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Mad Max, George Miller's 1979 debut, is a lot of things.
It's one of the greatest low budget success stories in box office history,
grossing over $100 million worldwide after being made for a scarce (for the
film industry) $400 thousand. It helped shape the numerous amounts of
dystopian, post apocalyptic films you see today. It launched the career of the
director (Miller) and star Mel Gibson. Most importantly though, Mad Max is
good, a top notch action film with some cool car chases, cooler cars and one of
the most underrated villains in B movie history. It takes awhile to get going,
but once it does, Mad Max is a winner.
In a dystopian future (back when it wasn't old to set
things in a dystopian future), Australia is in deep crisis following an apparent energy
crisis. A lot of crisis' going on! Because of this, crime has soared,
especially on the Australian freeways where hooligans and motorcycle gangs
leave trails of gasoline and bodies in their wake. Max Rockatansky (Gibson) is
one of the Main Force Patrol, the police of the road who try to preserve law
and order. Though outstanding at his job, Max has slowly become delusional with
it and fears he'll soon become as insane as the criminals he chases. Things get
worse when he and the force piss off a vicious biker gang led by the Toecutter
(Hugh Keays-Byrne), a villain who
surprisingly cuts no one's toes off. Misleading name. In any event, the
Toecutter and his gang, upset over the death of gang member Nightrider (Vincent
Gill) at the hands of Max, seek revenge by targeting Max's partner Goose (Steve
Bisley) and his wife and child (Joanne Samuel, Brendan Heath). Mayhem erupts,
because hey, it's Mad Max.
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| Joanne Samuel and Mel Gibson as Jessie and Max Rockatansky |
Contrary to most
filmmakers, George Miller didn't set out to be one. In fact, he was originally
a doctor, graduating from medical school in 1971 and doing a tour at Sydney's St.
Vincent Hospital. It's clear however that filmmaking was in his blood, as he
spent his spare time making short experimental films with his brother Chris,
and eventually formed a production company with filmmaker Byron Kennedy after
they met in a film workshop. Originally intending to just do short films,
Miller conceived the idea for Mad Max after being inspired by the many road
related injuries he saw at the hospital, as well as his experiences of
witnessing numerous car wrecks in youth. Before he knew it, Miller and Kennedy
raised the money to make the film, hired screenwriter James McCausland
to write the script with Miller and the rest was history.
What kind of history? Good, but with growing pains. While
the film starts off strong with a gonzo car chase, the middle section of the
film lags, especially when it focuses on Max and his squad. Miller and
co-writer McCausland have said they intended the film to be a commentary on
both the recent Australian oil crisis and the vast amount of car wrecks during
the 70's, but neither really comes true till around the second act.
Furthermore, for a dystopian film, the setting doesn't really feel like a dystopia.
Civilization outside of the road seems to be mostly peaceful, Australia seems
to be far more green than the desert setting of later Mad Max films and a large
metropolis is seen at one point to be in pretty decent condition. I think it's
pretty clear that Miller, who was making his first feature length narrative
here, used the first half of the film to feel out what he wanted to, and the
result is what you'd expect; a mixed bag. Certainly it's not terrible, but it
could certainly be better.
Thankfully, the action in Mad Max kicks into gear in the
second half, largely due to the increased action (highlighting both points
Miller and McCausland wanted to make) and the larger presence of Toecutter and
Jessie Rockatansky, Max's wife. Taking over the role for Rosie Bailey after she
was injured in a bike accident, Joanne Samuel proves to be a revelation as
Max's spunky significant other. Miller has been praised for his strong feminist
tone for the upcoming forth Mad Max installment Fury Road, but it's clear he
had those same sensibilities back in 1979, and the right actress to portray
them onscreen. Samuel holds her own in every verbal banter scene with Gibson
(she often gets the better of him word wise), and capably defends herself
against Toecutter and his gang in one crucial scene. There are some elements of
damsel in distress with her, but for the most part, Samuel's character feels
far ahead of her time, and she lights up the screen every time she appears.
Likewise, Hugh Keays-Byrne (who will
portray the villain in the upcoming Fury Road, though apparently not the same
character seen here) is an excellent villain. Despite not living up to his
name, Toecutter is a scary son of a bitch, the kind of man who is completely
off his rocker and has a better shot at making the Knicks roster than finding
redemption. It's not a stretch, but Keays-Byrne gets the job done, and it's
easy to see why Miller brought him back 36 years later.
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| Hugh Keays-Byrne as the Toecutter |
Of course, the big
star to come out of this film was Gibson, who used Mad Max to propel himself to
worldwide superstardom before he lost his mind Toecutter style in the early
part of the century. Ironically, Gibson was not intending to audition for the
film and only found himself at auditions for Mad Max because he was accompany
friend Steve Bisley, who wound up playing Goose (memo to all actors; if you
audition for the role of a sidekick named Goose, it means you're going to die.
Being Goose will not work out for you!). Producers were impressed with Gibson's
look (according to Wikipedia, Gibson had been in a bar fight the night before
and came in beat up, exactly the look Miller and co wanted), and it led to him
getting the role. Gibson, who if we're being honest was never exactly Kenneth
Branagh in his prime, takes a similar arc as his director and grows into his
role. It takes until the tragic final act before we see Gibson fully take the reins
of what would be his most iconic non Luther Riggs role, but it's a site to
behold none the less. The last scene in the film in particular is a standout,
with Gibson finally making Max the broken man who is desperately clinging to
whatever humanity is left in him.
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| Max in his classic car |
Bottom Line: Action
packed, gorgeous to look at and with more to say than you think, Mad Max is a
good start for its director and star, and a film that would influence films
from Saw to The Punisher. I know, not exactly the two best examples, but still.
Most importantly though, Mad Max would serve to set up the complete version of
Miller's vision; The Road Warrior. But that's another review.
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