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55 out of 80 people found the following comment useful :- Mad Max, the one that launched a franchise and a hundred knock-offs., 31 May 2004 Author: Captain_Couth (sirjosephu@aol.com) from Sacramento, CA
Mad Max (1979) is a low budget Aussie film that became a huge success in the U.S. because of it's sequel Mad Max 2 a.k.a. The Road Warrior. Not only did this movie spawned a franchise but it created a new genre of film (the post apocalyptic wasteland/road film) many rip-offs and pro wrestlers inspired by the movie and it's sequels.Mel Gibson (in his greatest role in my opinion) stars as "Mad" Max, a cop who has seen too much while trying to enforce the law in a dying society. After clashing with the Night Rider, he incurs the wrath of his bikie buddies Toecutter and co. Toecutter has to be one of the most scuzziest and at the same time coolest bad guys. I like the way he tries to justify him and his crew's actions. Ditto for his right-hand man Bubba. Beautiful cinematography, fast paced action and awesome stunts make this movie a winner.I have seen both versions of the movie (the U.S. dubbed version and the original Aussie soundtrack). For full enjoyment stick to the original version because they sound like real people, not like cartoon characters or cheesy b-movie villains. A true winner.Highly recommended.
18 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :- "Mad Max" stays to this day a striking, desolate, and memorable piece of cinema…, 3 August 2008 Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico
In spite of the fact that the 1981 film The Road Warrior—the second influential cinematic work of writer/director George Miller's Dystopian vision of the near future trilogy—leads to receive the anti-hero Max, released two years earlier, is where it all started… For it was here that Miller first brought to the screen his hellish vision, where civil society is under siege by crime and disorder, with the strength and charisma of a new young, tough, good looking actor by the name of Mel Gibson… Gibson was just 23 years old when he took the role of Max Rockatansky—a young hotshot cop so emotionally wounded—and was such an unknown star that when the film was hitting the screens in the States, the preview trailers didn't even mentioned him but instead focused on the movie's coolest and most original car action ever filmed… In retrospect, of course, Gibson's portrayal of a relentless vigilante is an essential element of the picture… In the Australian outback, Rockatansky is a motorcycle cop trying to keep order in a quickly disintegrating society… Vicious lawless bikers and road-raging psychopaths race up and down the forbidden territories, raping and pillaging the peaceful towns, and one such bunch ends up at the door of Max's wife (Joanne Samuel), and their 2-year old son… When they are both lying dead in middle of the road, Max is all driven over the edge, and so starts a high-speed pursuit involving wild rides, chilling fights, and memorable fast-motion suspenseful scenes rarely equaled in cinema…
15 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :- After nearly 30 years still an amazing trip at high speed, 11 January 2008 Author: Dan_the_DutchMan from Netherlands
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.
18 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :- Basic plot, but it's so much fun to watch, 7 January 2008 Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois
I remember my parents being such fans of Mad Max when I was a kid, but the movie looked so boring in my eyes. I never really wanted to get into it, I mean, I was a kid after all. But a few years ago in my film appreciation class, we were watching clips from Mad Max 2 when studying Australian films and I was intrigued with it. I finally remembered a few weeks ago how I wanted to see the three movies, so I just watched Mad Max and I have to say that I understand it's cult following. Mad Max promises and delivers, it's a low budget action film, but has a terrific story and excellent stunts. Mel Gibson, before he was Mel Gibson in Hollywood, you could see why he made it so big, his presence on screen is truly hypnotic and he makes a great hero. This story is so scary in the fact that I don't think that we are far from this future.Max Rockatansky lives in a time where his country has been taken over by violent, vicious motorcycle gang members who just go around torturing and killing people. Max and a few friends are the last members of the "semi" police force that is trying to get things back under control and bring some peace to their town. But when the gang messes with Max's friend by nearly burning him alive, Max is ticked and goes after them. But when the gang messes with Max's wife and child and kills them, oh, they've gone too far and now it's personal.Mad Max's plot is basic and can be considered typical, but it's a fun action movie that truly delivers. The action sequences were really exciting, especially Max's revenge sequence, he was so amazing and I don't remember the last time I rooted so hard for the good guy to win. Mel Gibson was really cool and I had a good time watching Mad Max. I'm looking forward to the sequels. I would recommend this movie for a watch, it's a fun cult classic that I'm sure any action fan would enjoy.7/10
