MAD MAX 2:
THE ROAD WARRIOR
_________________________________________________________
CREDITS
DIRECTOR:
George Miller
PRODUCER:
Byron Kennedy
SCRIPT:
Terry Hayes, George Miller, Brian Hannant
CINEMATOGRAPHER:
Dean Semler
EDITOR:
Michael Balson, David Stiven, Tim Wellburn
MUSIC:
Brian May
PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Graham 'Grace' Walker
RUNNING TIME:
95 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR:
Roadshow
Cast
'Mad' Max Rockatansky Mel Gibson
The Gyro Captain Bruce Spence
Pappagallo Michael Preston
The Toadie Max Phipps
Wez Vernon Wells
The Humungus Kjell Nilsson
The Feral Kid Emil Minty
Warrior Woman Virginia Hey
Zetta William Zappa
The Captain's Girl Arkie Whiteley
Mechanic Steve J. Spears
Curmudgeon Syd Heylen
Big Rebecca Moira Claux
Nathan David Downer
Quiet Man David Slingsby
Mel Gibson as 'Max' with the…. "last of the V8 Interceptors".
"……I'm just here for the gasoline."
Plot Synopsis
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is the second film in George Miller's Mad Max trilogy. In a post-apolcalyptic outback setting, Max (Mel Gibson) roams the wastelands as a lone warrior in search of fuel to survive. By way of chance he is lead (by Gyro Captain played by Bruce Spence) to a small colony of survivors who have been refining their own fuel supplies in order to make it out to 'Paradise'.
The wastelands are ruled by the Humungus (the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla), and his gang of deviants, (a strange mix of S&M punk bandits) who want to get their hands on the fuel and are prepared to wait it out and fight for it. There are some amazing car-chase scenes that ensue, which is surely one of the highlights of this film. Petrol heads will not be disappointed, as the "last of the V8 Interceptors" is put to work. The gang violence is menacingly portrayed in a world where there are no longer any laws, other than the survival of the fittest.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is a classic tale of good v's evil, one that sets
up social order v's anarchy in an environment where all sense of governance justice and control have been destroyed. Max unwillingly becomes the colony's only way out, by getting past the gang and bringing back the truck to haul the tanker of precious fuel. He makes a deal with the leader Papgallo (played by Michael Preston) and then is overpowered himself by Humungus's dogs of war when he attempts to escape alone. (However- he does take out a few bad guys as the last of the V8 Interceptors goes up in flames).
Rescused by the Gyro Captain and with nothing to lose, Max volunteers for the job of driving the tanker, which leads to one of the most incredible car-chase / road scenes in history. Max finds redemption in aiding the survivalof the people of the colony, in particular The Feral Kid (Emil Minty); when he was unable to save his own son in Mad Max.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is an action-packed road thriller, reminiscient
of the American Western films; where if the good guys can't drive the bad guys out, they'll drive themselves out guns blazing. This film had great success at both the Australian and American box offices, and Australian cinema advertising was run with the slogan: "It's our Star Wars!".
One of the classic all-time cult road flicks, and most certainly the best of the Mad Max trilogy, The Road Warrior withstands the test of time.
"When all that's left is one last chance, pray that he's still out there.....somewhere!"
Critical Review
Mad Max II: The Road Warrior was released as a sequel to 1979's Mad Max, in 1982. The original Mad Max was most certainly one of the first domestic product that had real success internationally in terms of box office attendance. The slogan on promotional advertising and posters for the film touted "It's our Star Wars" and "Everyone is seeing Australia's Star Wars- don't you miss it!" (probably one of the single-most popular blockbuster films of international cinema history).
The 1980's was another decade of growth in Australian Cinema; characterised by an increase of Australian product in the form of Hollywood blockbuster-style films of the dominant US international cinema. The Road Warrior didn't disappoint audiences in Australia or overseas.
Government legislation introduced at this time in the form of tax concession 10BA proved profitable for private investors; whom encouraged to provide financial backing for the film industry and rewarded with significant monetary gains on their investment. This shaped the style of films being produced in Australia in several ways.
In order for films to be successfully marketed in the international arena, distributors were more likely to purchase films that starred big name actors and that were made by known directors to ensure box office success and profits. In Australia at this time, there were not as many well-known Australian actors whom had 'made it' in American films, contrary to the current status quo of the noughties.
In the third film of the Mad Max trilogy, Beyond Thunderdome, Tina Turner not only starred in a lead role in the film, she also sang the theme song from the film's soundtrack. The third film is by far the one with the biggest budget, set design and marketing; and provides an example of the "80's excesses" of the blockbuster genre. The focus of this criticism is the sequel, Mad Max II: The Road Warrior; however I feel it necessary to place it within context of the other two films that make up the trilogy and will refer to these intermittently for the purposes of this review.
Mad Max II is somewhat unique in that it has an all-Australian cast, filmed entirely in Australia by an Australian production team. It did not require an American big-name actor in the lead role of Max Rockatanski to prove successful domestically or internationally. Filmed in the outback town of Broken Hill in NSW, the stunt-driving sequences are stylistically set against a lonely, dry and somewhat eerie landscape that is featured strongly throughout so many Australian films.
