Mad Max Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1979 (Australia)

Mad Max was a low budget Australian B-movie that somehow managed to take the world by storm and launch the career of one of acting's best: Mel Gibson. Does this post-apocalyptic classic deserve the praise it receives, or is it overrated? Find out in our feature presentation...

Released in Australia in 1979, Mad Max found its way to American audiences in 1980, and while it earned a cult following from the start its popularity didn't really explode until the sequel came on the scene: The Road Warrior.

The Australian outback was the perfect setting for this movie, for the dry arid fields depicts a convincing post-apocalyptic landscape. And while most shoestring budget films' sets suffer significantly from the lack of funding, it almost seems to work better for Mad Max. With little focus on special effects, the actors and directors could focus on raw acting strength, dynamic characters, a bleak atmosphere and insane stunts that would make actors of today shiver in their boots.

But before going too far into this review perhaps it would be a good idea to briefly cover the plot. Mel Gibson plays Max Rockatansky, a cop doing his best to keep order with his fellow comrades in an anarchist society where violent bike gangs led by Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) rule the streets. Outgunned and outnumbered, the police have no chance against these ruthless villains. That is until they make the mistake of pushing Max to the edge.

In retaliation for the death of one of his members, Toecutter and his gang targets Max's partner and best friend, Jim Goose (Steve Bisley), as well as his wife (Joanne Samuel) and child. But killing those close to Max was a big mistake, for the once honorable cop loses his faith in the world and humanity and becomes a dangerous vigilante bent solely on revenge. And this angry vigilante proves a very dangerous foe for the nihilistic gang.

Low budget films are usually plagued with no-name actors with minimal talent, but Mad Max ducks this bullet. While it's true that this was a film with no recognized actors (at the time), the Australian actors are actually darn good, treating their roles with the respect they deserved and successfully transferring what could have been a low budget casualty into what many consider to be a classic.

The minimal budget normally results in cheesy special effects or crippled stunts, but luckily this movie didn't rely on expensive special effects. They did rely on some dangerous stunt work that, unlike today, was real as opposed to computer-generated images or blue-screens.

If you watch the Special Edition DVD of Mad Max you'll be able to select between a dubbed English version and the original Australian version. Although the accents in the Australian version can be a bit difficult to handle initially for American audiences, it won't take long to get comfortable with them.

I enjoyed this film and can see why it has become such a beloved classic, but that being said it isn't without its flaws. While I very much enjoyed the performances and moody atmosphere, it does take some time before the story really gets moving. I think that taking the time to flesh out characters and provide the story background is extremely important, but there are times when such setup can almost become excessive. Mad Max danced perilously close to that edge for me.

That small criticism aside, I would recommend this film for any fan of action or post-apocalyptic movies. And once you're finished with Mad Max make sure you check out the even superior sequel, The Road Warrior.

Movie Rating: 7 stars

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 DVD Soundtrack Poster

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