Mad Max 2 (1981)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

Terry Hayes (written by) &
George Miller (written by) ...

Release Date:

28 April 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Ruthless... Savage... Spectacular

Plot:

In the post-apocolyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.

Plot Keywords:

Gasoline | Australia | Warrior | Gang | Evil

Awards:

8 wins & 8 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 13	10:00 PM	AMC
Sat. Nov. 14	3:30 PM	AMC

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Max
Bruce Spence	...	The Gyro Captain
Michael Preston	...	Pappagallo (as Mike Preston)
Max Phipps	...	The Toadie
Vernon Wells	...	Wez
Kjell Nilsson	...	The Humungus
Emil Minty	...	The Feral Kid
Virginia Hey	...	Warrior Woman
William Zappa	...	Zetta
Arkie Whiteley	...	The Captain's Girl
Steve J. Spears	...	Mechanic
Syd Heylen	...	Curmudgeon
Moira Claux	...	Big Rebecca
David Downer	...	Nathan
David Slingsby	...	Quiet Man

Also Known As:

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (USA)
The Road Warrior (USA)

Runtime:

95 min | UK:96 min | USA:94 min | Argentina:96 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1982) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | UK:X (original rating) | France:Unrated (with warning) | Brazil:16 | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:M | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Canada:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Trivia:

Both Mad Max 2 & 3 contain quotes from former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (1972 - 1975). These are the lines "We"re going to either crash, or crash through" from Mad Max 2 and "One day cock of the walk, next a feather duster" from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Papagallo is shot in the leg by Humungous' goons, the arrow used to shoot is bright red but when it hits his leg it's white and yellow.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called "Max". To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Two Tickets to Paradise (2006)

Like fine wine, improves and enriches with age....

I have to admit that at first viewing, I wasn't the greatest fan of this film and preferred the original 1979 classic. However, on more recent viewings, I have grown to admire director George Miller's signature style, which matured from MAD MAX into the bigger budget and riskier MAD MAX 2 (THE ROAD WARRIOR) Utilising the oil strikes of the 70's and transposing them into a futuristic context, Miller builds a sense of desperation into the road movie structure and wisely incorporates the successful elements of the original MAD MAX into a broader canvas. The dialogue is sharper, the action more defined and Vernon Wells is a far greater villain than the Toecutter in MAD MAX. The hero-as-saviour is another clear motif throughout the film and Mel Gibson thankfully uses his charisma to disguise his limited use of dialogue. A true classic as time goes on....