| Photos (See all 49 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 4) |
| Mel Gibson | ... | Max | |
| Bruce Spence | ... | The Gyro Captain | |
| Michael Preston | ... | Pappagallo (as Mike Preston) | |
| Max Phipps | ... | The Toadie | |
| Vernon Wells | ... | Wez | |
| Kjell Nilsson | ... | The Humungus | |
| Emil Minty | ... | The Feral Kid | |
| Virginia Hey | ... | Warrior Woman | |
| William Zappa | ... | Zetta | |
| Arkie Whiteley | ... | The Captain's Girl | |
| Steve J. Spears | ... | Mechanic | |
| Syd Heylen | ... | Curmudgeon | |
| Moira Claux | ... | Big Rebecca | |
| David Downer | ... | Nathan | |
| David Slingsby | ... | Quiet Man | |
| Kristoffer Greaves | ... | Mechanic's Assistant | |
| Max Fairchild | ... | Broken Victim | |
| Tyler Coppin | ... | Defiant Victim | |
| Jerry O'Sullivan | ... | Golden Youth (as Jimmy Brown) | |
| Tony Deary | ... | Grinning Mohawker | |
| Kathleen McKay | ... | Victim | |
| Guy Norris | ... | Bearclaw Mohawk | |
| Anne Jones | ... | Tent Lover | |
| James McCardell | ... | Tent Lover | |
| Harold Baigent | ... | Voice of Narrator (voice) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Joanne Samuel | ... | Jessie (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| George Miller | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Terry Hayes | screenplay & | |
| George Miller | screenplay & | |
| Brian Hannant | written by | |
Produced by | |||
| Byron Kennedy | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Brian May | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Dean Semler | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Michael Balson | |||
| David Stiven | |||
| Tim Wellburn | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Graham 'Grace' Walker | (as Graham 'Grace' Walker) | ||
Costume Design by | |||
| Norma Moriceau | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Bob McCarron | .... | special makeup effects | |
| Karla O'Keefe | .... | make-up artiste | |
| Lesley Vanderwalt | .... | makeup supervisor | |
| Kathy Coultrup | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Patrick Clayton | .... | production supervisor | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Patrick Clayton | .... | first assistant director | |
| Brian Hannant | .... | first assistant director | |
| Brian Hannant | .... | second unit director | |
| Phillip Hurst | .... | third assistant director (as Phil Hurst) | |
| Toivo Lember | .... | second assistant director | |
| Andrew Plain | .... | additional assistant director | |
| Mark Thomas | .... | assistant director: second unit | |
Art Department | |||
| Steve Amezdroz | .... | assistant art director | |
| Melinda Brown | .... | special props designer | |
| Melinda Brown | .... | special props maker | |
| John Daniell | .... | stand-by props | |
| Peter De Bono | .... | construction team | |
| Philip Henderson-Wilson | .... | construction team | |
| Michael Lehmann | .... | construction team | |
| Frederick Santos | .... | construction team | |
| Dennis Smith | .... | construction manager | |
| Kerrin Stevens | .... | construction stand-by | |
| George Tsoutas | .... | construction team | |
| Pauline Walker | .... | art department assistant | |
| Pauline Walker | .... | props buyer | |
| Derek Wyness | .... | construction team | |
| George Zukiwskyj | .... | construction team | |
Sound Department | |||
| Anne Breslin | .... | assistant sound editor (as Anne Breslan) | |
| Lloyd Carrick | .... | sound recordist | |
| Chris Goldsmith | .... | boom operator | |
| Byron Kennedy | .... | sound mixer | |
| Bruce Lamshed | .... | sound mixer | |
| Bruce Lamshed | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Mike O'Donnell | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Penn Robinson | .... | sound editor | |
| Roger Savage | .... | sound mixer | |
| Andrew Steuart | .... | sound editor (as Andrew Stewart) | |
| Marc van Buuren | .... | sound editor (as Mark Van Buuren) | |
| David Watts | .... | sound consultant: Dolby | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Mark Clayton | .... | special effects assistant | |
| Jeff Clifford | .... | special effects chief (as Jeffrey Clifford) | |
| Steve Courtley | .... | special effects team | |
| Mont Fieguth | .... | special effects team (as Monte Fieguth) | |
| David Hardy | .... | special effects team | |
| Brian Hunter | .... | special effects construction | |
| Greg Mulhearn | .... | special effects construction | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Kim Priest | .... | optical effects | |
| Richard Wilmot | .... | optical effects operator (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Max Aspin | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Glenn Boswell | .... | stunt team (as Glen Boswell) | |
| Vern Dietrich | .... | acrobatic stunts | |
| Gerry Gauslaa | .... | stunt team | |
| Bob Hicks | .... | stunt team | |
| Guy Norris | .... | stunt team | |
| Kim Noyce | .... | stunt team | |
