Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), directed by George Miller

The Trailer
and
The Appropriate Tune: "I Was A Kamikaze Pilot", by Hoodoo Gurus

       I don’t know if I’m just being sentimental or what, but I guess that ‘familiar faces’ label that I stuck on the last Marathon decided to stick around to see the new year as well. First it was the return of James Bond to the blogging arena, something that had been foreshadowed at the very dawn of this blog, and after a short detour to flip the bird to Billy Mitchell, we’re returning to another movie series that had seemingly fallen to the wayside: Mad Max. If I wanted to seem ominous I’d say I was tying up some loose ends, but in reality it was a spur of the moment thing. It was either going to be this or Monkeybone, to give you a sense if the high stakes gambling we were dealing with here. Sorry Brendan Fraser, you’re going to have to take a rain check.

Anyway, about five years ago (which is depressing just thinking about it) I covered the patriarch of the Mad Max series, 1979’s Mad Max, a film that I really, really did not like. For a movie that revolved around muscle cars and motorcycles the plot felt interminably slow, full of characters that I did not care about and the barest modicum of action slotted in at the very end. Then a year later I covered 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, a film that I really, really did like. A total dark horse champion at the time that in all honesty should have redefined the way filmmakers approach action sequences in film, while also managing to tell a coherent, entertaining narrative. With such a huge disparity between the two films I was reluctant to bring a new film into the fold, one which would tip the scales and determine whether this series was ultimately good or bad. Was Fury Road the exception to a rule, or was Mad Max just a rocky start? Well it’s right about time that we find out.

The world is fucked. Mankind just couldn’t keep their hands out of the M.A.D. jar and civilization has collapsed, along with most of the ecosystem, although that might just be what Australia looks like. What last pockets of humanity remain either try to band together into communities, or join the vicious bands of marauders that roam the wasteland, but they’re all fighting and dying for one thing: Gasoline. As automobiles have become the backbone of this society, a vital tool of trade and war, petrol has become the lifeblood allowing it to function. To have gas is to have freedom and to own it is power, and in this hell both of those options are worth killing over. Especially when everyone around you is trying to kill you first.

Max is a man racing against the demons of his past, something that’s difficult to do when you’re living in hell. While scavenging for supplies he ends up in the middle of a conflict between the tribe of Gastown, so named because it was jury-rigged from an abandoned oil well, and a gang of leather-strapped S&M bandits led by the Ayatollah of Rock ‘N’ Rolla himself, The Humungus. Humungus wants that sweet sweet guzzolene, and he and his war dogs have been making some incredibly subtle requests for it; Holding day-long battle practice outside their main gate, killing and/or raping every person who tries to leave Gastown in search of trade, using hostages as living hood ornaments, that sort of thing. Sensing an opportunity for personal gain and having previously run afoul of one of Humungus’ men, Max decides to temporarily ally himself with the people of Gastown and pick them up a transport truck so they can hail their ass and their gas out of there. Things go about as well as you’d expect whenever you throw an army of heavily-armed gimps into the mix, and Max quickly finds himself way more involved than he ever wanted.

The Road Warrior approaches being a sequel in much the same way as Fury Road would do in the future, in that it’s not really a ‘sequel’ at all. There’s some clips of of the first film as I mentioned, but aside from the setting and the character of Max Mad Max 2 doesn’t really relate to Mad Max at all. A bit odd in these days of vast overarching narratives spanning dozens of films, but in the case of Mad Max 2 I actually prefer it that way. Not just because I didn’t like the original Mad Max, but because it allows for simple, adaptable storytelling. You didn’t need the entire backstory of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, or half the film dedicated to how Clint Eastwood’s character in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly learned to shoot a pistol, because the stories explain themselves. There’s a village plagued by a gang of thieves, a hero comes and vanquishes the thieves, and the villagers are happy. It’s a plot that could take place in the dystopian Australian outback or feudal Japan with no real issues, and I like that because it helps make that hero feel almost timeless. This is not Max, the rogue cop on the edge from the last film. This is The Road Warrior, a being more of myth than of man.

This belief is aided by the fact that George Miller had attained a far greater sense for action by his second ever feature film. The car combat that blew audiences away in Fury Road got its start here, a little less high-octane but just as technically impressive and dangerous looking as ever. It brings to mind images of privateers attacking supply ships or whaling expeditions, the target struggling for life as the pack slowly whittle it down, a slow burn kind of tension that is contrasted nicely by the general speed of the action. Getting to see some sick explosions and cars getting demolished is fun too, a couple folks getting set on fire, but it’s the vehicle battles that are the centerpiece of Mad Max 2.

As for cons, there’s not really much in the way of interesting characters. Memorable characters sure, I’d say The Humungus and his crew fit that bill, but characters that I grew attached to on an emotional level? Max is badass, yeah, but that’s primarily when he’s driving something. Everyone else feels just kind of there, you know? They throw in the Feral Child to try and soften up Max but I just really didn’t see any chemistry chemistry. The Gyro Captain, played by Bruce Spence, is pretty great though I must admit. At the very least he gives you something to focus on while looking at ol’ Mel the Bigot’s one expression through the first half of the film, and you have to credit for that.

I also wasn’t blown away by the score of the film, composed by Brian May. It’s an effective score, but I never really took notice at any point that I can remember. Which is arguably one of the major points of music in film, that it not take precedence over what’s on the screen, but I expected a bit more from a member of a rock band famous for extremely catchy, often operatic songs which sometimes involved cars. 

       Mad Max 2 is the film that made the series a household name, and it’s the film that first made you wonder why studios ended up sticking George Miller with Babe: Pig in the City rather than just dumping money on him so he could make more leather daddy apocalypse flicks. Too much of a good thing I suppose. While Fury Road is still number one in my heart, if you’re at all interested in understanding all this weirdness then this is the movie to check out. Maybe the only other movie to check out, because it’ll probably be another five years until I check out Beyond Thunderdome. Until then, make sure you stock up on guzzolene and canned dog food. For the future.