MovieChat Forums > The Warriors (1979) Discussion > Why do people like Ajax?

Why do people like Ajax?

posted 8 years ago by johnphillipxiii
33 replies | jump to latest

So I've just been binging on The Warriors having only discovered its existence the other day and loving it. I've seen the movie, the extra DVD content, some of the reunion stuff, and read a bunch of reviews and message board posts and one thing I can't figure out is...

Why do people like Ajax?

I've seen more than a few people expressing positive feelings about him. And I'm a bit stunned. What am I not seeing? What is it about him that you liked or think other people liked?

He seemed thoroughly vile to me. Most offensive about him was his seriously rape-y elements, wanting to rape Mercy, wanting to rape the girl in the park, making other crude comments about women. He seemed to be pretty needlessly gay hating (considering the lack of gay people/situations). And he pointlessly challenged Swann in the beginning. The others may not have been angels, but their humanity seemed more intact and you could imagine any/all of them being rehabilitated with time or effort. But Ajax will surely spend the rest of his life fighting men and raping women. What's there to like?

(Not trying to start a fight here, just genuinely curious what I'm not seeing.)

[–] cbfan41 8 years ago

Because Ajax is a bad a$$, funny and deep down loyal.

[–] romefan123 8 years ago

Glad you hooked on to this great film, it's a blast. Been watching for 30 years now, and see it 2-3 times yearly, and it never freaking gets old. Characters, direction, music, it's the real deal. So full of flavor. Nothing better on a Friday night late, throwing in The Warriors to settle you down for the night.

Regarding Ajax, he's a complex character with a lot of upside. For instance, he can fight like a mother, is straight up bold, takes no *beep* from anybody, and is challenging for leadership. True true, he doesn't "play well with others" and "doesn't follow directions well", but that's what makes him so appealing. Love that he saved Cowboy, and stood up for the gang on many occasions. Yes, of course, he was a lone-wolf, but that's who he was. Remember, he WAS picked by Cleon to be one of the top 9 in the gang, an honor that was bestowed upon him. Someone liked him...he was just hot-tempered and antsy. As for his raping women, no, nobody's down with that, he's rough, maybe too rough on women. Has to tone that down for sure, agree there...it does make him unlikable, which I can see.

As for why people like him...he does his own thing..he's rebellious and doesn't listen to anyone..something appealing about that...and he can throw those thangs!!

"You can just stand there and let him kick your ass!" Karate Kid III

[–] johnphillipxiii 8 years ago

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Makes sense.

I guess I have a hard time valuing rebelliousness and loyalty without validating context. And maybe I even have a bias of assuming they represent negative traits, until proven otherwise. So much evil originated as rebellion. So many horrible acts committed out of loyalty to evil causes and people. (I do very much value those qualities, they can represent the best of us, and move us forward as a society, but am wary of them since they are so easily used for bad ends.)

So with Ajax I just don't find the context I need to feel like his qualities are positive. I mean, maybe if The Warriors were some charitable gang that had street fights but also pawned property they stole to raise money for hospitalized kids on Coney Island, then maybe I could find something redeeming about him.

Beyond that, Ajax reminds me a bit of a person I once knew... He was an "eco-warrior", who would get into violent confrontations when at protests at nuclear power stations, would go to participate in riots against G8 (or whatever the number is now) meetings. It became almost instantly clear after knowing him a little while that he had no moral convictions, his depth of desire to help the planet was paper thin, he was just a guy that liked to hurt people, damage property, use drugs, what his causes were didn't really matter, they were just the fuel he used to elevate his rage and the excuse that made him feel it was justified. But he was sure it was all real and valid. Ajax seemed a bit the same way to me, lots of destructive energy just looking for an outlet, a target, whether it was in the gang, an enemy outside the gang, a woman, didn't really matter. His rebelliousness didn't seem to have any real purpose, it just gave him the impetus to be aggressive. His loyalty also didn't seem to have any real substance (his initial contest for control of The Warriors), it just gave him a "moral" justification for fighting.

But, I don't know, that's my impression.

[–] neverstandinalone 8 years ago

romwfan123, I sooo understand and agree with all you said. This is one of my go-tos. It'll get old only when I have to buy a new one to replace the worn out one.

***Ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is laziness. So stop being so lazy!***

[–] jmcrighton-892-694446 8 years ago

I think just the line "I'll shove that bat up your ass and turn you into a Popsicle" made him a fan favourite nevermind his fighting skills and loyalty

[–] romefan123 8 years ago

Naw...maybe on the surface, but to a real Warriors fan, it's much deeper than that. He's reckless, a wild-card for sure, but is loyal to the group and will back up his fellow gang member. It takes all kinds. I love him for his kick-ass personality, takes no sh--, and doesn't listen to anybody...risky to take him along, but he must be able to fight like fKK or else why would Cleon want him there as a representative?

"You can just stand there and let him kick your ass!" Karate Kid III

[–] xbxoxy (45) 3 years ago

What loyalty? Mf bailed when he found out some woman in the park and didnt care to follow orders for the benefit of the gang

[–] beersandshots 8 years ago

They don't. They just don't want to get called a "wimp" or a *beep*

But evidently getting "a nightstick shoved halfway up his a**" was a cathartic experience for him, because this was Ajax a year later: https://youtu.be/8Qx66-fi5AE.

"In a time of universal deceit,
telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
George Orwell

[–] viking-fjord_90 8 years ago

This is what happened to Ajax after he got out of prison for attempted rape etc, and being stabbed in the back by The Warriors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWEQfN39sTo

[–] tom-1674 8 years ago

stabbed in the back by The Warriors

Nobody stabbed Ajax in the back. Ajax abandoned his brothers when he decided his dick was more important than sticking with his gang.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jtrip-45023 8 years ago

"Why do people like Ajax"

It's a great cleaner.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] classicmovie 8 years ago

The answer is simple. If you could pick one soldier to help defend your turf.........

[–] johnphillipxiii 8 years ago

I think that answer makes the most sense to me of anyone's. Someone who is a brutal fighter and a bit "nuts" is scarier than someone who is simply a brutal fighter.