| Dennis Williams | .... | stunt driver | |
| Melissa Grillett | .... | acrobatic double: Feral Boy (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| John Brock | .... | camera assistant: second unit | |
| Dean Bryan | .... | assistant electrician | |
| Gary Carden | .... | assistant grip (as Garry Carden) | |
| Graham Carter | .... | grip: second unit | |
| Derry Field | .... | focus puller: main unit | |
| Derry Field | .... | second camera assistant: main unit | |
| Bill Grimmond | .... | second cameraman/operator: main unit | |
| Carolyn Johns | .... | still photographer | |
| Andrew Lesnie | .... | documentary cameraman | |
| Peter Lipscombe | .... | additional camera assistant: main unit | |
| Graeme Mardell | .... | key grip | |
| Andrew McLean | .... | clapper/loader | |
| Richard Merryman | .... | focus puller | |
| John Morton | .... | gaffer | |
| Paul Moyes | .... | best boy | |
| Geoffrey Simpson | .... | second unit cameraman (as Geoff Simpson) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Terri Lamera | .... | wardrobe machinist (as Terry Lamera) | |
| Shelley Lodge | .... | pre-production wardrobe assistant | |
| Pam Maling | .... | wardrobe machinist | |
| Roger Monk | .... | wardrobe master | |
| Margaret Thomas | .... | wardrobe machinist | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Ruth Beach | .... | assistant editor | |
| Arthur Cambridge | .... | colour grading | |
| Margaret Cardin | .... | negative cutter | |
| Michael Chirgwin | .... | additional editor | |
| Philip Dickson | .... | assistant editor | |
| Les Fiddess | .... | assistant editor (as Les Fiddes) | |
| George Miller | .... | additional editor | |
| Alison Pickup | .... | editor's assistant | |
| Christopher Plowright | .... | additional editor | |
| Annabelle Sheehan | .... | assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Brian May | .... | conductor | |
| Roger Savage | .... | music mixer | |
| Roger Savage | .... | music recordist | |
| Brian May | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
| Roger Savage | .... | music engineer (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| John Brand | .... | unit driver | |
| Ralph Clark | .... | transport manager | |
| Sue Clark | .... | unit driver | |
| Jack Skyver | .... | unit driver | |
| Dennis Williams | .... | truck precision driver | |
Other crew | |||
| Bill Anderson | .... | mechanics team | |
| Rosanne Andrews-Baxter | .... | production coordinator | |
| Dale Aspin | .... | animal handler | |
| Dale Aspin | .... | animal trainer | |
| Catherine Barber | .... | production accountant | |
| Linda Bates | .... | producer's assistant | |
| Dixie Betts | .... | office liaison: Sydney | |
| George Bischoff | .... | mechanics team | |
| Barry Bransen | .... | motorcycle buyer | |
| Barry Bransen | .... | motorcycle mechanic | |
| Kevin Cross | .... | unit runner | |
| Jenny Day | .... | pre-production coordinator | |
| Harvey Else | .... | helicopter pilot | |
| Ray Fowler | .... | caterer | |
| Gerry Goodwin | .... | autogyro pilot | |
| Bill Gooley | .... | laboratory liaison | |
| Hugh Gooley | .... | security guard | |
| Sandy Gore | .... | dialogue coach | |
| Arthur Henley | .... | truck mechanic | |
| John Hurrel | .... | helicopter pilot | |
| David Jeffrey | .... | security guard | |
| Stuart Johnson | .... | mechanics team | |
| Byron Kennedy | .... | presenter (as Kennedy Miller) | |
| Mardy Kennedy | .... | director's pre-production assistant | |
| Steve Knapman | .... | location manager | |
| Grant Larkin | .... | traffic supervisor | |
| Jennifer Lee-Lewes | .... | accounts assistant | |
| George Miller | .... | presenter (as Kennedy Miller) | |
| Allan Mills | .... | mechanics team | |
| Ian Mitchell | .... | unit runner | |
| Peter Moyes | .... | assistant caterer | |
| John Murch | .... | mechanics team | |
| Guy Norris | .... | motorcycle mechanic | |
| Gordon Parr | .... | mechanics team | |
| Catherine Phillips | .... | producer's secretary | |
| Linda Ray | .... | continuity | |
| Marshall Read | .... | mechanics team | |
| Clive Smith | .... | mechanics team | |
| David Thomas | .... | chief car mechanic (as Dave Thomas) | |
| Reg West | .... | security guard | |
| Athnea Willcocks | .... | unit nurse | |
| Angelika Wyness | .... | unit nurse | |
| Derek Wyness | .... | security guard | |
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| Mad Max | Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Australia | Defiance |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Action section | IMDb Australia section |
*** 1/2 out of ****
After so many years The Road Warrior still remains one of the most exhilarating action films to ever grace the screen. The car chases are as excitingly pulse-pounding as ever and no film has yet to surpass the final chase as the best in movie history. Yes, in terms of pure action, not many films have been able to equal The Road Warrior's thrills.
