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Setting Mel Gibson on a sure path to superstardom, this highly acclaimed "crazy collide-o-scope"(Newsweek) of highway mayhem "cinematically defined the postapocalyptic landscape" (TV Guide). Featuring eye-popping stunts that are "electrifying and very convincing" (Variety) and "an authentically nihilistic spirit" (The Village Voice), Mad Max is "pure cinematic poetry" (Time).In the ravaged near future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping them. But they underestimate one officer: Max Rockatansky (Gibson). And when the bikers brutalize Max's best friend and family, they send him into a mad frenzy that leaves him with only one thing left in the world to live for - revenge!
"Weird atmosphere and characters combine with amazing stunt work in this remarkable action film." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"...a tough and grimy little piece of cinema, full of ambiance...and attitude, with occasionally inspired flourishes." Sean Axmaker, Seattle Weekly
"...a kinetic combination of visual style, amazing stunt work, creative costume design, and eccentric, detailed characterizations..." The Motion Picture Guide
"A riveting classic!" The New York Times
"...[an] exceptionally entertaining action-packed adventure." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
Editor's Note
Rebel bikers combat the police in a bleak post-nuclear future where the highways are bloody battlegrounds. When a gang of motorcyclists brutally murder a policeman's family he becomes Mad Max, avenger of the highways. Sequel: THE ROAD WARRIOR.
Plot Summary
Futuristic tale set in Australia, which has become a wasteland where vicious, fast-driving criminals cause death, destruction, and mayhem on the highways. The police do their best to maintain control, but their attempts prove futile. As a result, one cop named Max quits his job and goes on a vacation with his family. However they are terrorized by a gang of malicious speed-demons, who kill Max' wife and baby. Angry, Max rejoins the force, revs up his motorcycle -- and seeks bloody revenge against the fiends who murdered his family.
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| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Mgm Entertainment |
| Release Date: 9/23/2008 |
| Running Time: 88 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1979 | | Catalog ID: 108981 | | UPC: 00027616089816 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew | Hugh Keays-Byren | | Joanne Samuel | | Mel Gibson | | Steve Bisley | | Bill Miller - Producer | | Brian May - Original Music By | | Byron Kennedy - Based On Story By | | Byron Kennedy - Producer | | Cliff Hayes - Editor | | David Eggby - Cinematographer | | George Miller - Director | | George Miller - Screenplay | | James McCausland - Screenplay | | Jon Dowding - Art Director | | Tony Paterson - Editor |
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...An all-stops-out, fast-moving [film]....This is the most audience involving film since HALLOWEEN....The leads are all effective..." 05/16/1979USA Today
"...Mayhem-heavy....Road-cop Max was Mel Gibson's star-making role..." 01/04/2002 p.4E Variety 9 of 10
Mad Max is an all-stops-out, fast-moving exploitation pic in the tradition of New World/American International productions. The plot [from an original story by George Miller and Byron Kennedy] is extremely simple. A few years from now (opening title), the Australian countryside is terrorized by marauders who create mayhem on the roads. A crack police force opposes the villains...Mad Max is one of the fastest and most ruthless of these cops of the future. Max quits the force to take a vacation with his wife and baby. But when The Toecutter's gang kills his wife and child, he dons his leather uniform again to hunt them down...Stunts themselves would be nothing without a filmmaker behind the camera and George Miller, a doctor and film buff making his first feature, shows he knows what cinema is all about...The film belongs to the director, cameraman and stunt artists: it's not an actor's piece, though the leads are all effective.
ReelViews 8 of 10
Mad Max was made in 1979 by Miller on a shoestring budget. The film starred an as-yet unknown Mel Gibson in the title role and received minor U.S. notice. It had a limited American run before disappearing. When Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior arrived two years later, with a bigger budget and higher aspirations, Warner Brothers spent some money on the advertising campaign and opened it wide. It was a thunderous success. Overnight, Mad Max went from being a U.S. cult hero to a mainstream figure, and Mel Gibson's place in the firmament was secured...Decades after being brought to the screen, these movies hold up well. The reason is simple: George Miller understands how to make action sequences (especially chase scenes) exciting. Miller never falls back on the formulas that have become the bane of too many recent action films, and his sustained cuts lend a clarity to the proceedings. The battle between Max and The Blaster in Beyond Thunderdome may be the best the series has to offer, but each of the films has something that fans and non-fans alike can embrace. For action fans, this remains one of the genre's most enduring classic trilogies. - James Berardinelli
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