Max's sense of loss and the utter hopelessness of what the world has become are echoed in the ravaged post-apocalyptic landscape dotted with survivors scavenging for a meek existence. The cold war between USA and Russia during the Reagan administration of the 80's was a feature in American politics, so in this context the film pointed at possiblities if the threat of nuclear war was acted upon. The film was socially relevant with a narrative that concerns itself with the cultural affectations of survival, lawlessness, classlessness, anarchy, community and violence in a variety of forms.
The Road Warrior surpasses the broad unity of the "Australian" genre of filmmaking and is easily translated into other cultural realms in the international sense. Max is a lone, unwilling hero whom eventually sacrifices himself for the greater good of the group he finds himself unintentionally a part of. This mythologizing of the 'hero' is more a characteristic of International cinema than Australian national cinema, and the post-apocalyptic setting could be in any country destroyed by nuclear war. It picked up on an underlying political threat in the decade and transcended the sometimes disadvantageous constriction of the "Australian" genre to International box-office success.
The Road Warrior most certainly contains some national specifities in terms of the theoretical concept of film unity. The characters are predominantly male, white and heterosexual; in congruence with other films of the action blockbuster genre in the international milieu. The character of the Warrior Woman (played by Virginia Hey) is one of strength and equality to the males she fights alongside. This is contrasted with the lack of strong female presence in Mad Max, where the women tend to be the victims of the sexual assaults and violence perpetrated by the vicious gangs, however Hey's character is not a victim and goes down fighting for the greater good that she believes in saving and is a valued part of. In Beyond Thunderdome this is also transcended with the presence of Tina Turner's "Aunty" character who rules over Bartertown; so there are some negotiations of gender in the historic process of the narrative of the entire three films; which is reflected in the rise of feminism in society from the 1970's to date.
There is a theme of sexual deviancy and homosexuality that runs through the first two Mad Max films, assigned largely to the violent gangs that terrorise the landscape. In the 1980's, AIDS awareness was just beginning and homosexuality was certainly not as openly discussed as it is in the present; let alone represented positively in the media at this time. Homosexuality is almost compartmentalised in this way and attributed to the 'deviant' behaviour of the gang members. When women are encountered they are assualted and denigraded, not valued or seen as contributing to the group as a whole in any way. This viewpoint that is presented could be said to be in sync with the social and public concerns of the time, however dated it may seem in comparison with homosexual representation of the present; (films like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Sum of Us, where homosexuality is celebrated).
The classic narrative set-up of good v's evil is presented, but with a twist. Max isn't exactly a "good guy", but he's not all "bad" either. The gang members lead by the Humungus are an anarchic collection of punk misfits, that symbolize not only the immediate threat to the colony of survivors protecting their fuel and thus their freedom; but also the real threat to the death of society in a land without laws and social justice.
Max Rockatansky, (previously an officer of the law in the first Mad Max film), lost faith in the law he was paid to uphold when he lost his family. Max eventually chooses to assist the colony and drive the tanker to safety when his vehicle is destroyed by the gang, rather than choose to do nothing. He re-mythologizes himself as the 'hero' in doing so, and it is because he still has a sense of 'decency' (when all sense of the term seems lost) in encountering a group of people whom too have suffered loss. It could be said that his actions are what "any decent human being would do" when faced with such extreme dilemmas in a world gone mad; the audience are invited to participate in the myth. The Road Warrior was even marketed with the slogan..."When all that's left is one last chance, pray that he's still out there.....somewhere!" In classic Hollywood formula- when all is lost the hero saves the day..........and Max does just that.
The international web presence confirms the continued success of all three Mad Max films almost 20 years since the last of the triology was made, particularly with the advent of DVD technology into the mainstream culture. All three films are available on DVD "special edition' release in varying formats across differing countries. Mad Max II: The Road Warrior is an excellent example of how Australian cinema transformed itself yet again in order to survive and be successful in the international arena. Australian national cinema is one that is continually evolving and re-inventing itself as a strong entity in the international milieu, and provides strong influence to both international cinema, and other national cinemas within the film industry.
Web Presence
There's a huge web presence for all three of the Mad Max movies. When I put Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior into the Google search engine on the Internet, It came up with 19,200 related sites in 0.10 seconds, (that's impressive!)
The Internet Movie Database has very thorough listings for all three of the
Mad Max films, as well as extensive coverage of and links to, all cast and crew and other projects.
I was able to locate an interesting article entitled 'Mad Max, Reaganism and The Road Warrior' by J. Emmett Winn , which provides and analyses and
comparison of the rise of the hero film around the time of the Reagan/Bush
administration in the 1980's.
There will be a Mad Max 2 reunion - 'Back 2 The Max' July 13-14 2002
in Broken Hill, NSW Australia to mark the 21st Anniversary of the film. This will include scheduled screenings of the first two Mad Max films, and a guided tour of the areas where the films were originally shot.
