Mad Max 2 (1981)

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

Terry Hayes (written by) &
George Miller (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 April 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Ruthless... Savage... Spectacular

Plot:

In the post-apocolyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.

Plot Keywords:

Gasoline | Australia | Warrior | Gang | Post Apocalyptic

Awards:

8 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Max
Bruce Spence	...	The Gyro Captain
Michael Preston	...	Pappagallo (as Mike Preston)
Max Phipps	...	The Toadie
Vernon Wells	...	Wez
Kjell Nilsson	...	The Humungus
Emil Minty	...	The Feral Kid
Virginia Hey	...	Warrior Woman
William Zappa	...	Zetta
Arkie Whiteley	...	The Captain's Girl
Steve J. Spears	...	Mechanic
Syd Heylen	...	Curmudgeon
Moira Claux	...	Big Rebecca
David Downer	...	Nathan
David Slingsby	...	Quiet Man
Kristoffer Greaves	...	Mechanic's Assistant
Max Fairchild	...	Broken Victim
Tyler Coppin	...	Defiant Victim
Jerry O'Sullivan	...	Golden Youth (as Jimmy Brown)
Tony Deary	...	Grinning Mohawker
Kathleen McKay	...	Victim
Guy Norris	...	Bearclaw Mohawk
Anne Jones	...	Tent Lover
James McCardell	...	Tent Lover
Harold Baigent	...	Narrator (voice)

Directed by
George Miller

Writing credits
Terry Hayes		(written by) &
George Miller		(written by) &
Brian Hannant		(written by)

Produced by
Byron Kennedy	....	producer

Original Music by
Brian May

Cinematography by
Dean Semler

Film Editing by
Michael Balson
David Stiven
Tim Wellburn

Art Direction by
Graham 'Grace' Walker

Costume Design by
Norma Moriceau

Makeup Department
Bob McCarron	....	special makeup effects
Karla O'Keefe	....	makeup artist
Lesley Vanderwalt	....	makeup supervisor
Kathy Coultrup	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Patrick Clayton	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrick Clayton	....	first assistant director
Brian Hannant	....	first assistant director
Brian Hannant	....	second unit director
Phillip Hurst	....	third assistant director (as Phil Hurst)
Toivo Lember	....	second assistant director
Andrew Plain	....	additional assistant director
Mark Thomas	....	assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Steve Amezdroz	....	assistant art director
Melinda Brown	....	special property designer
Melinda Brown	....	special property maker
John Daniell	....	stand-by props
Peter De Bono	....	constructor
Philip Henderson-Wilson	....	constructor
Michael Lehmann	....	constructor
Frederick Santos	....	constructor
Dennis Smith	....	construction manager
Kerrin Stevens	....	construction stand-by
George Tsoutas	....	constructor
Pauline Walker	....	art department assistant
Pauline Walker	....	property buyer
Derek Wyness	....	constructor
George Zukiwskyj	....	constructor

Sound Department
Anne Breslin	....	assistant sound editor (as Anne Breslan)
Lloyd Carrick	....	sound recordist
Chris Goldsmith	....	boom operator
Byron Kennedy	....	sound mixer
Bruce Lamshed	....	sound mixer
Bruce Lamshed	....	supervising sound editor
Mike O'Donnell	....	assistant sound editor
Penn Robinson	....	sound editor
Roger Savage	....	sound mixer
Andrew Steuart	....	sound editor (as Andrew Stewart)
Marc van Buuren	....	sound editor (as Mark Van Buuren)
David Watts	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Mark Clayton	....	special effects assistant
Jeff Clifford	....	special effects chief (as Jeffrey Cliffords)
Steve Courtley	....	special effects
Mont Fieguth	....	special effects (as Monte Fieguth)
David Hardy	....	special effects
Brian Hunter	....	special effects constructor
Greg Mulhearn	....	special effects constructor

Visual Effects by
Kim Priest	....	optical effects
Richard Wilmot	....	optical effects operator (uncredited)

