Mad Max

Tags

1970's, Action, George Miller, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Joanne Samuel, Mad Max, Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns

Film Title

Mad Max

Director

George Miller

Starring

• Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky
• Joanne Samuel as Jessie Rockatansky
• Hugh Keays-Byrne as Toecutter
• Steve Bisley as Goose
• Tim Burns as Johnny the Boy

A highly influential movie on futuristic action flicks, Mad Max made a name for George Miller and its young star Mel Gibson. Although made on a shoestring budget, it’s a film that reverberates with apocalyptic madness and hell for leather action. It may not have the non-stop craziness and the big budget scope of later films in the series, but Mad Max still retains an electrifying and intense impact to this day.

In the future, the Australian highways and surrounding areas are bleak and violent shadows of their former selves. There is no order in this world as psychopathic motorbike gangs terrorise innocent people, heroes seem to be no more and civilisation is almost non-existent. From what is left of the police force now called MFP, we have Max; a good cop just wanting to retire with his wife Jessie and young son, but who is constantly having to deal with the madness around him in the form of marauding crazed bikers. Max is disillusioned with the barren wasteland and the police force and just wants out of it as soon as he can so he can live what is left of a civilised life. In the rip-roaring opening scenes, Max is involved in a high-speed chase with a deranged biker knows as Nightrider. The pedal to the metal chase ends with Nightrider’s fiery and explosive death. Because of this, many of his psychopathic cohorts, led by the vicious Toecutter, descend upon the surrounding areas, plaguing the innocent people they pass on the way. Angered by the death of one of their own, the gang decide to get even by brutally injuring Max’s best friend and fellow cop Goose. They then take things one step further by killing Jessie and her son. Broken inside by this, Max straps on his leathers and jumps in his high-powered car with revenge and uncontrollable rage the only things driving him on as he hunts down the gang responsible for shattering his life.

Considering the low budget, George Miller in his directorial debut contributes elements of great style and action. He paints a hauntingly grim picture of the future, capturing a dust bowl atmosphere of no hope and insanity breeding everywhere. Mad Max stands as an influential film because of that picture, but also for the stunts and camerawork. The camera glides at a truly unnatural speed around these brutal events, giving them extra moments of shock and awe. Miller certainly has an assured hand when directing the action sequences and gives them a very frenetic quality. Where Mad Max falters is the pacing, which at times can’t balance the seriousness and action. After the high-octane opening, events slow down to focus on exposition. As the first film in the franchise it is understandable to do this, but it does make the narrative lull. Yet when the violence and carnage hits, it becomes a hell of a revenge-riddled ride in the last hour for both Max and the audience. Burning like a turbo booster, the action on display is explosive and brutal. Standout scenes are the opening chase which ends in an inferno and Max giving a crazed biker two choices of escape before the car he is tied to explodes. So even though the pace lulls very much in the middle, it certainly builds up to the unleashing of madness and violence. A perfectly building score helps aid the flat parts of the narrative and chart Max’s descent into revenge from which no one is safe.

A young Mel Gibson is excellent in the role of the eponymous cop; showing us with skill the broken soul of a good man being replaced with intense anger and deep fury as he sets out to destroy those who have torn his life into pieces. It is truly a star-making role for Gibson which would lead him all the way to the top of the crop of actors. Joanne Samuel radiates innocence in the secondary role of Max’s tragic wife. As the leader of the vicious biker gang, Hugh Keays-Byrne is unpredictable and crazy as hell. Steve Bisley makes his mark as the rather unfortunate Goose, while Tim Burns is wildly convincing and deliriously creepy as the warped Johnny the Boy. All the characters are played well, but it’s Gibson’s turn as the good cop who goes vigilante which is the most memorable.

Bristling with innovative ideas and well-mounted foundations, Mad Max is an excellent introduction to the character and the eventual series of films he would populate.

 

Mad Max: Fury Road

Tags

2010's, Abbey Lee, Action, Charlize Theron, Courtney Eaton, George Miller, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Mad Max: Fury Road, Nicholas Hoult, Riley Keough, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tom Hardy, Zoë Kravitz

Film Title

Mad Max: Fury Road

Director

George Miller

Starring

• Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky
• Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa
• Nicholas Hoult as Nux
• Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe
• Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as The Splendid Angharad
• Riley Keough as Capable
• Zoë Kravitz as Toast
• Abbey Lee as The Dag
• Courtney Eaton as Cheedo the Fragile

When I heard there was going to be another Mad Max movie, I was a little ambivalent as to how it would turn out. Thankfully after hearing the praise for it from almost every critic, I finally watched it and boy did it deliver in spades. Fury Road is one exhilarating spectacle of high-octane action and dystopian craziness. To say I enjoyed this movie, would be a huge understatement.

