MAD MAX - 1979

Director : George Miller

Writer : George Miller

Producer : Byron Kennedy

Cinematographer: David Eggby

Rating : R

Running Time: 90

Genre: Action; Science Fiction

Cast : Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Joanne Samuel, Paul Johnstone, Tim Burns

   Good ol' Australia exported this original, badass, low-budget genre film which gave ous the young Mel Gibson his first starring role. Set in the future, MAD MAX presents a society descending into complete chaos. The forces of law and order are barely holding their own. This lo-budget film has that thing found in all the lo-budget classic's, taht formula big-budget never can seem to formulate...Simple, but effective. The highways are tortured and terrorized by mad packs of lunatic speed demons. Mel Gibson who plays Max, (our hero in the film) is a good cop who's fed up with his job. After chasing crazed criminals for years and seeing so many of his buddies killed in action, he just wants to retire and spend the rest of his days in tranquility with his lovely wife and child. His chief tries to bribe him with a new, faster police car ("the last of the V-8s"). He attempts to flatter him by telling him that he's the last of the heroes but Max isn't buying it, he just wants out. The boss tells him to take a vacation and he does. Spending an idyllic week with his family on the beach, he decides to put away his badge and uniform for good. But this is not to be. A psychotic gang of biker's kills Gibson's wife and child in visious revenge plot for the death of one of fellow team members. Left with nothing to live for, Gibson turns avenger, dons his black leather uniform, fuels up his hi-powered V-8 mustang, and hits the road with total vengence in mind.

   Though the plot is that of a simple revenge western, director George Miller's unique visual style never used in car chase films before, and absolutly amazing car stunt stunt work, creative costume design, and eccentric, overally detailed characterizations that practically jump out of the screen and grab the viewer by the balls with all intentions to never let go makes this film a complete standout all its own. Miller, whose inspiration was comic books, serials, and B westerns, created some of the most stunning car-chase/crash-and-burn scenes ever put on film. At this point in his career, Miller is a filmmaker who seems to have just discovered the exciting possibilities of composition, camera movement, and editing, and uses them to their most powerful effect, bringing movement back to the movies. Done independently with a laughably small budget (Miller edited most of the film in his bedroom), MAD MAX went on to make more money in Australia than George Lucas's STAR WARS. The American distributors, however, didn't quite know what to do with the film and stupidly dubbed lousy American-sounding voices over the Australians'. An even better sequel, THE ROAD WARRIOR (MAD MAX II in Australia), followed, and a third film, MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, was released four years later. for overall entertainment, I give this cult classic...................

10 Stars