Mad Max 2 (1981)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

Terry Hayes (writer) &
George Miller (writer) ...
(more)

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:

Male Nudity | Leather Pants | Nordenfelt Gun | Australian Outback | Butt Flap

Awards:

8 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	'Mad' Max Rockatansky / The Road Warrior
Bruce Spence	...	The Gyro Captain
Michael Preston	...	Pappagallo (as Mike Preston)
Max Phipps	...	The Toadie
Vernon Wells	...	Wez
Kjell Nilsson	...	Lord Humungus
Emil Minty	...	The Feral Kid
Virginia Hey	...	The 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
Kristoffer Greaves	...	Mechanic's Assistant
Max Fairchild	...	Broken Victim
Tyler Coppin	...	Defiant Victim
Jim Brown	...	Golden Youth (as Jimmy Brown)
Tony Deary	...	Grinning Mohawker
Kathleen McKay	...	Victim
Guy Norris	...	Bearclaw Mohawk
Anne Jones	...	Tent Lover #1
James McCardell	...	Tent Lover #2
Harold Baigent	...	Narrator (voice)

Directed by
George Miller

Writing credits
Terry Hayes		(writer) &
George Miller		(writer) &
Brian Hannant		(writer)

Produced by
Byron Kennedy	....	producer

Original Music by
Brian May

Cinematography by
Dean Semler

Film Editing by
Michael Balson
David Stiven
Tim Wellburn

Art Direction by
Graham 'Grace' Walker

Costume Design by
Norma Moriceau

Makeup Department
Bob McCarron	....	special makeup effects
Karla O'Keefe	....	makeup artist
Lesley Vanderwalt	....	makeup supervisor
Kathy Coultrup	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Patrick Clayton	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrick Clayton	....	first assistant director
Brian Hannant	....	first assistant director
Brian Hannant	....	second unit director
Phillip Hurst	....	third assistant director (as Phil Hurst)
Toivo Lember	....	second assistant director
Andrew Plain	....	additional assistant director
Mark Thomas	....	assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Steve Amezdroz	....	assistant art director
Melinda Brown	....	special property designer
Melinda Brown	....	special property maker
John Daniell	....	stand-by props
Peter De Bono	....	constructor
Philip Henderson-Wilson	....	constructor
Michael Lehmann	....	constructor
Frederick Santos	....	constructor
Dennis Smith	....	construction manager
Kerrin Stevens	....	construction stand-by
George Tsoutas	....	constructor
Pauline Walker	....	art department assistant
Pauline Walker	....	property buyer
Derek Wyness	....	constructor
George Zukiwskyj	....	constructor

Sound Department
Anne Breslin	....	assistant sound editor (as Anne Breslan)
Lloyd Carrick	....	sound recordist
Chris Goldsmith	....	boom operator
Byron Kennedy	....	sound mixer
Bruce Lamshed	....	sound mixer
Bruce Lamshed	....	supervising sound editor
Mike O'Donnell	....	assistant sound editor
Penn Robinson	....	sound editor
Roger Savage	....	sound mixer
Andrew Steuart	....	sound editor (as Andrew Stewart)
Marc van Buuren	....	sound editor (as Mark Van Buuren)
David Watts	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Mark Clayton	....	special effects assistant
Jeff Clifford	....	special effects chief (as Jeffrey Cliffords)
Steve Courtley	....	special effects
Mont Fieguth	....	special effects (as Monte Fieguth)
David Hardy	....	special effects
Brian Hunter	....	special effects constructor
Greg Mulhearn	....	special effects constructor

Visual Effects by
Kim Priest	....	optical effects
Richard Wilmot	....	optical effects operator (uncredited)

Stunts
Max Aspin	....	stunt coordinator
Glenn Boswell	....	stunts (as Glen Boswell)
Vern Dietrich	....	stunt double: acrobatic stunts
Gerry Gauslaa	....	stunts
Bob Hicks	....	stunts
Guy Norris	....	stunts
Kim Noyce	....	stunts
Dennis Williams	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
John Brock	....	assistant camera: second unit
Dean Bryan	....	assistant electrician
Gary Carden	....	assistant grip (as Garry Carden)
Graham Carter	....	grip: second unit
Derry Field	....	focus puller
Derry Field	....	second assistant camera
Bill Grimmond	....	second assistant camera
Carolyn Johns	....	still photographer
Andrew Lesnie	....	documentary camera operator
Peter Lipscombe	....	additional assistant camera
Graeme Mardell	....	key grip
Andrew McLean	....	clapper loader
Richard Merryman	....	focus puller
John Morton	....	gaffer
Paul Moyes	....	best boy
Geoffrey Simpson	....	camera operator: second unit (as Geoff Simpson)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Terry Lamera	....	wardrobe machinist
Shelley Lodge	....	pre-production wardrobe assistant
Pam Maling	....	wardrobe machinist
Roger Monk	....	wardrobe master
Margaret Thomas	....	wardrobe machinist