In the distant future of vast and arid wasteland where resources are scarce and humanity has descended into utter madness, we have Max. A shell of a man, his only instinct is to survive the chaos that surrounds him while dealing with haunting visions of people he was unable to save in the past. We begin with Max being captured by fanatical War Boys, who worship the tyrannical leader Immortan Joe. The grotesque Joe has a complete hold on remaining survivors and keeps them in check by depriving them of water. Max is imprisoned and is forced to be the blood donor to one of the sick War Boys known as Nux, who has been utterly brainwashed by the leader. While attempting to escape, another incident sets in motion dangerous consequences. The driver of Joe’s war rig Imperator Furiosa has had enough of the conditions and escapes with precious cargo Joe’s harem of wives; Angharad, Capable, Toast, The Dag and Cheedo. These girls have been enslaved by the cult leader and used so he can produce an heir. When Joe sees what Furiosa has done, he sends out his armed men on a high-speed chase through the deserts. Max is strapped to the front of one of the trucks and manages to survive the carnage that awaits. Teaming with the fierce Furiosa, he helps her in her quest to reach the land where she was born in hopes of safety and redemption. It won’t be easy with two tons of heavily armed disciples tracing them and attacking, but Max and Furiosa muster their strength to fight back and survive in this time of hopelessness.

Right from the start George Miller brings his expertise to the forefront and bring electrifying life to Fury Road. As the original director of the movies, he has lost none of his touch when it comes to delivering pulse-pounding action and explosive set pieces. From a chase through a violent sandstorm that engulfs everything in its path to the vast arsenal of vehicles and weapons used, he just brings such style to it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie with so much action that just leaves your heart pounding and your knuckles white. For a film that runs for two hours, it sure doesn’t feel like it because of the sheer intensity of the movie. The whole visuals are outstanding, with the burnt oranges of the desert and the swirling dust showing us the destruction of humanity and the billowing white worn by the Wives as they flee their imprisonment creating a strikingly angelic impact against this unforgiving land. The sonic elements of this flick deserve so much credit. When watching this, you can hear everything amplified for maximum impact. The gears crunching, the bones breaking and the shrieks of madness, they’re all here and just arrest you from start to finish. And not forgetting the score, which resonates with epic drama and furious action. Mad Max: Fury Road isn’t just a film, it’s a reverberating and action packed event.

Stepping into Mel Gibson’s shoes must have been an extremely daunting task for Tom Hardy. Yet he brings the right strength to the role and nails the laconic demeanor of the character. Hardy has always been a physical actor and here it works excellently as with little dialogue, he conveys the primal need to survive in an extraordinary situation. But I must say that as effective as Hardy was in the role, Charlize Theron was the one who captured my attentions in her portrayal of Imperator Furiosa. Theron creates an intense and extremely determined character of stoic anger, responsibility and bravery. Most of this is conveyed through her eyes, which burn through the screen with steely ferocity. With her buzz cut, oil slicked across her face and a bionic arm, she really is an unforgettable creation and an asset to the movie embodied excellently by Charlize Theron. Nicholas Hoult gives insane and unstable energy to the role of Nux, the brainwashed War Boy who defies Joe and begins to help Max and the others in their attempt to survive. With his rumbling voice and physical presence, Hugh Keays-Byrne makes Immortan Joe a despicable and utterly grotesque villain. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley plays Angharad, Joe’s favourite of his wives who is heavily pregnant and while she isn’t the most competent actress, she brings a definite spark of innocence to the part. Riley Keough and Zoë Kravitz are also good as two of the escaped wives. Abbey Lee stands out the most among the quintet with her large eyes and grim sense of humour undercutting the danger all of them are involved in. Courtney Eaton rounds out the wives as Cheedo, the youngest of the girls.

Brutal, bloody and rip-roaring in the extreme, Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best experiences I’ve had in the cinema for a long time and one that is impossible to forget.