The Road Warrior (1981)

For those who have not seen any of the Max Max films, do yourself a favor and get to your local rental store. Max Max 2 or The Road Warrior as released in the United States, is undoubtedly one of the greatest action films I have ever seen. Starring a young Mel Gibson, who plays the title character, Max, this film is practically at the pinnacle of action films, surpassed only by a few select others. But moving on, this movie quite simply rocks! The setting is a post-apocalyptic world where fuel is hard to come by and so is human life, for that matter. Max, having moved on from tragedy in the first film, (you really shouldn't be reading this if you haven't seen the first one) has now become a Road Warrior, wandering the desert landscapes aimlessly. He eventually finds a small, surviving settlement with a surplus of fuel. However, the town is repeatedly terrorized by a gang of outlaw motorcyclists, led by Lord Humungus. Through a series of staggering events, Max becomes involved with the town's efforts to finally rid themselves of the biker gang. The performances are good enough to propel the film forward and Mel Gibson does a great job reprising the role he made famous in the first installment. The embittered Max and the hopefuls in the town play well off each other and bring dramatic character interaction, uncommon for many present action films.

But of course, the film's scenes of brilliance arrive in the form of its action sequences. The action is choreographed well and Max is unrelenting as are the members of the biker gang. The ending sequence is one of the most memorable action portions I have ever seen in any film, past or present. The music played throughout balances and abets the action sequences, adding a furious intensity. Even scenes with the motorcycle gang feature hard-metal rock that suits the tone of the film well. Needless to say, the film seriously delivers all the way to the finish line.

The shots of the post-apocalyptic world are frightening and barren, giving a glimpse into what could be. Panoramic shots of the wasteland are featured and even signs of hope are doled out by the camera crew. Of course, this film's true merit will always be its action but where other action films fail with sloppy camera work and boring characters and plot lines, Mad Max 2 succeeds, giving the great journey of a debilitated man and a secluded group. And through all these components, Max Max 2 rises above the rest of the films in the action genre.

Ultimately, this film is one of the best action films of all time. It doesn't place all its eggs in that basket, mind you; it features memorable characters, a well-developed setting, and an incredible story. It belongs to a select list of films where a sequel outdoes the predecessor. Max Max 2 is better than the first in every way and stands out on its own as an exceptional action film.

Fmovies: Violent movie about a futuristic road-warrior cop with high-velocity action and kinetic energy .This classic is set a few years from now, a dangerous, desolate post-industrial world of the future where rules the strongest law . It concerns about the ex-police named Max (Mel Gibson), some cutthroats and revenge takes place. The nasties attack , rape, ravage to hapless and unfortunates. But vengeance will be terrible against some bands of depraved crazies thirsty for blood on high facility roads. A group (commanded by Mike Preston) located at an oil fortress is besieged by motorised warlords looking for fuel and they'll have to fight against the cutthroats, a band of depraved crazies (Vernon Welles and several others) thirsty for blood and survive some battles to-the-death with lots of blood and gore, including throating-slit ,beheading, impaling and blow up.

This exciting picture packs kinetic action , thrills, chills, shocks and abundant violence. Spectacular stunt-work plenty of motorcycle races, cars with bounds and leaps and explosions . Top-notch Mel Gibson as revenger angel at one of his first main roles, he embarks a spectacular escape against vicious murderous. Rumbling and screeching musical score fitting to action by Brian May. Special and weird futuristic atmosphere created by cameraman Dean Semler who reflects splendidly the barren outdoors. The motion picture is stunningly directed by George Miller, author of the excellent post-apocalypse ¨Mad Max¨ trilogy along with the writer and producer Byron Kennedy. It's followed by ¨Mad Max beyond Thunderdome¨ with Tina Turner, George Ogilvie, Frank Thring and again Bruce Spence as sympathetic helicopter pilot. In addition, numerous imitations as the recent ¨Doomsday¨(2008, Neal Marshall), rip offs, and exploitations ,especially Italians products. Rating : Good, better than average, this is one of the most successful Aussie movie of all time. This remarkable action film will appeal to Science Fiction buffs. Rating : 8'5, Above average. Well worth watching.

Iam a big action move fan and have seen mostly all the best and worst Hollywood action films ever.But for some reason i still don't know why i kept ignoring this movie for years in spite of hearing so many good things about. sure, i like Mel Gibson, I've seen all the lethal weapon movies.My dad always told me that the first 2 mad max movies are great but i kept ignoring these movies and man i was SO wrong.This weekend i had nothing great to rent and i rented the first 2 mad max films and yes i was blown away. These movies are light years ahead of all the modern action movies, the camera work the setting sound effects ,editing everything is just superb. mad max 2 is a legendary action film for me and I am going to add this to my collection.It's not filled up with unnecessary action but when it starts it blows u away. Mel Gibson was great . Now I am interested in watching all George miller movies , i don't know how many else he has made. If u r looking for a great action movie, pick this one. U will love it.

8 on 10.

