Mad Max **** (1979, Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley) – Classic Movie Review 2468

Director George Miller’s smart 1979 cult favourite Australian sci-fi action thriller Mad Max stars the magnetic young Mel Gibson, who heads for superstardom in this low-budget gang orientated road movie, set in a post-World War Three apocalyptic future in the wastelands of Australia.

Gibson plays Max Rockatansky, a leather-clad ex-cop avenging the deaths of his best buddy partner, his wife and his baby son at the hands of a band of crazed biker outlaws. If the plot is sometimes inexplicable, never mind, it’s the style, pace, energy, stunts and punk-outfits that count. And there is a cornucopia of those. Hugh Keays-Byrne plays the biker bad guy Toecutter.

Mad Max is stupendous entertainment for thrill seekers, with sharp cinematography, awesome stunts, fast-paced violent action and some strong language. Some of the violence is trimmed for TV screening in the version cut to 88 minutes. The Americans apparently could not understand the Aussie accents and re-dubbed the actors with American accents for release there by American International Pictures (AIP) in the less than satisfactory US version.

The running time in the cut version is 88 minutes with 93 minutes in the special edition.

Also in the cast are Joanne Samuel, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Vince Gill, Geoff Parry, David Bracks, Paul Johnstone, Nick Lathouris, LuLu Pinkus, Steve Millichamp, John Ley, Jonathon Hardy, Sheila Florence, Max Fairchild and Steven Clark.

Mad Max is directed by George Miller, runs 93 minutes (special edition) or 88 minutes, is made by Kennedy Miller Productions and Crossroads, is released by Roadshow Film Distributors (1979) (Australia), Columbia-EMI-Warner (1979) (UK) and American International Pictures (AIP) (1980) (USA), is written by James McCausland and George Miller, from an original story by George Miller and Byron Kennedy, is shot in Eastmancolor and widescreen by David Eggby, is produced by Bryon Kennedy, is scored by Brian May and is designed by John Dowding.

Two sequels followed: Mad Max 2 in 1981 and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985.  It is belatedly rebooted in 2015 as Mad Max: Fury Road.

George Miller raised the $350,000 budget for Mad Max by working as an emergency room doctor. It was a good investment. It grossed $8,750,000 in the US, with a worldwide gross of $8,771,757.

Most of the film’s extras were paid in beer. Aussies love their beer!

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2468

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