Another site, Allscifi.com has a Road Warrior Fan Club, as well as links to a Road Warrior Message Board and Main Page. There are several film reviews by submitted by different individuals available for perusal.
One film review site ForeignFilms.com (an American site) has several film reviews available also. I just found it amusing that Road Warrior was
classified as a 'foreign' film!
The script for Road Warrior is available in PDF or Word format from another American site, which is definately worth a read to see how Miller brought the characters to life.
My favourite site that I found was Goblin Toys , they have 6 inch dolls available that were based on the characters from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Max even has 'dog' with his doll, and Humungus comes with removable mask! You can play Mad Max til your heart's content!!YAY!
Printed Literature
I was able to locate articles related to Mad Max via the internet and found the following movie magazines that contained printed material regarding the Mad Max films:
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (Official Collector's Edition-"Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" Souvenir Magazine.) USA, Australia
Cinema Papers Issue #21, May-June 1979. Extensive Mad Max Production Report, pp 365-371, Australia.
Cinema Papers Issue #35, Nov-Dec 1981. Mad Max 2 Pictorial and pull-out
poster, 1981, Australia.
Movie 79 Magazine Issue#3, Mad Max article on pp 40-43, 1979, Australia.
Movie 82 Magazine, Issue#1, Mad Max 2 article on pp 30-31,1982, Australia.
Movie 85 Magazine, Issue#2, Mel Gibson (as Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome)
Cover only, 1985, Australia.
Movie 85 Magazine, Issue#3, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome Article,
pp 4-5. 1985, Australia.
American Cinematographer Magazine, Vol.66-#9, September Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome Article, pp 68-78, 1985, USA.
Enterprise Incidents Magazine, #16, April. Road Warrior article, pp19-26
1984, USA.
SF Movie Land Magazine, #31, July. Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
article, pp 32-37, and p54. Front Cover,USA.
SF Movie Land Magazine, #32, August. Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
article, pp 33-39. Front Cover, USA.
SF Movie Land Magazine, #33, September, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
article, pp 13-15 and p64. USA.
Fantastic Films Magazine, #30, August "Expanded Summer" edition.
Mad Max2: The Road Warrior article and interviews, pp 56-62,1982, USA.
Fantastic Films Magazine, #44, June, Mad Max2: The Road Warrior pictorial and preview, pp36-37, Front Cover, 1985 USA.
Fantastic Films Magazine, #45, July, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Front Cover, 1985, USA.
Fantastic Films Magazine, #46, October, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome article, pp24-29, 1985 USA.
Starburst Magazine, Vol.4 #9, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior article pp 32-35
UK.
Starburst Magazine, #57, George Miller Interview, pp 34-39, includes Mad Max & Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior coverage and pictures,UK
Total Film Magazine, Issue #2, March, 'Carmageddon Supplement'. Mad Max & Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior listed on pp25-26, 1997, UK
Australian Video and Cinema Magazine, August, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome article pp20-21, Australia.
Famous Monsters Magazine, August, "The Road Warrior, A Ride On The
Wild Side" article, pp48-51, 1982, USA
Warren's Film Fantasy 1983 Yearbook "The Road Warrior, A Ride On The
Wild Side" article, pp28-31, 1983, USA
Cinefantastique Mad Movies Magazine, #26 April, Mad Max and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior articles, pp45-51, picture p55, Front Cover Pictures,1983, France.
Cinefantastique Mad Movies Magazine, #32, Article on post-apocalyptic films
including Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior articles, pp46-50, Front Cover Pictures1983, France.
Premiere Magazine, Issue #65, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior article
pp 62-69, 1982, France.
Impact Magazine Issue #36 Summaries of best action & horror films, heroes etc.. Mad Max cited on pp31, 48 & 50. Front Cover picture, France.
Daredevils Issue no. unknown, article "The World of the Road Warrior"
pp 19-22, USA.
Cinema Magazine, November, "George 'Mad Max' Miller" article,
pp 576-580, 1982, Belgium.
Fantastique Magazine, #22, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior article, pp53
Front Cover Picture,France.
Moviegoer Magazine, Vol. 2 #2, February, Interview with Mel Gibson for
The Year of Living Dangerously and Mad Max 2: The Road Wariror,
pp8-11.
Bibliography
Internet Sites
(1) http://www.madmaxmovies.com
(2) http://www.madmaxmovies.com/films/madmax2/displayad.html
(3) http://www.madmaxmovies.com/films/madmax2/starwarsmain.html
(4) http://www.madmaxmovies.com/films/madmax2/starwarsreview.html
(5) http://www.madmaxmovies.com/archives/magazines/moviemagazines.html
(6) http://us.imdb.com
(7) http://google.com/search
(8) http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/FINE/juhde/winn972.htm
(9) http://wwwback2themax.com/
(10) http://www.allscifi.com
(11) http://www.foreignfilms.com/film.asp?film_id=2806
(12) http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/4367/immscript1.html
(13) http://goblinjp.com/goblin/newitem/other/madmax.html