Mad Max

Mad Max (1979) *** (out of 4) Set in Australia in the near future, the country is pretty much lawless with only a few police officers trying to protect what's left. A vicious and cruel motorcycle gang pretty much rule the streets but they make a mistake when they attack the family of a cop named Max (Mel Gibson).

George Miller's MAD MAX was a pretty big success when it was first released and it's easy to see why because when it was released in America there really hadn't been anything like it before. I'm not sure you'd consider this Ozploitation but there's no question that Miller brought a new type of hero to the screen and he also managed to create some of the most intense action scenes that you're ever going to witness. The story itself really isn't anything we haven't seen before but there's no question that there's a certain raw nature that makes the film impossible not to like.

What really sets the film apart is the style that Miller brings to it. More times than not there are just sequences that eventually fade to black and then a new one will start up.

This really works in the film because each sequence tries to out-do what came before it and it quickly builds up to a rather violence but very memorable ending. The style of the film also shines during the action sequences, which are downright thrilling to say the least. There are countless car chases, crashes and motorcycle chases but none of these scenes are built through editing. Instead, we get very long sequences where the action pretty much unfolds in front of our eyes with the camera usually staying in one place and the action coming to it.

There are several times where the camera is stationed in a fast moving car that shows you have fast everything is going and then the "action" cars speed up and move past the camera at an even fast speed. This here just creates a very realistic feel to where you know you're watching a movie but at the same time you're waiting for some stunt to go wrong. It's rather amazing to watch these stunts and be amazed that no one was killed. These action scenes are certainly the highlight of the picture and it leads to a terrific ending.

The performances are another plus here as Gibson is extremely good in the role of the cop who turns "mad" at the end. I thought Gibson was very believable in the early scenes as the normal guy and even better towards the end. The supporting players like Joanne Samuel, Steve Bisley, Hugh Keays-Byrne and the rest of the actors playing the motorcycle creeps are all very good.

MAD MAX has been copied and imitated countless times since it's release but it remains a high-speed and intense action picture that still has a rawness that makes it quite original.