Product: Mad Max (1979)
Rating: 5.0
Mel Gibson's star-making movie!!!
Mel Gibson is without a doubt one of Hollywood's greatest actors, Mad Max was one of Gibson's first movies, & you can tell by watching it that his success since(20 years to be exact) has not spoiled him, In this he is Max, a cop of the future where society has broken down, & he is one of the last remaining cops patroling the savage streets, we learn that Max has a family & tries for the most part to be normal in a burnt out wasteland, the film begins with an outlaw named Knightrider who has broken loose & has killed a fellow officer, he is pursued by two cop cars, & is being chased, Max's partner Jim Goose soon joins the pursuit, but he & the two cars end up wrecking thus knocking them out of the pursuit, Goose then radios Max who the Knightrider will soon be approaching, to begin pursuit, which he does...with intensity, causing the Knightrider to crash & burn, he is killed as Max watches from a distance, what makes this film good is its direction, we see the friendship between Goose & Max that is as good as any friendship, Max's boss is interesting to watch as you can see he cares about his men, we are then introduced to the Knightrider's motorcycle buddies who have come to get revenge on those responsible, mostly the cops & Max himself, Toecutter, the gang's leader is fun to watch, he is without a doubt a humorous villian, you almost can't help but like him, as he talks poetically about the Knightrider, his loyalty to his fallen comrade is deep as he & his men soon terrorize anyone & everyone, thus bringing the attention of Max & Goose who soon arrest Johnny, the inexperienced member of the group, it is clear that a woman has been raped & Johnny has stayed behind awaiting capture, or has he, it never becomes clear, the rape has a vengeful effect on Goose who refuses to release Johnny after his bail has been set & he is to be released, Goose is soon restrained as Johnny agitates him, promising revenge, Goose is soon set up & is burned beyond recognition, Max feeling the loss takes time off with his wife & child, but soon he & his family are stalked by the group & his wife is soon confronted alone & intimidated, she escapes but she along with their child is run down, with the loss of his family & friend, Max becomes a lost soul & lone vigilante, who uses his wit & skill to exact revenge in his new Interceptor Police car, that has a turbo blast that creates unbelieveable speed, when Toecutter, Bubba, & Johnny are the only ones left, they set up Max & gun him down, Bubba soon attempts to finish him, but is killed instead, Johnny then flees the scene, as does Toecutter, Max then goes after Toecutter in a rather satisfying scene in which Max uses his Turbo power to pursue Toecutter in a tense scene that has Max with nothing but vengence in his eyes, Toecutter is soon killed as is Johnny, & has Max fleeing into the wasteland that would continue in "The Road Warrior" a great follow-up, this film had a cult following & it is a true gem, movies like this just don't get made anymore, & the original Aussie dialogue is much more surreal than the dubbed version, & Mel Gibson proved in this film the star he would later become, this new DVD is sharp & clear, & is definately a must for any Mel Gibson fan!!!!!