Mad Max started out as a low budget post apocalyptic adrenaline pumped car chase and revenge film set in the Australian outback.
However Max only becomes mad in the last 15 minutes of the film as he takes vengeance on the attack on his family.
I have watched Mad Max periodically over the last 30 years. I originally watched an old and scratchy rental VHS tape with dubbed US voices.
I recently watched a spruced up version with the original Australian voices which is much better. However do note that Mad Max was always a low budget film there is only so much you can do to improve the picture and soundtrack quality.
Mel Gibson in what literally is the role that made him an international star is Max Rockatansky, a hard boiled cop with the fastest car chasing gang of ruthless and scuzziest motorcycle bandits that kill, rape and pillage.
We initially see the Police chasing the drug fuelled Night Rider who causes a rampage and this sets the scene for the rest of the film. Its Max with little dialogue who stops the Night Rider but this brings the cops in a clash with the Toecutter the leader of the motorbike gang.
The Toecutter is one of the vilest bad guys in tail end of 1970s cinema. His gang has no moral centre and there misdeeds keeps the film pumping. I did say the film is low budget. Director George Miller after the opening action scenes does a misdirection, he lets the film settle down but keeps the audience spooked as the Toecutter and his gang terrorise various townsfolk.
Meanwhile Max's best friend, Goose is literally cooked which leads Max to quit the police and move out further to the country with his wife and child but fate delivers him to the Toecutter. In a sense very little happens until Max's wife is in danger from the gang and then Max goes for revenge.
This is a taut action nasty made on a shoestring budget. It is very much a Grindhouse type flick that also happens to be part of the Australian New Wave cinema. A youthful Mel Gibson delivers Max as iconic from his very first scenes. He has little dialogue, it is left to Steve Bisley as Goose to deliver the laughs at first.
However the film gets colder and nastier as it goes on. This is a dystopian society and the film also introduces elements such as the fuel shortage as a fuel tanker being attacked which will be dealt with in the sequel.
However the film has a sense of camp as well. Too much leather for one, the police boss looks like a bald wrestler who delivers cheesy lines like they were written by Vince McMahon and some of the acting and editing of the film is far from polished.
However Max only becomes mad in the last 15 minutes of the film as he takes vengeance on the attack on his family.
I have watched Mad Max periodically over the last 30 years. I originally watched an old and scratchy rental VHS tape with dubbed US voices.
I recently watched a spruced up version with the original Australian voices which is much better. However do note that Mad Max was always a low budget film there is only so much you can do to improve the picture and soundtrack quality.
Mel Gibson in what literally is the role that made him an international star is Max Rockatansky, a hard boiled cop with the fastest car chasing gang of ruthless and scuzziest motorcycle bandits that kill, rape and pillage.
We initially see the Police chasing the drug fuelled Night Rider who causes a rampage and this sets the scene for the rest of the film. Its Max with little dialogue who stops the Night Rider but this brings the cops in a clash with the Toecutter the leader of the motorbike gang.
The Toecutter is one of the vilest bad guys in tail end of 1970s cinema. His gang has no moral centre and there misdeeds keeps the film pumping. I did say the film is low budget. Director George Miller after the opening action scenes does a misdirection, he lets the film settle down but keeps the audience spooked as the Toecutter and his gang terrorise various townsfolk.
Meanwhile Max's best friend, Goose is literally cooked which leads Max to quit the police and move out further to the country with his wife and child but fate delivers him to the Toecutter. In a sense very little happens until Max's wife is in danger from the gang and then Max goes for revenge.
This is a taut action nasty made on a shoestring budget. It is very much a Grindhouse type flick that also happens to be part of the Australian New Wave cinema. A youthful Mel Gibson delivers Max as iconic from his very first scenes. He has little dialogue, it is left to Steve Bisley as Goose to deliver the laughs at first.
However the film gets colder and nastier as it goes on. This is a dystopian society and the film also introduces elements such as the fuel shortage as a fuel tanker being attacked which will be dealt with in the sequel.
However the film has a sense of camp as well. Too much leather for one, the police boss looks like a bald wrestler who delivers cheesy lines like they were written by Vince McMahon and some of the acting and editing of the film is far from polished.