Product: Mad Max (1979)
Rating: 5.0
Post Apocalyptic Noir!!
Before The Fast and The Furious, Speed Racer, and all of today's hybrid human/cgi rendered cars and blue screen chase sequences, there were films with real cars, real stuntmen, and Detroit gas guzzlers with Holly carburetors that made a lot of noise. Of these films, Mad Max and its follow-up, The Road Warrior, exemplifies the extinct breed known as muscle cars, or, in this instance, Australian muscle, mate!As a kid growing up, there was always something about the look of this film that turned me off: the desert, the dust, the solitary road, the mohawked freaks, the little ugly wild boy. But when I got older and a little more open minded, especially during a period when I became obsessed with car movies, I decided to give Mad Max, the so-called "classic," a test drive and all I can say is WOW!!! There's something about the post apocalyptic setting of this film that makes those big muscular 70's cars look right at home, almost mythical. If you like the type of medieval hot rods that are primered, stripped down to the bone essentials--motors, tires, steering wheels, gear-shifters--then this is your kind of film.In a nutshell, Mad Max concerns a good cop (Gibson), member of the MFP (Main Force Police who surrenders to the dark side of his soul following a tragic incident. And if I add more to this I'll spoil the fun for those who haven't seen it. Can't say enough about this baby. Action, scary, prophetic, poignant, and beautiful can't begin to describe this film experience. When you see this film, it's easy to see how it launched Mr. Gibson into super-stardom.