Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

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Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Image:Mad max two the road warrior.jpg Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior movie poster
Directed by	George Miller
Produced by	Byron Kennedy
Written by	Terry Hayes George Miller Brian Hannant
Starring	Mel Gibson Michael Preston Bruce Spence Vernon Wells Kjell Nilsson Virginia Hey
Music by	Brian May
Cinematography	Dean Semler
Editing by	David Stiven Michael Balson Tim Wellburn
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	December 24, 1981
Running time	91 min.
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	AUD $4,000,000 (estimated)
Preceded by	Mad Max
Followed by	Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
IMDb profile

This article is about the film. For other uses see Road warrior

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (released in the U.S. in 1981 as The Road Warrior) is a science fiction action film set in a grim, violent post-apocalyptic setting. Directed by George Miller, this sequel to Miller's 1979 film Mad Max, Mad Max 2 was a worldwide box office hit that launched the lead actor Mel Gibson's career and eventually became a cult classic.

Noteworthy elements of the film include cinematographer Dean Semler's dazzling widescreen photography of Australia's vast desert landscapes; costume designer Norma Moriceau's mohawked, leather bondage gear-clad bikers; and its fast-paced, tightly-edited, and incredibly violent battle and chase scenes. Mad Max 2 helped to popularize the post-apocalyptic science fiction genre in films and fiction writing. It was followed by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985.

Taglines:

• Ruthless... Savage... Spectacular.
• In the future, cities will become deserts, roads will become battlefields and the hope of mankind will appear as a stranger.
• Only one man can make the difference.
• Just one man can make a difference.
• When all that's left is one last chance, pray that he's still out there ... somewhere!

Contents 1 Plot Summary 2 Themes 3 Critical reception 4 Vehicles 5 Filming locations 6 Influences in other media 7 Trivia 8 Mad Max related online games 9 External links

Plot Summary

A brief prologue covers the events preceding the original Mad Max (no backstory was offered in that movie). After uprisings and an extended war due to energy shortages plunged the Australian desert into anarchy, a group of special police officers were assigned to restore order to the outback. In contrast, in Mad Max 2, there is complete breakdown of civilization.

Max Rockatansky, the former police officer who sought vengeance against the gang that killed his family in the first film, has now become hardened into a drifter, a "shell of a man". Clad in his dirty and torn leather police uniform, Max roves the desert in his scarred, black, supercharged V-8 Pursuit Special, scavenging wrecked vehicles for gasoline, which has become a precious commodity. He also has a rare functioning firearm (a sawed-off shotgun), but ammunition is scarce.

The film begins as Max clashes with some straggling marauders, led by biker warrior Wez (played by actor Vernon Wells). After driving off the gang members, Max collects the gasoline from their wrecked vehicles and continues on. As Max continues to comb the desert wastelands, he comes upon an abandoned autogyro and tries to scavenge its fuel. The autogyro's pilot (actor Bruce Spence) has set a trap, but Max outwits the pilot. To buy his freedom, the pilot tells Max about a small working oil refinery out in the wasteland.

Encamped on a cliff overlooking the oil refinery, Max watches as a gang of marauders in a motley collection of cars and motorbikes havebesieged the compound. They are led by a grim and charismatic masked warrior called "Lord Humungus" (played by actor Kjell Nilsson), a large, muscular man with a hockey mask over his disfigured head who commands a gang of mohawked warriors. Although he leads a rag-tag band of biker-beserkers, Humungus' speeches to the settlers exhorting them to surrender are articulate. He uses his eloquent speeches as psychological warfare.

After four settlers' vehicles roar out of the refinery to break through the siege, they are chased down by the marauders. Max goes down to the wrecked vehicles. One of the oil refinery settlers is still clinging to life and Max strikes a bargain with the man to return the badly wounded man to the refinery compound in exchange for gasoline.

Humungus offers the settlers and their leader Papagallo (actor Michael Preston) an offer of safe passage out of the wastelands if they leave the facility undamaged. Max proposes that instead he bring back the abandoned Mack semi-truck he came across earlier to haul their tanker, in return for gas and his freedom. The besieged settlers accept Max's proposal, and Max sneaks out of the compound at night, carrying fuel for both the battered truck and the Gyro Captain's autogyro.

Max returns to the abandoned Mack truck and drives it back to the compound. The settlers invite Max to escape with the group, but Max opts to collect his gas and leave. As Max tries to break through the siege, his car is wrecked and he is badly injured, and he narrowly escapes the marauders. The semi-conscious Max is rescued by the Gyro Captain, who flies him back to the refinery, where the settlers are making hasty preparations to leave.

