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IMDbPro

The Road Warrior

Original title: Mad Max 2
  • 19811981
  • RR
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
179K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,188
547
The Road Warrior (1981)
In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community escape a horde of bandits.
Play trailer1:24
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Sci-Fi
In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community escape a horde of bandits.In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community escape a horde of bandits.In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community escape a horde of bandits.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
179K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,188
547
  • Director
    • George Miller
  • Writers
    • Terry Hayes(screenplay by)
    • George Miller(screenplay by)
    • Brian Hannant(screenplay with)
  • Stars
    • Mel Gibson
    • Bruce Spence
    • Michael Preston
Top credits
  • Director
    • George Miller
  • Writers
    • Terry Hayes(screenplay by)
    • George Miller(screenplay by)
    • Brian Hannant(screenplay with)
  • Stars
    • Mel Gibson
    • Bruce Spence
    • Michael Preston
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 388User reviews
    • 209Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 8 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos3

    4K Trailer
    Trailer 1:24
    4K Trailer
    Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
    Trailer 2:40
    Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 40
    Video 30:36
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 40

    Photos224

    Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior (1981)
    George Miller at an event for The Road Warrior (1981)
    George Miller at an event for The Road Warrior (1981)
    George Miller and Doug Mitchell at an event for The Road Warrior (1981)
    The Road Warrior (1981)
    The Road Warrior (1981)
    The Road Warrior (1981)
    The Road Warrior (1981)
    1 Sheet
    Time blowup, 1 sheet movie poster
    Style B, 1 sheet movie poster
    14 x 22

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mel Gibson
    Mel Gibson
    • Maxas Max
    Bruce Spence
    Bruce Spence
    • The Gyro Captainas The Gyro Captain
    Michael Preston
    Michael Preston
    • Pappagalloas Pappagallo
    • (as Mike Preston)
    Max Phipps
    Max Phipps
    • The Toadieas The Toadie
    Vernon Wells
    Vernon Wells
    • Wezas Wez
    Kjell Nilsson
    Kjell Nilsson
    • The Humungusas The Humungus
    Emil Minty
    Emil Minty
    • The Feral Kidas The Feral Kid
    Virginia Hey
    Virginia Hey
    • Warrior Womanas Warrior Woman
    William Zappa
    William Zappa
    • Zettaas Zetta
    Arkie Whiteley
    Arkie Whiteley
    • The Captain's Girlas The Captain's Girl
    Steve J. Spears
    • Mechanicas Mechanic
    Syd Heylen
    • Curmudgeonas Curmudgeon
    Moira Claux
    • Big Rebeccaas Big Rebecca
    David Downer
    • Nathanas Nathan
    David Slingsby
    • Quiet Manas Quiet Man
    Kristoffer Greaves
    • Mechanic's Assistantas Mechanic's Assistant
    Max Fairchild
    Max Fairchild
    • Broken Victimas Broken Victim
    Tyler Coppin
    Tyler Coppin
    • Defiant Victimas Defiant Victim
    • Director
      • George Miller
    • Writers
      • Terry Hayes(screenplay by)
      • George Miller(screenplay by) (character creator)
      • Brian Hannant(screenplay with)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The dog used in the film, named simply "Dog", was obtained from a local dog pound and trained to perform in the film. Because the sound of the engines upset him (and in one incident, caused him to relieve himself in the car), he was fitted with special earplugs. After filming was complete, he was adopted by one of the camera operators.
    • Goofs
      When Max carries the 4 metal cans full of gasoline to retrieve the truck, the cans appear empty by the way they are swaying back and forth from the pole he's using to carry them. In addition, when the gyro captain drops them to the ground once they reach the autogyro the cans make a hollow-sounding noise, also indicating that they are empty.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Narrator: My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos... ruined dreams... this wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called "Max." To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time... when the world was powered by the black fuel... and the desert sprouted great cities of pipe and steel. Gone now... swept away. For reasons long forgotten, two mighty warrior tribes went to war, and touched off a blaze which engulfed them all. Without fuel they were nothing. They'd built a house of straw. The thundering machines sputtered and stopped. Their leaders talked and talked and talked. But nothing could stem the avalanche. Their world crumbled. The cities exploded. A whirlwind of looting, a firestorm of fear. Men began to feed on men. On the roads it was a white line nightmare. Only those mobile enough to scavenge, brutal enough to pillage would survive. The gangs took over the highways, ready to wage war for a tank of juice. And in this maelstrom of decay, ordinary men were battered and smashed... men like Max... the warrior Max. In the roar of an engine, he lost everything... and became a shell of a man... a burnt-out, desolate man, a man haunted by the demons of his past, a man who wandered out into the wasteland. And it was here, in this blighted place, that he learned to live again.

    • Alternate versions
      Slightly censored when first released in the US, but released without cuts abroad. The Australian version has several more seconds of Wez pulling the arrow out of his arm, and a few more seconds of Wez's partner on the ground with the boomerang embedded in his head. This footage was absent on the US VHS, LaserDisc, and DVD releases, but is present in the US Blu-ray release.
    • Connections
      Edited from Mad Max (1979)

    User reviews388

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Exhilarating action thriller.
    *** 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.
    helpful•148
    30
    • jiangliqings
    • Mar 1, 2001

    FAQ12

    • Max pulls out his shotgun when it looks like Wes is about to attack him. Max knew fully well that his shotgun was empty. He surely must have also known that it wouldn't have worked as a weapon for intimidation on a guy like Wes the same way it worked for the Gyro pilot. So why did he bother?
    • What is Mad Max 2 about?
    • Is the US r-rated version uncut? Which version is uncut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 21, 1982 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Australia
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
    • Filming locations
      • Mundi Mundi Plains Lookout, Silverton, New South Wales, Australia
    • Production company
      • Kennedy Miller Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $23,667,907
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,527,864
      • May 23, 1982
    • Gross worldwide
      • $23,668,369
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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