Product: Mad Max (1979)
Rating: 4.0
Very good action film
"Mad Max" (1979) is a remarkable sci-fi actioner starring Mel Gibson, fresh from Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Arts, and directed by George Miller, a film buff with film school training. Gibson plays Max Rockatansky, a loner cop patrolling a post-apocalyptic Australia. The highways have become the arena for death games between nomad bikers and cops like Max, along with his partner, Goose (Steve Bisely). Enter the Nightrider (Vince Gil), a vicious biker escaping custody. He has just stolen a car from the Main Force Patrol (MFP) headquarters. A road chase between Max and the Nightrider results in the death of the latter. Unbeknownst to Max, Nightrider's buddys come to town to seek revenge. They are headed by a demented lunatic named Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne). His followers are the mysterious Bubba Zanetti, the drug-addled Johnny the Boy (Nightrider's replacement; not yet a full member), and psychopathic rapists/homosexuals Mudguts, Cundalini, Starbuck, and Diabando. Whilst seeking vengeance upon Max, they wreak much havok along the way. This includes an assault on a young couple, and the slaying of Goose. A horrified Max quits the force, and takes his wife, Jessie (Joanne Samuel), and their baby Sprog, on a much-needed vacation. Unfortunately, Jessie is almost raped by the Toecutter and his gang, but she doesn't tell Max what happened. Rather, the Toecutter gang catches up with them and viciously murders Jessie and Sprog, leaving Max with no choice but to embark on an explosive path of vengeance upon his tormentors. The biker gang is completely without empathy, except for Johnny the Boy, who became a full gang member only after reluctantly setting Goose on fire. The Toecutter is perhaps the creepiest, nastiest villain to ever grace the screen, while Bubba Zanetti epitomizes the ruthless killing-machine whose mission to destroy Max. The other bikers are no less sadistic than the Toecutter. The movie works mostly because of Gibson's performance as the damaged hero, Max. It also features great effects and remarkable stunts, and spawned an even more successful sequel, The Road Warrior (1981). Overall, a very good action film. Only quibble: actors' voices were re-dubbed with American voices, out of fear that audiences wouldn't comprehend the Australians' accent.