Stunts
Max Aspin	....	stunt coordinator
Glenn Boswell	....	stunts (as Glen Boswell)
Vern Dietrich	....	stunt double: acrobatic stunts
Gerry Gauslaa	....	stunts
Bob Hicks	....	stunts
Guy Norris	....	stunts
Kim Noyce	....	stunts
Dennis Williams	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
John Brock	....	assistant camera: second unit
Dean Bryan	....	assistant electrician
Gary Carden	....	assistant grip (as Garry Carden)
Graham Carter	....	grip: second unit
Derry Field	....	focus puller
Derry Field	....	second assistant camera
Bill Grimmond	....	second assistant camera
Carolyn Johns	....	still photographer
Andrew Lesnie	....	documentary camera operator
Peter Lipscombe	....	additional assistant camera
Graeme Mardell	....	key grip
Andrew McLean	....	clapper loader
Richard Merryman	....	focus puller
John Morton	....	gaffer
Paul Moyes	....	best boy
Geoffrey Simpson	....	camera operator: second unit (as Geoff Simpson)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Terry Lamera	....	wardrobe machinist
Shelley Lodge	....	pre-production wardrobe assistant
Pam Maling	....	wardrobe machinist
Roger Monk	....	wardrobe master
Margaret Thomas	....	wardrobe machinist

Editorial Department
Ruth Beach	....	assistant editor
Arthur Cambridge	....	color grader
Margaret Cardin	....	negative cutter
Michael Chirgwin	....	additional editor
Philip Dickson	....	assistant editor
Les Fiddess	....	assistant editor
George Miller	....	additional editor
Alison Pickup	....	assistant to editor
Christopher Plowright	....	additional editor
Annabelle Sheehan	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Brian May	....	conductor
Roger Savage	....	music engineer
Roger Savage	....	music mixer
Brian May	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
John Brand	....	unit driver
Ralph Clark	....	transportation manager
Sue Clark	....	unit driver
Jack Skyver	....	unit driver
Dennis Williams	....	truck precision driver

Other crew
Bill Anderson	....	mechanic
Rosanne Andrews-Baxter	....	production coordinator
Dale Aspin	....	animal trainer
Catherine Barber	....	production accountant
Linda Bates	....	assistant to producer
Dixie Betts	....	office liaison: Sydney
George Bischoff	....	mechanic
Barry Bransen	....	motorcycle buyer
Barry Bransen	....	motorcycle mechanic
Kevin Cross	....	unit runner
Jenny Day	....	pre-production coordinator
Harvey Else	....	helicopter pilot
Ray Fowler	....	caterer
Gerry Goodwin	....	autogyro pilot
Bill Gooley	....	laboratory liaison
Hugh Gooley	....	security officer
Sandy Gore	....	dialogue coach
Melissa Grillett	....	feral boy acrobatic double
Arthur Henley	....	truck mechanic
John Hurrel	....	helicopter pilot
David Jeffrey	....	security officer
Stuart Johnson	....	mechanic
Dean Keenan	....	traffic supervisor
Mardy Kennedy	....	pre-production assistant to director
Steve Knapman	....	location manager
Grant Larkin	....	traffic supervisor
Jennifer Lee-Lewes	....	accounting assistant
Allan Mills	....	mechanic
Ian Mitchell	....	unit runner
Peter Moyes	....	assistant caterer
John Murch	....	mechanic
Guy Norris	....	motorcycle mechanic
Gordon Parr	....	mechanic
Catherine Phillips	....	secretary to producer
Linda Ray	....	continuity
Marshall Read	....	mechanic
Clive Smith	....	mechanic
David Thomas	....	chief car mechanic (as Dave Thomas)
Reg West	....	security officer
Athnea Willcocks	....	unit nurse
Angelika Wyness	....	unit nurse
Derek Wyness	....	security officer

Production Companies

• Kennedy Miller Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (1981) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1982) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1982) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1982) (France) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1985) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Argentina Video Home (1999) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (1999) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Warner Bros. (1999) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• AAV Australia  music recorded and mixed at
• AAV Australia  post-production sound
• Colorfilm Pty. Ltd.  processed by
• Film Australia  sound mixed at
• Mitch Matthews Consultancy  casting
• Optical & Graphics  titling
• Spectrum Films International  post-production facilities
• Spectrum Films International  post-production sound

