George Miller’s Mad Max (1979) was a relentless, at times exhilarating revenge movie which utilised a simple plot to keep the action, like the engine of Max’s interceptor, ticking over. One of the problems I had with the film was that many of the plot stipulations required to turn Max into this brooding, murderous vigilante hell-bent on revenge felt unnecessary. We see his partner ‘The Goose’ viciously killed by a dangerous biker gang, yet this only serves to send Max, the supposed hero of the piece into self-enforced retirement. It is only when his wife and young son are run down and killed by this same gang that Max is forced into action. Channelling the spirit of Charles Bronson (I’m thinking of Death Wish here, rather than Britain’s most violent criminal – though either seem to work) he hunts down and murders everybody involved in bringing about his family’s fate. The character of Goose merely amounts to another bullet point on the list of grievances the gang causes Max and as such seemed completely superfluous to me. Everything’s done with a technical brilliance that is particularly astonishing considering the film’s meagre budget, but this minor pacing and motivational problem prevented me from enjoying the film to the degree that I know many others have. Let’s just say I didn’t have any such problem with Mad Max 2.
“My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior”. So recounts a mysterious figure who describes to us the events of the previous film (and there’s not a Goose to be seen) and how the world came to be the way it is. Civilization has collapsed, society is no more and the Earth is a nuclear wasteland. All that remains are dissolute violent gangs who search the land for Earth’s most precious resource: gasoline. Like the first instalment, the plot here is simple. Mel Gibson’s world-weary Max comes across an assembly of people protecting a fuel deposit from a gang of savages led by the no-good Lord Humungus (who must have earned this preposterous name solely on the basis of his biceps). Seeking a share of the gasoline for himself, Max offers these stragglers his services as a driver to help them move the fuel to the coast without being picked off by Humungus’ bandits.
Max’s motivations are clear in this film. He seeks the world’s most precious resource and is willing to put himself in harm’s way for it. He offers his services because he wants a reward. It’s only when Humungus’ bandits leave him for dead (and in an unforgivable act, kill his dog) that it becomes personal. There’s nothing I find questionable about Max’s motivations in this film, and I was thus able to sit back and enjoy the ride. Mel Gibson is great in a quiet yet brooding role. We know the tragic past that Max emerges from in this movie and in the long patches of silence that sometimes traverse this film we see how heavily these events weigh upon him. More importantly, however, he’s a capable and believable action hero. Max Rockatansky belongs right up there with larger than life heroes such as John McLane, Indiana Jones and John Rambo. Indeed, as a result of his performance in the Mad Max films Gibson was propelled to international stardom.
But the real star here is the action. The film’s bigger budget allowed Miller to build upon the already spectacular action from the first film and in this case bigger is better. Miller sure does know how to frame a car-chase, and there’s probably nobody better at providing these kind of break-neck thrills than he is. The film is mostly just a (very watchable) excuse for an extravagant 20-minute freeway chase as Humungus and his minions seek to stop Max getting away with the gasoline. Excessive maybe, but there’s never a reason to look down at your watch and wonder when this will all end – Miller is too busy piling on thrill after thrill for your mind to wander off. The effect is in some way self-galvanising and keeps our blood pumping as the film slows down to reveal a couple of nice touches and draw to a close.
This is a quintessentially Australian film and by that I mean I cannot imagine Mad Max having been filmed anywhere else. The stretches of open land that seem to go on forever suggest a desolate and lonely world torn apart by nuclear war. It was also, no doubt a great help to have such a large stretch of land for these car chases to take place. The cast of characters are also typically Australian, and whether they be good or bad, bring a degree of desperate strangeness to the proceedings. Bruce Spence (who, admittedly, hails from New Zealand) is particularly good fun in this respect as the Gyro Captain, with his long drawn-out emotive face and goofy World War 2 goggles. All these factors add up to create an action film which is as impressive as it is individual (and I think it is this aspect which accounts for its popularity and longevity). After the slight dip in form that was Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome and a 25 year wait, Miller still seems intent on bringing us Mad Max 4: Fury Road. This may worry some fans who would like the series’ reputation to remain unblemished, but The Road Warrior has reminded me that when this formula works, it works damn well. I reckon there’s gas in that inceptor engine yet. Bring it on.
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