Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

Books could be (and likely have been) written about what makes "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" such a great movie: George Miller's unique vision of a dystopian wasteland filmed to perfection in the Australian outback, a litany of well thought-out characters even among bit players, the oft-copied but rarely duplicated way that Miller manages to set the mood repeatedly with little if any dialogue, and of course the cars and epic chase sequences. What you end up with is perhaps the perfect post-apocalyptic story: a lone man who lives by scavenging in the wastelands, hardened by the events of the first "Mad Max" film, and still driving the last of the V8 police interceptors. A series of events quickly leads him to an ethical crossroads: does he stay with the band of "civilized" people fruitlessly guarding the last working oil pump and refinery for who knows how far, against the band of marauders camped at their gates? Does he make a temporary bargain and run off with his small reward from them to once more disappear into the wastelands? Or can he find another option? The answer is well worth the time spent reaching it.Spoilers follow, so if you haven't watched this yet, do please stop reading. :)There is so much more to this movie than even the most detailed reviews here will reveal. The symbolism throughout: the distant raven's cry heard as Max enters each scene, foretelling the death which hollowed him in the past, and follows him thereafter. The beautiful, nuanced characters found on all sides of the conflict: the idealistic Pappagallo who leads the motley refinery crew, preaching hope and humanity all while being surrounded by death and futility; the opportunistic Gyro Captain who survives the wasteland through cunning and killing while exuding insanity from every pore, but who ultimately shines through as perhaps the most sane individual there; and perhaps the most brilliantly complex villain in non-"Batman" film history, The Humungus, a muscle-bound behemoth who lords over a band of ruthless killers yet quotes 18th century German poetry (in German), repeatedly shows patience and practical thinking in achieving his goal, and carries around an immaculate revolver in a case filled with military medals from numerous nations. Plus of course the scene-stealing dog (named "Dog"), who was rescued from a local animal shelter, trained for this film, and then retired to a life of luxury with one of the cameramen.This is barely even scraping the surface. I've seen very convincing arguments that the entire story was a modern interpretation of ancient Greek tragedy (Miller's parents were Greek immigrants), lengthy commentaries on how avant garde the film was in casting women, homosexuals, and physically handicapped persons in strong roles (without dwelling on doing it), and of course numerous discussions on the political and environmental criticisms neatly wrapped into the back story of the picture (again, without being in-your-face about it).In short, which truthfully would have been two paragraphs ago, this is so much more than just the quintessential post-apocalyptic action thriller, as evidenced by the numerous "best of" lists it continues to find itself on. This is a testament to exactly what a talented visionary with a (very) limited budget is capable of producing, and a film which rewrote its genre and redefined exactly what a "hero" can be in movies.

The first Road Warrior movie Mad Max was great, and became a cult classic, but Mad Max 2 was the one that really broke into the international market and made the series famous. The film like all the rest is a dystopian tale set in a future Australia. The intro says that two great powers went to war and destroyed the Earth. In the first movie there was still some civilization left as Max (Mel Gibson) was a policeman. By the second film that had all disappeared and gangs and loners had taken over everything seeking to exploit and kill the weak. That’s what the plot focused upon, a small group of people trying to hold onto their humanity against the hordes that surrounded them.The opening scene shows that this will be a fast paced, action packed story as Max is being chased by a gang along the highway in a bunch of supped up cars and a motorcycle. Out on the road it’s a kill or be killed situation where everyone is trying to survive and scavenge for the basic necessities like gasoline.Max then comes across the Gryo Captain (Bruce Spence) who tells him of a community where they are refining gasoline. They have a plan to escape to a better place but a gang has their camp under siege. The movie is about whether Max can help the camp escape and live another day.The differences between the two sides are made very stark. The gang wears all black. The people in the camp where white. The gang looks like a mix of Punk rockers and S&M fanatics, while those in the camp appear like a co-ed football team with some pretty people.This movie really captured people’s imagination. The over the top costumes. The story of a struggle for survival. The cars and action still resonate to this day.C

A movie about a crazy man driving around really fast and being very violent about it. But enough about Mel Gibson!Seriously though, this is a post-apocalyptic classic, a movie that was shaped by the genre but ended up DEFINING it! It is unique in its approach and its story. Its heroes and villains die in droves, it has just the right amount of motivation for everyone involved, and it has a twist at the end that ties up the story neatly at the end.If you haven't watched it yet; get it, watch it, and enjoy the majesty of Mel Gibson living off gasoline fumes, for the second time!

The ultimate post-apocalypse movie! If you have not seen Mad Max 2 (a.k.a. The Road Warrior) then you have missed out on one of the best sci-fi action films ever made. This Blu-ray has a great price and offers a pristine letterbox version of the movie which is essential to take in the stellar cinematography of Academy Award Winner Dean Semler as well as the incredible 13-minute action sequence finale. Movies like Mad Max 2 are not made anymore. This film was made with no special effects trickery or CGI, everything is 100% practical and 100% dangerous. The movie is a terrific homage to classic Western movies like Shane and Eastwood's No Name Trilogy where a drifter gets entangled in a situation that will end up turning him into a hero/savior. It earns my highest recommendation.This Blu-ray is light on extras but there is a audio commentary with director George Miller and an introduction from film critic Leonard Maltin. Recently the podcast Don & his Amazing Friend also did an online audio commentary of the movie which brought additional information about the rare sequel that raises the bar on the original. For under $10 this is a steal!