Despite his injuries, Max insists on driving the freshly-repaired Mack truck with the fuel tanker. He roars out of the compound in the now heavily-armored truck, and he is pursued the warriors on their cars and motorbikes. After a prolonged and violent chase, Max kills Humungus and his lieutenant Wez by crashing into their vehicle. The tanker tips over, and sand spills from the overturned tank. The Mack truck and its trailer were a decoy which allowed the bulk of the settlers to escape.

Back at the refinery, a handful of the mauraders seize the empty compound, but the refinery is rigged to explode. The escaping settlers hid extra fuel in large 44 gallon drums in their vehicles. With Papagallo dead, the Gyro Captain leads the settler to the coast, where they establish the Great Northern Tribe. Max remains in the desert, once again becoming a drifter, alone in the wasteland.

Themes

Mad Max 2 used archetypal motifs of a besieged community of decent people who need protection against vicious bandits who are rescued by a hardened man who rediscovers his humanity. These archetypes are common in the "Western" genre of American films, set on the US frontier in the late 1800s, and Japanese films such as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. There is a striking resemblence to the embittered, impenetrable "man with no name" character portrayed by Clint Eastwood in various 1960s European-produced Westerns.

The film depicts Max as a "desolate man" who has buried his feelings and his humanity after his wife and infant son are murdered in the first film. Although Max, a former police officer, at first refuses to help the settlers in their fight against Humungus, preferring to continue his life as a drifter on the wasteland, he eventually decides to help them. Max may also be regaining his humanity when he befriends the "Feral Kid", a child who lives in the wasteland near the refinery settlement. The feral kid growls in place of human speech, wears animal hides, and hunts and defends himself with a metal boomerang. The feral kid evenually becomes the leader of the Great Northern Tribe; the film's narrator reveals himself to be the now grown-up Feral Kid at the end of the movie. See also: Feral children in mythology and fiction

Another theme in the movie is personal loss, because several characters have lost their family members or loved ones. Max has become a "shell of a man" after gang members killed his wife and baby and severely disfigured his friend "Goose" in the first Mad Max film. Personal loss is also depicted for several of the gang members. After Wez becomes distraught over the death of his male friend (the "golden boy") in a battle, Humungous tries to calm him by telling him "...we have all lost someone we loved." Humungous may also have faced personal loss, because when he takes his special gun (a Smith and Wesson Model 29) out from its padded case, a picture of two people is pinned to the inside, which may be his family.

Within the settler community characters, as well as the nomads, there are nods towards female independence in a chauvinistic world and also positive portrayals of disability and non-heterosexual sexual orientation. Even though the settler's mechanic cannot use his legs, the film shows that he is very capable of maneuvering around the engines of cars and even large trucks trucks. Some scenes in the film imply that the mauraders are bi- or homosexual, such as Wez' blonde-haired, young male friend who rides with him on his motorcycle, which the script refers to as a "strikingly beautiful" "golden boy."

Critical reception

The film's depiction of a post-apocalyptic future was widely copied by other filmmakers and in science fiction novels, to the point that its gritty "...junkyard society of the future look...is almost taken for granted in the modern sf action film."^[1] The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction says that Mad Max 2, "...with all its comic-strip energy and vividness...is exploitation cinema at its most inventive."

Reviewer Roger Ebert calls Mad Max 2 "skillful filmmaking," "...a film of pure action, of kinetic energy", which is "...one of the most relentlessly aggressive movies ever made". While Ebert points out that the movie does not develop its "...vision of a violent future world...with characters and dialogue", and uses only the "...barest possible bones of a plot," he praises its action sequences. Ebert calls the climactic chase sequence "...unbelievably well-sustained" and states that the "...special effects and stunts...are spectacular", creating a "...frightening, sometimes disgusting, and (if the truth be told) exhilarating" effect.

Reviewer Pauline Kael called Mad Max 2 a "mutant" film that was "...sprung from virtually all action genres," creating "...one continuous spurt of energy" by using "...jangly, fast editing." However, Kael criticizes Director George Miller's "...attempt to tap into the universal concept of the hero", stating that this attempt "...makes the film joyless", "sappy", and "sentimental."

