MAD MAX 2
SYNOPSIS:
In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, one-time Highway Patrol officer Max
Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) has become a drifter scavenging for petrol. An encounter with the
Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence) leads Max to a bric-a-brac fortress where an idealistic tribe
led by Pappagallo (Mike Preston) is refining oil and planning to start a new life ‘up
north’. Surrounding their camp is an army of grotesque desert warriors led by
Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) and his crazed henchman Wez (Vernon Wells). His tribe's defences
weakening, Pappagallo agrees to pay Max in petrol upon delivery of a semi-trailer rig
capable of transporting the precious stuff. As the battle intensifies, Max is drawn
reluctantly into helping Pappagallo's people make a safe escape.
Review by Richard Kuipers:
With ten times the budget and a more clearly defined narrative than the first Mad Max,
George Miller and producer Byron Kennedy travelled to Broken Hill and returned with what
is quite simply the best action-exploitation film ever made. The influence of Mad Max 2
cannot be overestimated. Besides providing the Italian and Filipino film industries with
the inspiration for a decade's worth of rip-offs (Exterminators of the Year 3000, The New
Barbarians, 1990 Bronx Warriors, Equalizer 2000 to name a few) this 94 minute exercise in
pure cinema re-wrote the rule book for on-screen excitement. The final chase scene has no
peer and is unlikely to ever have one. Mad Max 2 is about much more than stunts and
visceral thrills. Modelled along classic western and samurai film lines it also has a
wicked and consistent sense of humour that begins with Bruce Spence's wonderful turn as
the Gyro Captain ('that's my snake, I caught it and I'm gunna eat it') and is maintained
even in the incredibly tense escape scene as the mechanic played by Steve J. Spears
catches fire while fending off the goons. Compare that with the one-liners in films such
as Terminator 2 that stick out like sore thumbs. Magnificently photographed by Dean Semler
and featuring heavy-leather costumes that would become standard attire at gay nightclubs
the world over, Mad Max 2 is still the most impressive warrior who ever wandered the
wasteland. At best it appears Mel Gibson will have a cameo only in Mad Max 4 (well, that's
today's rumour anyway!!) If George Miller can recapture the incredible style, pace and
atmosphere of this entry he won't need him.
Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Mad Max 2 is a stunning, stunt-driven action film that set the standard for car chase
stunts 20 years ago – and has not been bettered, not even by the explosive
truck-n-car chase in The Fast and The Furious – which no doubt owes a debt to Mad Max
2. The last 25 minutes is an extended series of white-knuckle action pieces as the forces
of good and evil do battle to the death. Made four years after Mad Max, this is not so
much a sequel as a development of the original Mad Max ideas. (And the score is more
‘developed’, too; same Brian May, in better form.) The script has jumped forward
in time, more than four years, we feel, to an even bleaker world – designed on a much
bigger budget! Mel Gibson’s face matured just enough in the four years to make him
less baby-faced and more like the man we got to know on screen since those early days. The
plot is unburdened by complexities other than logistical, and has many screen cousins; but
the execution and the design – the whole look and feel of the film – give it all
serious value as a thrilling, dramatic, unpredictable and eye-glueing action classic. The
characters are defined by their appearance in a way that avoids the obvious – for one
thing, they are all brilliantly inventive with their accessories! The weaponry is from a
unique world of its own, and the only thing that is familiar – apart from the rubber
tyres on the vehicles – is the English language. Unique in execution, Mad Max 2 is a
fantasy in screen violence that challenges and pushes the boundaries of the action genre
– to this day.
Review by Louise Keller:
It only takes a few minutes for us to make the leap into an inspirationally wacko
futuristic world, where characters seem to have been drawn by a cartoonist with a vivid
imagination. George Miller's energising sequel stands out as one of the all-time landmark
films of Australian cinema, and certainly one of the most memorable. Mel Gibson's Max is
no longer grounded by family, and has been swallowed up by the dusty outback, where
survival is everything, and he shares his life with his loyal, trusty cattledog. Watch for
the look on the dog's face as Max digs into a can of Dinki Di dog food! Gibson's very
handsome features are showcased in every frame; he is credible to the hilt and rivals a
young Clint Eastwood. Marvellously innovative characters – from Bruce Spence's lanky
simpleton pilot to the mohawked S&M lover Vernon to the Feral Kid - stimulate our
imaginations and - although the violence may be high grade, like that of Starship
Troopers, it is mostly over the top. The incongruity of finding a musical box that plays
Happy Birthday, in the middle of the desert is one of many memorable moments that you will
never forget. Striking production design and an edgy score with harrowing themes
complement the action driven narrative, and the final 25 minutes is a showcase of stunt
sequences that will have you glued to your seat. Huge explosions, daring stunts as steel
crumples under tyres… thrilling, breathtaking action from start to finish. The road
stunts are as daring as they come and that moment when the Feral Kid reaches for the
shotgun shell on the bonnet of the speeding truck is one that will haunt you in later
moments. Filled with laconic humour and outlandish violence, Mad Max 2 (aka The Road
Warrior) is a bikie road fantasy set in the desert and captured by our imaginations.
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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 2
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 0
Read our MAD MAX reviews




MAD MAX 2 1981 (M)
(Aust)
CAST: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston, Max Phipps, Vernon Wells, Emil Minty,
Kjell Nilsson, Virginia Hey, William Zappa, Steve J. Spears, Syd Heylen
DIRECTOR: George Miller
PRODUCER: Byron Kennedy
SCRIPT: Terry Hayes, George Miller, Brian Hannant
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dean Semler
EDITOR: Michael Balson, David Stiven, Tim Wellburn
MUSIC: Brian May
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Graham ‘Grace’ Walker
RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Roadshow
AUSTRALIAN RE-RELEASE DATE: Sydney -December 13 – 19, 2001 (Cremorne Orpheum);
Melbourne – December 30, 2001 – January 6, 2002 (Astor St Kilda); double bill
with Mad Max on new Panavision prints. Later in other cities.
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