Editorial Department
Ruth Beach	....	assistant editor
Arthur Cambridge	....	color grader
Margaret Cardin	....	negative cutter
Michael Chirgwin	....	additional editor
Philip Dickson	....	assistant editor
Les Fiddess	....	assistant editor
George Miller	....	additional editor
Alison Pickup	....	assistant to editor
Christopher Plowright	....	additional editor
Annabelle Sheehan	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Brian May	....	conductor

Transportation Department
John Brand	....	unit driver
Ralph Clark	....	transportation manager
Sue Clark	....	unit driver
Jack Skyver	....	unit driver
Dennis Williams	....	truck precision driver

Other crew
Bill Anderson	....	mechanic
Rosanne Andrews-Baxter	....	production coordinator
Dale Aspin	....	animal trainer
Catherine Barber	....	production accountant
Linda Bates	....	assistant to producer
Dixie Betts	....	office liaison: Sydney
George Bischoff	....	mechanic
Barry Bransen	....	motorcycle buyer
Barry Bransen	....	motorcycle mechanic
Kevin Cross	....	unit runner
Jenny Day	....	pre-production coordinator
Harvey Else	....	helicopter pilot
Ray Fowler	....	caterer
Gerry Goodwin	....	autogyro pilot
Bill Gooley	....	laboratory liaison
Hugh Gooley	....	security officer
Sandy Gore	....	dialogue coach
Melissa Grillett	....	feral boy acrobatic double
Arthur Henley	....	truck mechanic
John Hurrel	....	helicopter pilot
David Jeffrey	....	security officer
Stuart Johnson	....	mechanic
Dean Keenan	....	traffic supervisor
Mardy Kennedy	....	pre-production assistant to director
Steve Knapman	....	location manager
Grant Larkin	....	traffic supervisor
Jennifer Lee-Lewes	....	accounting assistant
Allan Mills	....	mechanic
Ian Mitchell	....	unit runner
Peter Moyes	....	assistant caterer
John Murch	....	mechanic
Guy Norris	....	motorcycle mechanic
Gordon Parr	....	mechanic
Catherine Phillips	....	secretary to producer
Linda Ray	....	continuity
Marshall Read	....	mechanic
Clive Smith	....	mechanic
David Thomas	....	chief car mechanic (as Dave Thomas)
Reg West	....	security officer
Athnea Willcocks	....	unit nurse
Angelika Wyness	....	unit nurse
Derek Wyness	....	security officer

Production Companies

• Kennedy Miller Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1982) (France) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1985) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Argentina Video Home (1999) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (1999) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Warner Bros. (1999) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• AAV Australia  music recorded and mixed at
• AAV Australia  post-production sound
• Colorfilm Pty. Ltd.  processed by
• Film Australia  sound mixed at
• Mitch Matthews Consultancy  casting
• Optical & Graphics  titling
• Spectrum Films International  post-production facilities
• Spectrum Films International  post-production sound

Also Known As:

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

Runtime:

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

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1982) | Argentina:18 | Australia:M (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | France:Unrated (with warning) | Brazil:14 | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:M | Australia:MA (re-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 environs, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Trivia:

The logo on the tank truck is "7 Sisters Oil", reference to a conspiracy theory, popular before OPEC-conspiracy theories took over, that Standard Oil and six other companies controlled the world oil market and bought up and suppressed 200-MPG carburetor and so on to keep oil prices up.

Goofs:

Continuity: A reverse angle shot of Max and another man show totally different weather patterns.

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 "South Park: The Passion of the Jew (#8.3)" (2004)

on the Road Again with Mad Max and his Dog

But most of all, I remember the Road Warrior. By this time, many people have forgotten that this set the standard for kinetic action on the roadways. The memories fade as the years go by, new action films are released, such as "Speed"(94), which seem to set new standards. But, it's not really the case. The Road Warrior has yet to be bested, and no amount of money, computer technology or loud noises will ever accomplish the deed. Nothing will ever capture the apocalyptic intensity or, most of all, the sheer elegance of combat on the roads, as depicted here. "Raiders of the Lost Ark"(81), for example, captured a more frenetic goofy-style action, also relentless, but not with the level of tension. It's exciting, sure, but it doesn't tie your stomach up in knots, leaving you drained yet begging for more.

The sequel to "Mad Max"(79) - also a unique, tense experience - begins with an unusual prologue, giving the viewers a historical background on only half the screen. We are set up for a bombastic adventure, created as a new mythology for our perusal. Iconic figures abound, beginning with Max (Gibson) himself, of course. Here is the quintessential wandering loner hero/cowboy/samurai: he is striking - damaged both physically & mentally - but an ultimate survivor. Here are his foes: a scarred, massively-muscled atomic-age conqueror and his dogs, garbed in battle-dress for instant death and destruction. Here is his conscience: the last vestiges of civilization grouped in a makeshift fort for a final gasp of decency. When these three factions clash, it's the end of the world as we know it. Welcome to the new world of The Road Warrior.

The Road Warrior influenced the sub-genre of post-holocaust science fiction throughout the eighties. There were numerous imitators, mostly low-budget efforts, and none of them came close to succeeding at this level. I hope not too many people continue to forget where it all began for this thrilling corner of the sci-fi adventure genre. It is to our downfall and regret that we forget.