Mad Max (1979)
 Max
Rockatansky (pictured at right) is an Australian policeman of the
not too distant future who drives the last of the V8 Interceptors,
wears a leather jacket, totes a sawn-off shotgun and is a very
hard bastard.
He needs to be, to do battle with the roving
motorcycle gangs who terrorise Australia.
From the opening energy of the insane Nightrider outrunning the
"Bronze" (police) - including that indelible
Ford-through-a-caravan sequence (pictured below) - to the
climactic end, Mad Max does indeed have you praying that
"he's on your side".
An Australian Navy rocket was attached to the The Nightrider's
Holden Monaro for the fiery crash in the opening sequence.
Real speeds were used in the action sequences, so the
speedometer seen on The Goose's motorcycle is accurately
indicating speeds of over 100 km/h (with a cameraman holding a
35mm camera riding on the back!).
The pace of the film heats up considerably when Max sees his
family slaughtered by the gangs and begins to take it all a bit
personally and goes looking for revenge. . .
 Chronic
petrol shortages, ultra-violent New Romantic gangs and extended
chase sequences abound in this post apocalyptic sci-fi meets
spaghetti western genre-buster, with vicious motorcyclists, punk
clothing and rude weaponry spurring on more than a few good
nightmares (especially the part where Max's wife and son are
killed).
After all his friends have been murdered or brutally maimed,
the previously kind-hearted Max ends the film in a merciless
massacre, fired by cold fury and righteous vengeance to kill every
member of the motorcycle gang.
The final montage of shots is all highway, with Gibson staring
blankly at the centre white line disappearing into the darkening
horizon. His past life of love and domesticity has been erased.
The road is his home now.
Though this groundbreaking Australian film was originally
dumped by the US distributor (who dubbed it with American voices)
it eventually became a huge cult hit. Cheaply made, with
undeniable DIY style, Mad Max also managed to be heavily
censored in the UK and banned completely in Sweden due to the
lashings of comic-book violence.
Mad Max featured Mel Gibson at his sex-god prime,
untainted by Hollywood. He earned the motley sum of $15,000 for
the role which made him a superstar (the entire movie was made for
just $350,000).
Real bikers were used in various action scenes, including
members of The Vigilantes and the local chapter of the Hells
Angels.
It was rumoured that a rider was killed in the scene where a
biker gets hit in the head by a flying motorcycle during the
bridge sequence. This isn't true - the story was fabricated by
American stuntmen who were threatened by the action sequences
generated in Australia (on no money!).
Mad Max 2 was an even bigger hit with truly amazing
stunts, and the one that rightfully finished off the trilogy, Beyond
Thunderdome, co-starred Ms Tina Turner during the peak of her
comeback, and a bunch of annoying feral children.
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