34 out of 57 people found the following comment useful :- A quarter of a century on now (from the original filming) and still an icon of Aussie movie making!, 10 January 2003 Author: Noel Bailey (uds3@hotmail.com) from Longmont: Colorado US
It was the very rawness and budgetary constraints of this little flick that made it what it was. A new kind of action hero in a new kind of world! Gibson's laughably underpaid (though unavoidably so) contribution cannot be underestimated. He imbued Max with more than the script actually merited. An attitude perhaps that struck a chord with many office-desk (wannabe) vigilantes. After all, Max takes control of his own life - is not cowed by authority. Max is everyman, the one inside us that few get the chance to let loose. He is part Jesus, part Che, part James Dean, all Australian yobbo! But this guy gets the job done - drop Max into Iraq next month and see how far Saddam Hussein gets trying to stock up on sarin!Raw energy is what MAD MAX was all about! Distilled, tempered and inflamed by the time THE ROAD WARRIOR came around but at this juncture. a man on a mission and with the best tricked-up car since....well, THE CAR ! For those of you incidentally, totally mortified that his glorious black-hearted Interceptor was rendered dead-meat in MAD MAX 2, be comforted by the fact that it DOES in fact reside still in a museum in London (Why there and not Sydney I know not...perhaps for the same reason Australia still is not host to the cricket-ashes urn!) What chance of either's return when Greece can't even get the Elgin Marbles back?Much has been made (and remembered) of the high-power car chases in this film, held by many in absolute reverence. In fact after the main cops vs The Nightrider work-out in the first few minutes of the flick, its pretty much all downhill in the action stakes - nothing subsequently in MAD MAX (1) comes near this brief sequence. This situation (with a way bigger budget) was inarguably reversed by the time THE ROAD WARRIOR came along. The stunts in THAT film have never been surpassed and remember this was without CGI fx.MAD MAX has that indefinable 'something" the sequels didn't...perhaps just a raw innovation couldn't be duplicated - rather like ur first kiss. It might not have been the best, but it sure IS fondly remembered.
28 out of 48 people found the following comment useful :- This film proved that there is unlimited potential for Australian Films, 8 April 2005 Author: Ben White (b8.white@student.qut.edu.au) from Brisbane, Australia
Dr. George Miller's low budget Mad Max movies impacted on Australian culture and altered the perception of Australia and Australians overseas in a way that no other Australian film had done. Discourses such as man and the environment, fear provoking post-apocalyptic future, family, masculinity in crisis, good versus evil (Max as an iconic hero), Australian ethos and car culture, often featured within Australian films, are presented in a stark and dramatic way. The cinematographic impact is powerful; the human and emotional appeal is timeless.Australia's barren deserts presented the ideal setting for a post-apocalyptic environment. The movie set is more identifiable as Australia as it was filmed around the city of Melbourne. Long deserted roads feature significantly in the film and the cinematographic device of taking long distant shots of Max demonstrates how small he is in the scale of the environment that he is living. It is a relentless, unforgiving environment which demands defeat or survival and marks the characters which play upon its stage.Just as the physical setting is stark and desolate, the time setting and its associated events create an atmosphere of fear and foreboding which plays on the minds and emotions of contemporary viewers. In this fear provoking post apocalyptic future the few survivors of the nuclear holocaust are in warfare with one another, the rebel bikers and the police.Good versus evil is a dominant discourse in many film genres and one which embraces the Australian ethos. Max possesses some highly valued "Australian" traits; in particular, those of the underdog, the battler, the hero. External forces beyond his control stop him from "winning" completely. Contrary to the Hollywood hero, the Australian hero is a pawn in the game of others, which explains why Max can never quite "win" in absolute terms. There is little public glorification of success in Australia; heroes are remembered for their style rather than for their achievements. (Venkatasawmy, 1996) Mad Max represented a tradition hero, a hero to whom many diverse cultures are able to relate, as a story of a lone hero is a story that goes back through centuries of storytelling, and as a consequence the film achieved colossal success within Australian and around the world. The Australian cultures and lifestyles shown throughout these films give Australians an understanding of their country in the landscape, the language, and the way we treat people, life and life in exceptional circumstances.Reference Venkatasawmy, R. (1996), Australian Film in the Reading Room: The Hybridity of Film-making in Australian National Cinema: Formulating a Cinematic Post-Diaspora. Retrieved March 14, 2005, from http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/rama/CHAPT4.htm