Also Known As:

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (USA)
The Road Warrior (USA)
Çilgin Maks 2: Savasçi (Turkey: Turkish title) (TV title) [tr]
Asfalttisoturi (Finland) [fi]
Interceptor, il guerriero della strada (Italy) [it]
Le défi (Canada: French title) [fr]
Mad Max 2 (Argentina) [es]
Mad Max 2, el guerrero de la carretera (Spain) [es]
Mad Max 2: A Caçada Continua (Brazil) [pt]
Mad Max 2: Maanteesõdalane (Estonia) [et]
Mad Max 2: O Guerreiro da Estrada (Portugal) [pt]
Mad Max 2: le défi (France) [fr]
Mad Max II - Der Vollstrecker (West Germany) [de]
Mad Max no 2 - Ekdikitis pera ap' to nomo (Greece) [el]
Pobesneli Maks 2 (Serbia) [sr]
Savasçi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

95 min | UK:96 min | USA:94 min | Argentina:96 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1982) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | UK:X (original rating) | France:Unrated (with warning) | Brazil:16 | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:M | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Canada:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Trivia:

More than 80 vehicles were involved in the production.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the tanker crashes in the end, the stunt driver has a helmet.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: 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. The man we called "Max". To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Exhumed (2003) (V)

One helluva film!

Studio executives today could use a film like this one, or its predecessor right about now. The Mad Max films were thrown together with great skill on absolutely shoestring budgets and made a king's ransom in profits. Nowadays we just seem to get one big-budget failure after another, as the box office slump now extends into its fourteenth week.

Mad Max 2 (or The Road Warrior, as it is commonly called here in the USA) is an extraordinary sight to behold. The story centers on a loner (Mel Gibson) who roams the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Australia in search of gasoline so he can... I guess just keep driving. He is a man who lost his wife and child to a murderous gang of bikers in the previous film. He seems to be without a soul, or any feeling for his fellow man. One day he corners a man who tells him about a refining community besieged by a gang of ruthless outlaws. Thirsty for the large amount of fuel this community has, Max barters his way inside. To his dismay, the community has no plans to let him just take the fuel and run. They use him to provide them with a vehicle "big enough to haul that fat tank of gas", and by the climax of the film, he is driving the fuel through a gang of about fifty or more savages looking to take it for themselves. Max never really endears himself to anyone, but you can feel the humanity within him as he volunteers to drive the tanker. After just surviving a horrendous accident he can barely walk, but he knows he's their only chance.

This film is absolutely breathtaking. The characters we meet inside the walls of the refining community are stubborn and resourceful, but just not strong enough to deal with "that vermin on machines" waiting outside for them. The vicious gang holding the community hostage are a motley crew of desperadoes. Many are dressed like WWE combatants. Some are even dressed in MFP uniforms similar to what Max and his fellow officers wore in part one. Are they former cops gone bad, or did they murder the cops to get the uniforms? We are never told. The script refers to these men as "GAYBOY BERSERKERS". The various motorcycles, hot rods, and trucks used in the film have to be seen to be believed. Maybe more fuel-efficient vehicles would be a better idea for a world so short on fuel! But these souped-up vehicles make for some great chase scenes! You have to hand it to the stunt men who worked on this film. With no CGI to do the work for them, many of them were putting their lives at risk each day. Both stunt team leaders Max Aspin and Guy Norris were severely injured during filming. Aspin was driving the car that went airborne after we see the driver shot in the back with the four-way arrow gun. I believe he suffered a concussion when it landed just short of the fortress wall. Norris shattered his ankle after being launched off a motorcycle and sent flying through the air in one spectacular shot during the final chase scene.

The film has a great soundtrack, as well by Brian May. (Not the guy from Queen) Not too many lines are spoken throughout the film, but so what? This is a film about action, and it's a treat to watch it any time. The Hound will give it 10 of 10 stars. What a way to introduce American moviegoers to Mel Gibson!!