Mad Max: A Dystopian Fable
Directed by George Miller
1970s, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1907, dystopian, filmreviews, georgemiller, hughkeays-byrne, joannesamuel, madmax, melgibson
“Look. Any longer out on that road and I’m one of them, you know? A terminal crazy… only I got a bronze badge to say I’m one of the good guys!”
Max Rockatansky
Mad Max, released in 1979, follows the descent of Max Rockatansky, into madness, as he seeks revenge against a lawless motorcycle gang in a dystopian, near-future Australia. With an exhilarating opening, we are introduced to Max following a high pursuit speed chase on long- dusty roads only traversed by the most ruthless individuals and kept safe by its futuristic police force – the Main Force Patrol (MFP). Being one of the top pursuit men of the MFP, Max successfully puts a stop to the notorious Nightrider, who was responsible for the death of one of their own. Though, once killed, his insane cult-like following led by Toecutter, Bubba Zanetti, and Johnny decided to terrorize the MFP for their hand in the death of nightrider. Increasing hostility by the gang is displayed through them inflicting terror on different people and Max encounters their depravity firsthand.
This film was one of the first to set the tone for the subsequent films to follow however there are a few gripes I have with this movie. It took entirely too long to get to the interesting parts. After such an exhilarating opening and the prolonged suspense of being introduced to our protagonist, I assumed that the same momentum would be maintained. Instead, there is a lull in the middle that picks back up toward the end. The cinematography is choppy with abrupt cuts and shifts, but the action sequences were impressive. The restrained budget of the film shone through and the artistic choices seemed to be laughable at times. However, a newly-mint Mel Gibson arrives on the scene as Max, and he does an amazing job with the role. Though still coming into his own, he crafts the character into a charismatic protagonist who you can root for. At times he does feel severely underused and his character’s descent to madness should have come sooner. Instead, it seemed abrupt and hastily closed when the time came to enact vengeance. Even Hugh Keays-Byrne as Toecutter brought the terminal craziness possessed by the biker group. Considered a commercial success for its time, Mad Max is quite simply the most visually challenged film, yet it is saved by its nostalgia and Mel Gibson.
The Island Cinephile 
