror. As for Alan Rosenberg he should got supporting Oscar as Turkey & yelling, "TERROR, BALDIES, WHERE ARE YOU? SAVE ME TERROR! I'M GOING TO BE KILLED BY THE DUCKY BOYS!" Alan showed us he's a good actor. Marcus Brainard

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