Film: Mad Max 2
Director: George Miller
Country: Australia
Released: December 1981
Runtime: 96 minutes
Genre: Action
Studio: Kennedy Miller Entertainment
Influenced: Ridley Scott, Baz Luhrmann, Zack Snyder, Karyn Kusama, Cate Shortland
Mad Max 2, released as The Road Warrior by Warner Bros in the USA, is George Miller's follow-up to the successful 1979 movie Mad Max, and among the greatest sequels ever made (almost up there with The Godfather Part II and Empire Strikes Back). Like the original, the film is set in a dystopian world plagued by violence and lawlessness. Mad Max 2 picks things up some time after the events of the first film, which are referenced in the film's innovative documentary-style prologue. By this point the world has descended into chaos, with society on the brink of collapse due to an energy crisis and limited resources. Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) is a former police officer turned wandering loner, still reeling from the loss of his family, as depicted in the first film.
Mad Max 2 begins with Max's encounter with a small, desperate community that has managed to secure a vital oil refinery in the Australian outback. The settlers are trying to defend the refinery from a gang of marauders led by the ruthless Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson). The gang wants to seize the precious fuel and leaves the settlers in constant fear for their lives. Max becomes entangled in the conflict when he strikes a deal with the settlers. In exchange for access to the refinery's gasoline, Max agrees to help them escape the wasteland and find a promised land with ample resources. He modifies a massive armoured truck, which becomes his iconic vehicle known as the "Interceptor" and, together with the settlers and a skilled and charismatic mechanic named the Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence), Max attempts to outmanoeuvre the marauders in a high-octane chase across the desert.
Mad Max 2 is credited with introducing and popularising various elements that have since become staples of post-apocalyptic action cinema, notably its punk aesthetic, best represented by the marauders led by Lord Humungus, who is adorned in leather, chains, spikes and other salvaged materials, giving him an intimidating and anarchic appearance. The marauders' cars and motorcycles are also heavily modified with makeshift armour, weapons and unique designs, reflecting the DIY ethos prevalent in punk. Max himself sports rugged and weathered attire, often adorned with personal trinkets or symbols that express his identity, and one of the film's most touching scenes is his gift of a music box that plays the happy birthday song to a feral child (Emil Minty) with whom he forms a reluctant alliance.
Miller relied heavily on practical effects and stunts in making Mad Max, creating an authentic and visceral experience for the audience full of intense car and motorcycle chases, setting a new standard for action scenes on screen. The intensity increases until we reach the climactic showdown between Max and Lord Humungus, delivering a powerful and memorable ending as Max outsmarts the leader of the marauders. Mel Gibson's portrayal of Max solidified his status as a sought-after action hero in Hollywood, while the film received critical acclaim and its success led to the creation of additional Mad Max films, including Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and the highly acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). It's hard to believe that the same director of all those films – George Miller – was also responsible for Babe (1995) and Happy Feet (2006).
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