Mad Max 2 (or The Road Warrior as it's known in the USA) contains, arguably, the greatest road chase ever commited to celluloid. The film itself is a classic, daring to take the story and visuals way beyond the original movie, and create an original sub-genre; the post-apocalyptic western.
It adheres to the western genre rules pretty stringently. There's the man with no name (er, Max) who roams the wilderness ekeing out an existance as a gasoline scavenger. There's the small outpost of civilazation he ultimately helps out for moral reasons, but where he still doesn't belong. There's the bleak sun drenched wilderness inhabited by the ruthless savagery of primatives, who lay siege to civilization. Exchange horses for motor vehicles, America's past for Australia's future and native American Indians for testosarone fueled, leather clad gimp- punks...and you've got yourself a Mad Max sequel.
The world is beautifully presented in all it's glourious misery, efficiently directed by George Miller and enigmatically led by a brooding Mel Gibson. There are car chases a plenty in this...all of them stunning. But the climactic 20 minute chase of the Humungus's crew chasing down Max's oil rig always leaves you breathless. Sweeping helicopter shots, Brian May's (no, not the Queen guitarist) ear drum destroying score, suicidal stunts, twisted humour and a camera that's placed soooo very close to the road it feels like you're dragging along the asphalt right behind Max, it's impossible not to do cartwheels over this lil' beauty.
The best of the trilogy...soon to be quadrilogy...Tina Turner was right; we don't need another hero. So why exactly did we need Aunty Entity, hmmm Tina?
1 comment:
FUCK YEAH!
This film kicks so much ass. It kicks your ass off...and then kicks it on down the road...and then runs over it in the last of the V8 interceptors!
Mad Max 2 is A MOVIE. It's not a film. It MOVES. It is a pure vicereal movie experience. It is motion and momentum and noise and grit and blood and mayhem. And Vernon Wells as a homicidal gay punk.
It's a western. A post-apocalyptic western. It's the movie that basically created that whole sub-genre and that spurned a million immitators.
In short Mad Max 2 is fucking amazing! And my bluray of it looks and sounds fucking amazing!
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