The Road Warrior fmovies. I think this may be the greatest 'car movie' ever made. The chase scenes are gritty and thrilling, and quite realistic. None of that 'car falls over cliff and blows up' crap.

In the fighting/war scenes, it plays a perfect balance between hidden action and open action, never overselling the gore nor underselling the violence.

The plot is an excuse to have a long highway battle, but I'm not complaining. It's vaguely feasible enough that you don't worry much about it, just accept it as a needed background to hang the fun stuff on. Oh, to be a stunt driver in this movie! Or even to be a mechanic! That would be a story to tell your children.

This is every driving fantasy I've ever had, and played perfectly. I know that certainly flavors my review, but tell me that movies which are cathartic for you haven't affected YOU that way?

Bottom line: thin plot, heavy action, decent characterization. Symbolism absent, directness the rule of the day. Jump on this bandwagon and ram something. Fun all the way.

The first time I saw this at a friends recommendation was in 1985 on our brand new VHS vcr. I was absolutely blown away by it at the age of 16 and I still watch every few months on DVD now.I would give anything to see this on a big screen. This movie started a real trend for a lot of real crappy B movies to follow unfortunately and Mel Gibson has called this movie with an apologetic shrug 'classy B-grade trash' which is sad because it would prove to be his best movie by far. What I truly liked about this film was its lack of dialogue and how it was smart enough to let its settings, action and costumes do the talking. Perhaps this is why Gibson didn't have much praise for it because he is merely a representation of the Western gunslinger in the film. I liked how there was a sketchy explanation of how the world got into such an apocalyptic mess and lets the viewer make their own conclusion to that end. It's not important anyways. The lack of ammunition is indicated quickly through the Wez's use of a wrist-strapped crossbow, the very preciousness of gasoline is established quickly as well by Max's anxious mopping up of it and capturing it in a few make-shift items including a dusty soldier's helmet.

The original Mad Max had too much dialogue and proved problematic for the 18 year old Gibson to convey the emotion of losing his family and best friend. It had it's moments but in the end it lost it's impact due to it's own clumsy attempt at trying to establish the family-man Max. The Road Warrior didn't try to attempt any deep characterizations, the pain and suffering was quick and obvious, the need to just survive in this stark world conveyed through a few spoken words and violent actions. George Miller got it right with this one, unfortunately he had to make Mad Max first to get to Mad MaxII and horribly had to make Mad MaxIII.

Studio executives today could use a film like this one, or its predecessor right about now. The Mad Max films were thrown together with great skill on absolutely shoestring budgets and made a king's ransom in profits. Nowadays we just seem to get one big-budget failure after another, as the box office slump now extends into its fourteenth week.

Mad Max 2 (or The Road Warrior, as it is commonly called here in the USA) is an extraordinary sight to behold. The story centers on a loner (Mel Gibson) who roams the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Australia in search of gasoline so he can... I guess just keep driving. He is a man who lost his wife and child to a murderous gang of bikers in the previous film. He seems to be without a soul, or any feeling for his fellow man. One day he corners a man who tells him about a refining community besieged by a gang of ruthless outlaws. Thirsty for the large amount of fuel this community has, Max barters his way inside. To his dismay, the community has no plans to let him just take the fuel and run. They use him to provide them with a vehicle "big enough to haul that fat tank of gas", and by the climax of the film, he is driving the fuel through a gang of about fifty or more savages looking to take it for themselves. Max never really endears himself to anyone, but you can feel the humanity within him as he volunteers to drive the tanker. After just surviving a horrendous accident he can barely walk, but he knows he's their only chance.

This film is absolutely breathtaking. The characters we meet inside the walls of the refining community are stubborn and resourceful, but just not strong enough to deal with "that vermin on machines" waiting outside for them. The vicious gang holding the community hostage are a motley crew of desperadoes. Many are dressed like WWE combatants. Some are even dressed in MFP uniforms similar to what Max and his fellow officers wore in part one. Are they former cops gone bad, or did they murder the cops to get the uniforms? We are never told. The script refers to these men as "GAYBOY BERSERKERS". The various motorcycles, hot rods, and trucks used in the film have to be seen to be believed. Maybe more fuel-efficient vehicles would be a better idea for a world so short on fuel! But these souped-up vehicles make for some great chase scenes! You have to hand it to the stunt men who worked on this film. With no CGI to do the work for them, many of them were putting their lives at risk each day. Both stunt team leaders Max Aspin and Guy Norris were severely injured during filming. Aspin was driving the car that went airborne after we see the driver shot in the back with the four-way arrow gun. I believe he suffered a concussion when it landed just short of the fortress wall. Norris shattered his ankle after being launched off a motorcycle and sent flying through the air in one spectacular shot during the final chase scene.

The film has a great soundtrack, as well by Brian May. (Not the guy from Queen) Not too many lines are spoken throughout the film, but so what? This is a film about action, and it's a treat to watch it any time. The Hound will give it 10 of 10 stars. What a way to introduce American moviegoers to Mel Gibson!!