Yeah, this is an old movie. It shows. But you know what? With the "Fast and Furious" sequels, the producers seem to believe things can only get better if the stunts get more ridiculous and impossible. The best "Fast and Furious" film to me is still the first one. You can actually tell there is a guy hanging off the side of a truck. The stunts are real. They do not rely on computer graphics. This is what they do in "The Road Warrior" for the entire film. Fantastic.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. (1981).Certificate: 18/R.Genre: Action.Running Time: 91 Minutes.Trivia.1) Mel Gibson only had 16 lines of dialogue in the entire film.2) The climatic highway battle is 13 minutes long3) Chronologically this film takes place 5 years after Mad Max & 15 years before Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.4)Humungus was originally revealed to be Max's partner Jim Goose but George Miller eventually decided against this idea.Synopsis.Following the road-side slaughter of his family, ex-cop Max (Mel Gibson) roams the post-apocalyptic landscape alone. Reluctantly taking a pit-stop at a desert-set fortress, Max is gradually persuaded to help protect the people inside it & the commodity that makes it a prime target for marauding gangs - fuel.Timelord Thoughts.Mad Max 2 is one of my all time favourite movies, from it's superb narrative opening about a ravaged apocalyptic world gone mad to it's stunning action packed climax, this movie masterpiece delivers breathtaking action sequences, superb performances by the cast & contains a very important message about the fate of humanity.Mel Gibson reprises his role of burnt out ex-cop Max Rockatansky clad from head to toe in leather & steel armed with a sawn off, double barrelled shotgun & a dog as Max roams the wastelands in his black V8 Interceptor scavenging for precious resources, food, water & fuel while battling against psychotic marauders.Gibson's superb performance features just 16 lines of dialogue but he depicts through facial expressions & body language the emotions his character is feeling, Gibson has the ability to allow us to feel Max's inner turmoil of pain & loss as the haunting memories of losing his wife & son burn deep within him.Bruce Spence adds great charm & quirky charisma as The Gyro Captain who eventually aids Max in his deal to help the community bid for freedom & a new horizon, Emil Minty gives a memorable performance as the Feral Kid, a boy who lives in the wasteland near the refinery settlement who speaks only in growls & grunts & defends himself with a lethal metal boomerang, Mike Preston plays Pappagallo, the idealistic leader of the settlers in the barricaded oil refinery & a character who has kept his humanity in a world gone mad.The sexy Virginia Hey features in a small role as the Warrior Woman, who initially distrusts Max, the only thing standing in the settlers way is a group of psychotic marauders led by the feared Humungus who surround the oil refinery & want the gasoline for themselves.The main two villain's showcase such brutality, the leader Humungus is a huge muscular scarred hockey masked warrior played with such chilling intimidating presence by former swedish bodybuilder Kjell Nilsson who's brilliantly portrays such a terrifying character, Humungus burns his victims alive while delivering crazy sermons while Vernon Wells is chilling (Commando's Bennett) as the psychopathic Wez, Humungus right hand man, a savage warrior of extreme skill, there's no campy bad guy's here as this duo are insane & completely unhinged which makes for two memorable villains.Writer/Director George Miller has created such a believable broken down world in Mad Max 2, a world stripped away of town's & cities as humanity has unevoled to a near primitive state as society has become ravaged to a desolate wasteland due to a nuclear war, Miller doesn't hold back on showing us the horror aspects of this savage apocalypse as bodies are broken, impaled, crushed & splattered in the bloodiest adrenaline fuelled car chases ever seen on screen. George Miller's direction shows such ferocity & intensity in several jaw dropping action sequences, every stunt was done for real in camera with no computer trickery & the results are simply breathtaking, the 13 minute chase towards the movies climax is still one of the best action sequences I have ever seen & i still get goosebumps everytime I watch it.Overall, 'Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior' is a cinematic masterpiece that vastly improves upon the original movie, Gibson performance impresses as the battle scarred road warrior who's last bit of humanity burns slowly away as writer/director George Miller merges a uncompromising look at a post apocalyptic barren, dangerous & lawless world were one must scavenge for survival & in doing so delivers breathtaking death defying action sequences that are better than anything Hollywood churns out nowadays.In a time of chaos pray he's still out there.

This is genuinely very good (not brilliant) release of an iconic film. Like the film this blu-ray edition is lean and does everything it needs to excellently. I won't review the actual film as there are better sites and places to do that. You don't get loads of extras in the form of interviews, retrospective documentaries or extra footage - there's a trailer, introduction and commentary track - but what you do get is a fantastic picture (phenomenal given it was filmed 1980/81), awesome sound and all of it consistent. For me, if you love the Max franchise and haven't got this already then you need to buy it or one of the boxsets that incorporate it. The missing star is due to a lack of extras on this release that I believe this film deserves.