Richard Scheib calls Mad Max 2 "...one of the few occasions where a sequel makes a dramatic improvement in quality over its predecessor." He calls it a "kinetic comic-book of a film," an "... exhilarating non-stop rollercoaster ride of a film that contains some of the most exciting stunts and car crashes ever put on screen." Scheib states that the film transforms the "...post-holocaust landscape into the equivalent of a Western frontier," such that "...Mel Gibson's Max could just as easily be Clint Eastwood's tight-lipped Man With No Name" helping "...decent frightened folk" from the marauding Indians.^[2]

Critics praised the stuntwork and mobile camera techniques, particularly during the final chase and showdown. The use of fender-mounted cameras at high speeds was similar to the Frankenheimer race film Grand Prix and the staccato editing style helped give the illusion of very fast speeds. Other critics were concerned about the shocking violence in the film, which included rape, torture and brutal murders at the hands of the marauding biker gang.

Vehicles

The film's tale of settlers that have to defend themselves from a roving band of marauders transplants the archetypal "Western" frontier movie concepts to the post-apocalyptic desert wastes. In place of horses and stagecoaches, the film uses large number of cars, motorbikes, trucks, and custom-made vehicles which are often chopped up and hot-rodded with superchargers and engine modifications and geared up for post-apocalypse highway battles with armour plating, mounted crossbow-launcher weapons, and reinforced bumpers.

Max's powerful black-painted muscle car is a modified Pursuit Special, a Ford Falcon XB GT coupe with a V8 engine that the police forces customized for use as a police interceptor in the first Mad Max film. The car is depicted with a supercharger protruding through the hood which can be toggled on and off, and its black body is scarred and scratched from Max's journeys in the wasteland. The precious contents of the Pursuit Special's petrol tanks are protected from thieves with an explosive "booby trap" and a sheathed knife is hidden on the underbody of the vehicle.

The large Mack truck used to pull the oil tanker is a 1970s Mack R-600 with a "coolpower" engine setup (the coolpower setup uses an aftercooler on the cylinder head and a tip turbine fan) and a twin-stick transmission. The Mack has a locomotive-style cow-catcher brushguard mounted on the front to protect the vehicle from crash impacts, armoured plates welded in front of the radiator (with air slits for cooling ventilation), and armoured cages around the wheels. The trailer is protected with fortified, spike-encrusted turrets and barbed wire strung up along the sides of the tanker.

Humungus' bizarre vehicle is a heavily modified F-100 Ute, which is depicted with a custom-made Nitrous Oxide booster system. The marauders use an early 1970s red F-100 with a cobra painted on the doors, and a cut-down boat-style windshield during the final chase scenes. Humungus's lieutenant Wez drives an early 1980's model Suzuki GSX1000 motorbike in the film, and later is seen riding on a Yamaha XS1100E motorbike with a sidecar. One of the dune buggies used in the film was a VW-based modified "sandrail" kitcar, with a single-axle drive train and suspension.

The settler leader Pappagallo's vehicle, which was captured from the marauders in an earlier battle, has two Ford 351 engines, one on the front, and one on the back. Other vehicles used in the movie include a variety of Australian and US muscle cars, including a 1974 ZG Fairlane, with LTD front guards; a custom-made vehicle with open engine bay and half of its roof chopped out, and a 6/71 supercharger; a Holden Monaro with a custom front and a roof opening; an LC/LJ Holden Torana which has been custom-modified into a Speedway car; a Ford XA Falcon, a Valiant VH coupe; a VW Combi; a Ford Landau; and various Valiant Chargers.

The main gate of the settlement is actually an armoured Commer School Bus. This is also the main escape vehicle at the end of the film.

Filming locations

• The movie was filmed in the following locations in New South Wales, Australia:
  • Broken Hill environs ( 31°57′S, 141°27′E)
  • Mundi Mundi Plains Lookout (south/east) ( 31°50′52″S, 141°12′22″E)
  • Silverton ( 31°53′05″S, 141°13′27″E)
  • Stephen's Creek ( 31°50′20″S, 141°30′40″E)
  • The Pinnacles - Broken Hill
  • The road to Menindee lakes ( 32°01′19″S, 141°35′08″E)

Higher resolution Google Earth images updated 2006-08

Influences in other media

The popular Japanese manga/anime "Hokuto no Ken" ("Fist of the North Star") is influenced by the Mad Max series, especially Mad Max 2. The first few plotlines with their post-apocalyptic setting, with vicious motorized gangs terrorizing settler groups. Kenshiro's garb and appearance seem to be modeled on Mel Gibson's character.

