Mad Max (1979)

A vengeful Australian policeman sets out to avenge his partner, his wife and his son whom were murdered by a motorcycle gang in retaliation for the death of their leader.

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

James McCausland (screenplay), George Miller (screenplay),

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Max
Joanne Samuel	...	Jessie
Hugh Keays-Byrne	...	Toecutter
Steve Bisley	...	Jim Goose
Tim Burns	...	Johnny the Boy
Roger Ward	...	Fifi
Lisa Aldenhoven	...	Nurse
David Bracks	...	Mudguts
Bertrand Cadart	...	Clunk
David Cameron	...	Underground Mechanic
Robina Chaffey	...	Singer
Stephen Clark	...	Sarse
Mathew Constantine	...	Toddler
Jerry Day	...	Ziggy
Reg Evans	...	Station Master

Storyline

A vision of an apocalyptic future set in the wastelands of Australia. Total social decay is just around the corner in this spectacular cheap budget gang orientated road movie, where the cops do their best to lay down the law and the outlaw gangs try their hardest to defy the system. Leather clad Max Rockatansky husband, father and cop turns judge, juror and executioner after his best friend, wife and baby are killed. Here we see the final days of normality of a man who had everything to live for, and his slip into the abyss of madness. Mad Max is the antihero on the road to vengeance and oblivion.

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Plot Keywords:

motorcycle | biker | mad max | motorcycle gang | australia | 

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Taglines:

The last law in a world gone out of control. Pray that he's out there somewhere.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios (us) Official Facebook

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1979 (Australia)

Also Known As:

As Motos da Morte

Filming Locations:

Anakie Rd, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$650,000 (estimated)

Gross:

AUD 5,625,000 (Australia)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kennedy Miller Productions, Crossroads, Mad Max Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 93 min (special edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the yellow interceptors, a Ford Falcon XA GCI, was a decommissioned taxi cab.

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Goofs

Goose throws Johnny the Boy to the ground and, with his baton in his right hand, draws his arm back. In the next shot, Goose throws a punch with his right hand but the baton is gone.

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Quotes

Fifi: They say people don't believe in heroes anymore. Well damn them! You and me, Max, we're gonna give them back their heroes!
Max: Ah, Fif. Do you really expect me to go for that crap?
Fifi: You gotta admit I sounded good there for a minute, huh?

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Connections

Referenced in A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

User Reviews

After nearly 30 years still an amazing trip at high speed

After not seeing it for about seven years, I just saw it on DVD for the first time. I remembered it as an exciting near-chaos-future adventure with highway cops in muscle cars and one insane biker gang. It's great how it keeps on standing the test of time. High speed and raw power are of every age, past and future. The way the highway action is shot in this movie simply stays exhilarating, putting it in the top ranking of best high-speed-chase movies ever. Seeing the camera follow the highway marker at high speed, along with the sound of a bike- or V8-engine delivers a Mad and chaotic but really cool result. The pace of the movie remains considerably high, without many slow moments.

Some aspects of the movie have (understandably) dated. Obviously the 70's clothing and hair styles. Sometimes the acting is a little over the top, and some characters could come directly from a comic book. And of course the story is not that deep or difficult. It's partly action-thriller, partly science fiction adventure. All weaknesses are covered and compensated by lots of a-moral fun though.

At the heart of this one of a kind look movie, there is a hero character named Max. This speed-demon-cop is at the top of his game on the highway, ruthlessly dealing with maniacs ravaging his jurisdiction. But he is also a happy family man with his wife and son. This duality makes the character human, timeless and very memorable. In some scenes you can clearly see Mel Gibson was only just getting into acting. For a rookie he was doing a good job nonetheless.

Others strengths lie within the scary nature of the biker gang. An extravagant rag-tag band of maniacs, led by the iconic villain The ToeCutter. To this day, their actions remain tough and very disturbing. It will have you staring at the screen dead serious, making Max' battle against them even more gratifying.

There is much to say about this movie, but first and foremost it is a must see. A cult classic still as enjoyable as it was nearly 30 years ago.