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An astonishing achievement given how low the budget was, Mad Max still impresses as a tense, violent and exciting work of pulp fiction. Granted, the pace slackens occasionally, but this is a great B-movie with extra punch thanks to some thrilling chase sequences and kinetic editing and camera-work. Police officer Max (Mel Gibson) doesn't really become mad until near the end, though even from the start his silent, intense demeanour suggests he's a little edgy; set 'a few years from now', the roads of Australia are the battleground for the cops and a sadistic motorcycle gang led by the Toecutter (a wild performance from Hugh Keays-Byrne). Things get a little too dangerous for Max, so he retires with his wife and child, but his old enemies aren't far behind, leading to a dramatic, powerful conclusion. It's a bit rough around the edges, and the bombastic soundtrack by Brian May (most definitely not the Queen guitarist of the same name) is a little overcooked when not scoring the action sequences, but this is a very good start to a series that would get even better with Mad Max 2.
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