The film takes place presumably years after the conclusion of Mad Max. The world has been devastated by a third world war and has suffered a setback by he rarity of gasoline. The loner, Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) is still wandering around the Australian wasteland, thousands of miles from civilization, in search of gasoline. He comes across a gyro-pilot (Bruce Spence), who tells him of a compound that's producing fuel.
Max brings the pilot along with him and studies the compound from atop a cliff. It seems a large gang also wants the gasoline and has been besieging the refinery for a long time now. They are a pack of madmen, led by the Humungus, a hugely muscular man who wears a hockey mask to cover his face. An attempt is made by the people inside the compound to find a rig large enough to haul the fuel but the effort is brought down when Humungus' men take down all the cars.
Max, finding a perfect moment to strike a bargain, makes a deal with one of the survivors and makes it to the compound. Eventually, he makes another deal there, as he tells the people inside that in return for as much gasoline as he can carry, he'll bring the rig to them. What follows is classic edge-of-the-seat action entertainment.
Having inspired dozens of rip-offs, The Road Warrior still remains the best of the bunch due to the great lead performance from Mel Gibson and the unrivalled car chases, which are very much worth mentioning. The movie begins with a rousing commentary over the events that led to the destruction of government. What follows next is a short and exciting car chase. True, the following half-hour does move by a bit slowly, but it all builds up to a lightning paced final 45 minutes.
The final chase, in particular, is an exercise in action craftsmanship. Director George Miller has staged one of the most brilliant and downright exciting action scenes ever. So many spectacular stunts and on-road carnage occur during this sequence, to describe it simply wouldn't do it justice.
Miller's cinematography is decidedly Un-Hollywood. He gives us many breathtaking camera angles, some of which are sometimes a bit shaky, which serves to make the action even more involving. Looking back at the film now, it might not appeal to a wide range of viewers. The odd characters (mainly the villains), ultra-violence, dark tone, and the sparse dialogue may seem a little too offbeat for some people.
Mel Gibson remains the only world-renowned actor in the whole film. He does a terrific job as the character Max, one of his best and most interesting characters. The development of Max is another intriguing component of The Road Warrior, and serves the film by giving it a human edge by featuring Max's slow transformation from loner to savior. Not only that, Gibson also creates a great action hero. There's not a moment in the film when we aren't rooting for Max to smash Humungus and his gang. Bruce Spence as the gyro-pilot is decent in his role and offers the film's few humorous moments.
Virginia Hey is also pretty good as the Warrior Woman, and though the script doesn't exactly give her a lot to do, she plays the part well. Mike Preston also shows a lot of honor as the compound's leader.
On the other side of the equation are the actors who portray the villains. Surprisingly enough, though the characters are outlandish, no one ever goes over-the-top. Vernon Wells and Kjell Nilson are absolutely menacing and frightening as the lead villains, Wez and Humungus. They personify evil itself, creating characters who we truly grow to despise.
To be honest, I am a little surprised that the critics enjoyed this every bit as much as I did. The film doesn't delve very deeply into philosophical issues and doesn't exactly have a lot of grand things to say. I suppose with the acclaim this film received goes to show that critics do truly watch movies primarily for entertainment.
As I mentioned before, the film was the benchmark of a genre that grew in popularity. The premise of a loner helping a group of people in need has been used a bit too much now. Most notably is the big-budget flop, Waterworld (which is a good movie I recommend), though none have yet to match the outright intensity of The Road Warrior.