15 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :- A sadistically fun movie, 30 June 2000 Author: coverme6 from Allentown, PA
Mel Gibson is Mad Max in, well, "Mad Max!" This is the film that made Mel an international superstar. In his starring debut, Mel plays Max, a leather-clad cop in the near future who fights to control security on the road from vicious bikers and road thugs. When the thugs lead by the psychotic Toecutter kill Max's wife and baby, our hero is livid with vengeance. Armed with his armor-plated muscle car and a sawed-off shotgun, Max wreaks turbo-powered revenge on the murderous punks.Though a bit dated compared with the action films we have today, "Mad Max" still stands out as a very impressive movie. For one thing, this film had a tiny budget. Well, as proven in "El Mariachi," a movie doesn't need a $1 million budget if you have a creative story and imagination. "Mad Max" stands out as a classic low-budget flick that made it big without the intense u
9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :- "I'm a rock and roller....I'm an outta controlla!!!", 19 February 2007 Author: cupidandpsyche85 from United Kingdom
An astonishing achievement given how low the budget was, Mad Max still impresses as a tense, violent and exciting work of pulp fiction. Granted, the pace slackens occasionally, but this is a great B-movie with extra punch thanks to some thrilling chase sequences and kinetic editing and camera-work. Police officer Max (Mel Gibson) doesn't really become mad until near the end, though even from the start his silent, intense demeanour suggests he's a little edgy; set 'a few years from now', the roads of Australia are the battleground for the cops and a sadistic motorcycle gang led by the Toecutter (a wild performance from Hugh Keays-Byrne). Things get a little too dangerous for Max, so he retires with his wife and child, but his old enemies aren't far behind, leading to a dramatic, powerful conclusion. It's a bit rough around the edges, and the bombastic soundtrack by Brian May (most definitely not the Queen guitarist of the same name) is a little overcooked when not scoring the action sequences, but this is a very good start to a series that would get even better with Mad Max 2.
8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :- Well Aged!, 28 June 1999 Author: TP-6 from Melbourne, Australia
Not many low budget flicks age very well but Mad Max certainly has.I watched it again recently, as I only had vague memories of watching it years ago, but I found it to hold up well. Only by reading the other user comments did I discover that it had been dubbed! What a load of crap. Why would a movie in English be dubbed in English! If you cant understand Aussie accents, you dont deserve the pleasure of seeing this movie. I cant imagine this movie having the same effect without the Australian accents.What George Miller did with this fairly simple script is remakable. The camera angles and speeds with which this film moves along at times were thrilling, Not to mention the great stunts and even the barbaric humour (the ripped off arm!).The car which Mel Gibson eventually gets revenge in (an Aussie Ford coupe) looked as menacing as a car could! built for the movie for A$35 Grand, a replica was used for the final crash 'n burn scenes of Mad Max 2. The original car was salvaged and is still around somewhere, appearing at car shows in the late 80's.
15 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :- Mad Max is a true classic!, 1 May 2000 Author: Pingo-2 from Sweden
Max is the ultimate avenger!Set in a near future, Max, a high-way patrol officer, tries to stop a violent motorcycle gang.This is a simple plot, but it is so well done and well filmed that this movie is a real classic action film.I like Mad Max (1979) better than Mad Max 2 (1981). Most people seem to think that the second one is even better, but I can't agree on this because of several things:First of all, this first Max movie has got a very important question, and that is that the violence of today are going to be worse tomorrow. The film dares to view violence even more than most movies do today, and I think this is a good thing, that helps to make this film trustworthy.The acting is better in Mad Max than in the sequels, and the feeling of a near, almost broken down society with a small police force is more interesting than the post-nuclear situation that the second and third film tries to show us.The car crashes and the pursuit in the openings of Mad Max are truly incredible. Never before had such nice work been put on celluloid.Overall Mad Max is a true classic! Before this movie, science-fiction/action films weren't as good.If You haven't seen it, try to get hold of the non-dubbed version.
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