Mad Max (1979)

Director: George Miller

Cast: Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Tim Burns, Geoff Parry

Country: Australia

Rating: R

Run Time: 93 minutes

Post-apocalyptic cinema is one of the greatest sub-genres out there. There's something about watching action movies set after the end of the world that makes for an exciting experience. While there are too many post-apocalyptic action films to count (Escape From New York, The Planet of the Apes, I Am Legend, The Omega Man, The Postman, Waterworld, Terminator Salvation, Children of Men, Dawn of the Dead, and Doomsday, just to name a few...), I think that the first name that comes to people's minds when they think post-apocalyptic action is Mad Max.

The Mad Max series is a personal favorite of mine. I think all three films (soon to be more) in the series are truly excellent even though they are all completely different from one another. Writer and director George Miller helmed all three films and is to be commended for creating one of the greatest series and characters in all of action cinema. Just thinking about Mad Max gets my blood pumping and makes me want to get behind a car and floor it down an empty highway.

Glorious vehicular mayhem that only the cinema of the 70's could deliver.

Mad Max is a really unique action film. For starters, the film has an atypical plot. The film presents a post-apocalyptic world where society is still trying to hold onto the ideals of the old world. There isn't much of a typical plot until the final fifteen minutes of the film when Max sets out for revenge against The Toecutter and his biker gang. The first hour of the film jumps from character to character and feels almost experimental in a sense. Even though everything always dials back to Max Rockatansky, you really can't tell what is going to happen to next. The film is about as unpredictable as The Toecutter himself!

Mad Max separates itself from the pack of pre-existing post-apocalyptic action films like The Omega Man and The Planet of the Apes by having next to no budget. The film feels raw and gritty thanks to its deserted location shooting, realistic action, and minimalistic dialog. You can really tell that everyone poured their hearts, souls, and wallets into this film. I remember not really liking Mad Max the first time I saw it because I thought that it lacked the action of its masterful sequel, Mad Max 2 (a.k.a The Road Warrior). However, I was looking at the film the wrong way. There was no Mad Max 2 when it came out. There was the little action film that could and that was it. In retrospect, Mad Max is an essential action film and one of the most impressive low budget indie-actioners ever made. It's pure Ozploitation (exploitation of Australian culture) at its best.

The film opens by stating that its events take place "a few years from now..." Mad Max really hammers in the post-apocalyptic vibe right away by opening on a street with a sign that reads "Anarchie Road." It doesn't get more literal than that.

The post-apocalyptic world is rife with rape and murder. Therefore, the men of the MFP (Main Force Patrol) peruse the land in search of crime. The force's top officers are Jim Goose (Steve Bisley) and Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson). Jim is a loveable hot shot who scores with the ladies while Max is an unstoppable officer with a beautiful wife and child. The film opens as Max chases down a mad man named Nightrider. The Nightrider gets careless though and plows into another vehicle killing himself. However, the Nightrider belonged to a group of bikers led by the insane Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Toecutter and his gang blame the "bronze", Max and Goose that is, for the death of the Nightrider. Therefore, the gang slowly but surely stalk and terrorize Max and his friends until Max is pushed a little too far.

A young Mel Gibson shines in his debut action picture.

I believe that Mad Max is the most important post-apocalyptic action film ever made. Even though many post-apocalyptic films had been made before, Mad Max seemed to set the precedent for how most post-apocalyptic action films would be made for the rest of time. A "Mad Max" type of post-apocalyptic film includes crazy villains who like to rape and pillage innocent victims, highly stylized vehicles adorned with rust and spikes, lots of practical vehicular stunt work, bloody gun play, somber heroes, tragic plots, wide open desert spaces, broken down cities, and a unique style of fashion and clothing. The original Mad Max has influenced and inspired every blatant rip-off and post-apocalyptic film to come after it. The Book of Eli, Escape From New York, Waterworld, and so many more films owe their heart and soul to George Miller's Australian actioner.

It is unfortunate that Mad Max's sequel, Mad Max 2, casted a massive shadow over its low budget original. Many of my friends and fellow movie buffs write off the original Mad Max in favor of the bigger and better Mad Max 2. Many of them haven't even seen Mad Max or have only seen bits and pieces! While I completely agree that Mad Max 2 is a far better film and one of the greatest action masterpieces of all time, the original Mad Max is a special little film. You would be doing a massive disservice to yourself as an action fan if you skip or try to ignore this little film. It set the precedent for post-apocalyptic action cinema, established Mad Max as one of the most iconic action characters, and launched Mel Gibson's career.

Mel Gibson is a fantastic action star. He has starred in countless action classics (Mad Max 2, Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, The Patriot, etc) over the years and has yet to disappoint me. While one could argue that Mad Max 2 truly launched Mel Gibson to stardom, it was Mad Max that introduced him to the world. It was also Mel's very first action film and it kicks tons of ass! Mad Max was for Gibson what Above the Law was for Steven Seagal, Die Hard was for Bruce Willis, Conan the Barbarian was for Arnold Schwarzenegger, A Better Tomorrow was for Chow Yun Fat, and Pitch Black was for Vin Diesel. It took a relatively unknown actor or action newcomer and blew them up to action stardom overnight.