Mad Max was a five star film, and Mad Max 2 Road Warrior is also a five star film. It's very hard to say which I prefer because they are both so different. Mad Max was raw, story driven drama, with great action. Yet Road Warrior zooms way into the future and gives us a post apocalyptic nightmare, in an amazingly polished production. Mel Gibson has never been or looked better and the story/direction is the closest anyone has got to Sergio Leonne (in my eyes the master film maker). Great action, great set pieces and a monster vision. Okay I've decided, The Road Warrior just edges it. But it's a close call because they are so different, so it's not like comparing say Godfather parts I and II. This is up there, along with Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and Commando as one of the very best action movies ever made and probably one of the best sequels ever. Bravo George Miller, glad to see you return to the series

The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2).Blu-ray.U.S import. Region free. Kinetic car chases& motorbike madness, topped upwith a gleaming boomerang. The on screentitle Mad Max 2 pops up when played, farbetter than 'The Road Warrior' and there'sno American dubbed voices. The 16:9picture quality's tip top and apparently it's uncut,massive thank you's to the reviewer(s) whohave kindly pointed this out. One of my favouritetypes of movie, 'the post apocalyptic fallout'. Thisand Raiders of Atlantis (badly want an Englishlanguage official release) are by far the best examples.The whole film is a 'stand out moment,' the gyro captaineating dog food, then dabbing his mouth showsa tiny bit of dignity remains. Also the compound mechanicwho shouts "OK". Very funny. You've also got thegorgeous Virginia Hey in it. You had me at Raiders of Atlantis.1981 Run time: 1hr 35min.Extras: commentary, introduction by Leonard Maltin,theatrical trailer.

Ive watched this film more times than any other since it was first released on VHS in 1983. It made a lasting impession on me and ive never seen it bettered by any others of its type including 1985's Thunderdome.So many elements are combined here; SciFi, Horror, Action, Western, Revenge Thriller and combined well. Mad Max was good but this really ramps it up.Set in a desolate and lawless future Australian outback after the fall of civilisation(post world war 3 but NOT after a nuclear conflict - the Bombs fall in the years between parts 2 & 3) the saga continues of Max Rockatansky, the embittered and battle hardened warrior of the wasteland, constantly at war with the ferocious marauders who terrorise the apocalyptic landscape. Max is the epitome of 'Hard' - clad from head to toe in leather and steel and armed with a sawn off, double barrelled shotgun, he roams the wastelands in the now iconic black V8 Interceptor. A monster of a car, armed with a self destruct device and a supercharger to leave the opposition standing - this is Max's main weapon and bringer of Death to the enemy. The plot is straightforward and really is an excuse to enjoy the absolute orgy of violence and mayhem that ensues for 90 minutes! Max goes head to head with the minions of the terrifying Lord Humungous and his Chief Warlord Wez - These are truly fearsome warriors, clad like Max in leather and iron and armed to the teeth with crossbows, blades, morning stars and gas propelled arrow guns and a vast arsenal of cars, bikes and dune buggys. Some of these guys are barely human with their berserker tactics, utter contempt for human life and total bloodlust. A good 50% of them are mohawked, particularly Wez and look like they could have come from the depths of hell!Max, mostly for selfish reasons, allies himself with a compound of 'normal' people who find their desert fortress under perpetual siege from the Humungous and his monstrous horde. The decent folk have their own oil facility to make fuel which is now the single rarest commodity on earth - and the mohican army wants it - and arent willing to trade!In the ensuing battles, bodies are broken, impaled, crushed, and pulped in the bloodiest car chases ever seen on screen. Woman are graphically raped, fingers are severed and heads are decapitated (courtesy of Max's shotgun). Torture and Terror are the currency here! This is a VERY violent movie, well worth its 18 rating (although not fully uncut on DVD). The film culminates in an amazing 15 odd minute chase whereby Max in charge of a massive Mack Truck is pursued by the Humungous and the full force of his army in all manner of deadly pursuit vehicles. The stunt work and special effects (pre CGI) are jaw-dropping and its a miracle no stunt men lost their lives! I have yet to see a more gripping setpiece as the crazed thugs clamber on to the truck from their bikes & cars to engage Max in mortal combat to the explosive conclusion.This film is tightly written & directed,it looks truly Epic, despite a relativeley modest budget, thanks to stunning photography,sharp editing and cutting edge production design. Performances are effective, and Mel Gibson should never forget his roots! This is action cinema at its best!Also the score by Brian May is terrific - shades of Holst's Mars - very warlike! The locations are breathtaking (filmed at Broken Hill) and are the uncredited cast member.Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was a bit too tame (well made though)and lets hope we see Mad Max 4: Fury Road soon! Please George Miller!!!Incidentally check YouTube videos out if like me you like Metal - Ive seen a great trailer/montage from Mad Max 2 set to the music of Metallica which works very well indeed!