The computer role playing game Fallout and its sequel Fallout 2 as well as Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel are in influenced by the Mad Max movies, in addition to their 50s pulp sci-fi design. They depict a town called Broken Hills and there are characters which resemble Max such as "Ian". In the game Fallout, one of the armour items is a one-sleeved leather jacket similar to that worn by Max. Additionally, a mongrel bearing striking similarity to the Dog can be recruited as a party member. In Fallout 2, Dogmeat appears as an easter egg character who, if attacked, is aided by an NPC by the name of 'Mel'.

The film has also influenced the professional wrestling tag team The Road Warriors, which are named after the film. The Lord Humungus character was used in pro wrestling by wrestlers such as Sid Eudy (who went by the stage name Sid Vicious).

Phil Collins' music video for the song Don't Lose My Number included a parody of the movie, with Collins as Wez. The fictional military force Barjack in the Battle Angel Alita manga uses vehicles armed and modified that appear to have been inspired by the vehicles used in The Road Warrior. In the Bart vs. Australia episode of The Simpsons, when the Simpson family is being chased by an angry mob composed primarily of characters stereotypically emblematic of Australia, a biker in the style of The Road Warrior can be seen.

Trivia

• Save for the voiceover detailing history to the present point, there is no spoken dialogue for the first ten minutes and twenty-eight seconds of the film, only Wez's barbaric yelling.

• Mel Gibson, the star of the film, has only 17 lines throughout.

• The broken musical box found at the wrecked truck plays "Happy Birthday". Max smiles as he plays it, one of only two times he does so; The other time is after the chase, when he realises the Gyro Captain has survived, as has his now-flightless gyrocopter.

• The gyrocopter in the movie is not actually capable of hovering, and, although it is possible to land one almost vertically, it would depend on exacting wind conditions and a very skilled pilot. It is an autogyro, so it needs forward thrust to generate lift and a runway to take off (and usually to land). In addition, while the craft might have enough lifting power to carry two people in flight (depending on their combined weight), it could never get off the ground while carrying a pilot, a cameraman, and his filming equipment. The airborne POV (point-of-view) shots were taken from the film crew's helicopter, with a mockup of the autogyro's instruments and controls mounted on the side in front of the camera. The airborne shots of an injured Max being flown back to the compound were filmed with Mel Gibson hanging partway out of the helicopter's door. In the wide shot of Max and the Gyro Captain flying off in search of the Mack truck, only the pilot was real; the passenger was a lightweight dummy.

• Max's canine partner (named, simply enough, "Dog") was a Blue Heeler, a breed also known as the Australian Cattle Dog. According to the production notes on the DVD, he was selected from among various castoff pets at an RSPCA shelter. During filming, Dog initially had trouble performing; the high-pitched whine of the racing engines (inaudible to humans) was causing him considerable distress. When the film crew finally discovered the source of his problem, they stuffed his ears with cotton. After filming was complete, he was adopted by one of the camera operators.

• Production notes and costume designs link the Main Force Patrol (MFP) uniforms worn by the raiders as a deliberate tribute to the first film. The disfigured Humungous was originally intended to be Max's former partner and burn-victim, Jim Goose, surviving his ordeal but returning as an antithesis of the anti-hero. The theme of alienated outsider (Max) against the degeneration of the forces of law and order (the MFP) was debated well into production, and elements of it can still be seen within the film. Humungous's prized handgun is carefully stored in a custom-fitted case. The 'barbarian' Humungous' pristine handgun was a juxtaposition with Max's sawn-off shotgun. The different weapons symbolised the core features of each character. The weapons were intended to show the fractured nature of Max's psyche and raw unlawfullness contrasted against the 'civilised' weapon held by Humungous, the now psychotic ex-MFP member. During mid filming, editing, and release, these themes were dropped, but remain in the film as background design.^{[citation needed]}

• The booby trap on Max's car seems to have been made fairly accurately. One major component of it is a car's ignition coil. When triggered, the coil emits a high-energy spark that ignites the fuse, which detonates the main explosive charge, and blows the fuel tanks. It's a simple and elegant improvised explosive device, easy to build and easy to use.

• April 18, 2005 - Several fans of the film were arrested along US Interstate 35 in Central Texas for threatening a tanker truck from their vehicles with fake machine guns. They were in a traveling convoy on the way to a Mad Max film festival in San Antonio, TX. ^{http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/144604/mad_max_fans_arrested_for_recreation/index.html}

Mad Max related online games

• Diesel Wars MMOG

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