Taking place in Australia "a few years in the future" Mad Max is
the relative calm before the storm--with the "storm" being The Road Warrior.
When that classic action/SF film first begins, Max is a lone drifter who is
described by that film's narrator as being an empty shell of a man. In Mad Max,
we see how Max developed into that empty shell in the first place. As a part of
a dwindling police force known as The Bronze, Max is an interceptor, a fabled
patrolman with nerves of steel who drives a super-charged monster of a pursuit
car. He is called in on especially dangerous pursuits, such as what occurs in
the beginning of the film, where The Bronze find themselves up against The
Nightrider, an escaped criminal who already killed a cop and made off with a
powerful V8 that leaves all other police cars in its dust.
After leaving mangled bodies of Bronze officers in his wake, The Nightrider
becomes unraveled once confronted with the cool resolve of Max and his
interceptor. The result is that he crashes and burns on the desolate highway
that The Bronze patrols. But what Max and his comrades don't realize is that
this case is not over with the Nightrider's death; he has close friends who all
belong to a crazed biker gang. Led by the even more crazed and demented Toecutter
(Hugh Keays-Byrne in a delightfully gonzo performance), these bikers eventually
swear vengeance on Max and his young family.
The world depicted in Mad Max is a society that is frayed at the edges. Although
the Bronze tries to keep law and order, it's clear that this is a losing battle,
thanks mainly to the total apathy for the law shown by both the cops and
criminals. The buildings and overall infrastructure in this world are also
run-down and crumbling, showing an economy that is on its last legs, if it still
exists at all. With all the signs pointing to an eventual collapse of civilization,
one that finally happens in The Road Warrior, it should be no surprise that Mel
Gibson's outwardly decent and earnest Max slowly succumbs to the depravity of
his era. If you're expecting the kinetic energy and excitement of The Road
Warrior, you may be disappointed at first with Mad Max's careful build up of its
plot. But stick with the film, and you'll be rewarded with this low-budget
wonder that pulls you into its story and makes you care for its characters,
before revving up to be the ultimate cold-hearted revenge flick, leading
directly into the epic apocalyptic madness of The Road Warrior.
The special edition DVD by MGM gives you the option of watching Mad Max in its
original widescreen or in fullscreen (I'd recommend you watch it in widescreen),
as well as presenting the film in its original Australian audio track. For years,
American home video viewers of Mad Max have had to put up with a badly dubbed
American version of the film, in which the voice-over actors gave the Mad Max's
characters an unwelcome goofy, cartoonish twist in their voice readings. At last,
this DVD presents the actors' original voices, and Mad Max is much better for it.
The special features include a commentary by the film's production team, a
trivia track, "Mel Gibson: Birth Of A Superstar" documentary, as well as another
doc, "Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon", a photo gallery, TV spots, and more. Mad
Max is a "flipper" disc, meaning the content is on both sides of the DVD. Not only is Mad Max the perfect
prelude to The Road Warrior, but it stands on its own as a chilling look into the decent of darkness by
a man and the society in which he dwells.
--SF
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