"I am the Nightrider!"

Mad Max is one of the few post-apocalyptic films that presents a morally upright society that operates fine. Characters live in their own homes, restaurants still have business, people go on vacation, junkyards still operate, and night clubs even boom. There is even a police force and a court system too. It's rare to see a post-apocalyptic society do so well. Supplies and food don't seem all that scarce either. We do see Toecutter and his gang steal some oil from a truck on a highway near the end of the film (which acts as a little bit of foreshadowing for the plot and theme of Mad Max 2). Otherwise, crime, a lack of cities, and the deserted landscapes are the only signs of a changed world. It could be argued that Mad Max is more of a pre-apocalyptic film than it is a post-apocalyptic film. But come on, we've been saying that for years. Why break the trend now?

I especially noticed the prevalence of heroism this go around of the film. Max's boss continually states that he wants to give people back their heroes. His boss believes that things can go back to how they used too if heroes would step in and do the right thing. Max just wants to retire and live a happy life with his family. However, he is pulled back into the role of the gun toting hero by the end of the film whether he likes it or not. It is in Max's blood to be a hero and I love this about him. This theme continues into both Mad Max 2 (Max arcing from a passive wanderer to a hero by driving a truck to help innocent people) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Max saving Master's life even though he did not need too + Tina Turner's opening theme song, "We Don't Need Another Hero").

I have stated it enough, but Gibson is very kind and likeable as Max Rockatansky. Unlike the sequels, the circumstances of Max's life are far different in this film. Therefore, we meet a kind and caring Max. He does his job because he wants to protect others and support his lovely family. His wife and child are also absolutely adorable. You really feel like Max and his wife Jessie are truly in love. We don't get to meet the cold and passive Max until the next film. He had to be Kind Max before he could become Mad Max.

However, it isn't a Mad Max film without some insane and memorable villains. Toecutter and his gang are absolutely relentless madmen. There is no clue as to what Toecutter will do next, he is that unpredictable. I noticed that Toecutter hisses like a snake off screen sometimes just to silence and halt his gang. He's a mad man with a crazy hair do that I would not want to mess with. I also really enjoy his two main minions: Johnny the Boy and Bubba. Johnny is a new wannabe member of the gang and acts as unpredictable as Toecutter. Bubba on the other hand is the only calm and toned down member of the gang. He has a pale face and a cold and chilling demeanor. He and Max have a small face off at the end of the flick that makes for a truly bad ass moment of triumph on Max's part.

"Remember him when you look at the night sky."

Even though Mad Max had a small budget, its small action scenes and realistic stunts are incredibly impressive and hold up quite well. There are only two big action scenes in the film; the car chase that opens the film and Max's vehicular revenge that closes the film. The opening chase is arguably the best action scene of the flick. Some MFP chase down a mad man named The Nightrider as he plows his vehicle down a highway. However, two buffoon officers keep crashing their car as they pursue The Nightrider. I cannot stress enough how awesome these car crashes are! There are two glory shots in this chase that make the whole film worth viewing. The first is when the officers plow their car into a blue van that sends said van spinning off the highway in glorious slow motion. The second is when the same officers floor their car through a trailer and cause the trailer to literally explode into smithereens. It's so beautiful!

Miller's excellent eye for editing and choreography is most evident in the tense opening chase. There is a huge pile up / crash leading up to the amazing trailer explosion that benefits from truly excellent editing. Miller could not have set the scene up any better. As the officers plow down the road, a young baby wanders out into the street. The Nightrider swerves around the kid and causes the officers behind him to tip their car and slide off the street. The tension is literally unbearable during this scene! And it all literally explodes when the officers plow through a poor innocent trailer. The end of the film also has some great stunt work and even more vehicle chases. However, I'd rather leave those scenes to be enjoyed unspoiled. After all, they are the emotional climax of the film.

Max's iconic vehicle shot.

I can't get enough of Mad Max! There just aren't that many action series out there that are as consistently great as Miller's epic trilogy. I am so glad to have rediscovered this action classic. One of the great things about this film is that even highly esteemed critics love it. How often does a bad ass action film get met with critical acclaim by people who aren't action fans? Mad Max is an excellent post-apocalyptic film that hits all of the right notes: great acting, affective atmosphere, relevant themes, and breath taking action. Miller's debut action picture is truly the Breathless of action cinema, a film that broke all of the rules and did it all on a shoe string budget. I should warn newcomers though that Mad Max may be a tad extreme for them. The film's slow second act, odd pace, and unpredictable characters may chase off the uninitiated. If you give Max a chance though, you'll discover a unique low budget indie film that would set the groundwork for one of the greatest sequels of all time.

Rating: 8/10 - A must watch post-apocalyptic action film! Vehicular mayhem has never been the same.

Franchise:
Mad Max (dir. George Miller, 1979)
Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior (dir. George Miller, 1981)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (dir. George Miller and George Ogilivie, 1985)
Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller, 2015)