Road Warrior (1981)

"...a rousing tale of survival set in a grim and violent future.  Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice
"Apocalypse...Pow! Exhilarating entertainment.  Richard Corliss, Time
"A brutal, exhausting, relentless action masterpiece.  Rob Thomas, Capital Times
"A smashing good time at the movies.  Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times
"Quite simply the best action-exploitation film ever made.  Urban Cinefile

Editor's Note The first sequel to MAD MAX takes place after nuclear war has destroyed Australia. In this installment, Max lends his aid and protection to a small band of survivors who are losing their struggle to protect an oil refinery under siege by a band of savage, mohawked marauders. Playing very much like a post-apocalyptic western (right down to Max's dog, Hondo) THE ROAD WARRIOR boats one of the most thrilling car chase scenes ever filmed.

	Bruce Spence
	Emil Minty
	Mel Gibson
	Vernon Wells
	Brian May - Original Music By
	Byron Kennedy - Producer
	Dean Semler - Cinematographer
	George Miller - Director
	Graham Walker - Art Director
	Michael Balson, et. al. - Editor
	Terry Hayes, et. al. - Writer

Variety
"...MAD MAX 2 is a stunning technical achievement....Bigger, bolder, and infinitely more spectacular and powerful than the original..." 12/23/1981

New York Times
"Never has a film's vision of the post-nuclear holocaust world seemed quite as desolate and as brutal, or as action-packed and sometimes as funny as in George Miller's apolcalyptic THE ROAD WARRIOR, an extravagant film fantasy..." 04/29/1982 p.C24

Entertainment Weekly
"...Not only did WARRIOR up the ante on motorized mayhem, but film fashion was never the same..." 01/11/2002 p.38

FilmCritic.com 8 of 10
Though this was the second movie in the Mad Max series, The Road Warrior's post-apocalyptic setting is the one you probably think about when you consider the films. Road Warrior introduced the dystopic battle for oil, warring tribes, and mohawked-players, with Mel Gibson's renegade doing battle with them (his trusty dingo in tow) on the desert flats of Australia. (Believe it or not, the first film took place in the present day, with no WWIII in sight.) The Road Warrior is lots more fun than the original, in my opinion, delightful in its inconsistencies (if they don't have any gas, why does everyone waste so much of it by riding around in circles all the time) and in its over-the-top acting, set design, and kooky plot. - Christopher Null

Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
"Mad Max 2" [released in the United States as "The Road Warrior"] is a film of pure action, of kinetic energy organized around the barest possible bones of a plot. It has a vision of a violent future world, but it doesn't develop that vision with characters and dialogue. It would rather plunge headlong into one of the most relentlessly aggressive movies ever made. I walked out of "Mad Max 2" a little dizzy and with my ears still ringing from the roar of the sound track; I can't say I "enjoyed" the film, but I'll hardly forget it...Max's role in "Mad Max 2" is to behave something like a heroic cowboy might have in a classic Western. He happens upon a small band of people who are trying to protect their supplies of gasoline from the attacks of warriors who have them surrounded...The special effects and stunts in this movie are spectacular; "Mad Max 2" goes on a short list with "Bullitt," "The French Connection," and the truck chase in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as among the great chase films of modern years. - Roger Ebert