Mad Max (1979)

Regisseur:

George Miller

Drehbuchautoren:

George Miller (story) and
Byron Kennedy (story) ...

Premierendatum:

12. April 1979 (Australia)

Genre:

Action | Abenteuer | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Werbezeile:

The Maximum Force of the Future.

Plot:

In a dystopic future Australia, a vicious biker gang murder a cop's family and make his fight with them personal.

Plot Keywords:

Burned To Death | Car Accident | Part Of Trilogy | Hack Saw | Chosen One

Filmpreise:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

After nearly 30 years still an amazing trip at high speed

Besetzung

Mel Gibson	...	'Mad' Max Rockatansky
Joanne Samuel	...	Jessie Rockatansky
Hugh Keays-Byrne	...	Toecutter
Steve Bisley	...	Jim Goose, Main Force Patrol Officer
Tim Burns	...	Johnny the Boy
Roger Ward	...	Fifi Macaffee
Lisa Aldenhoven	...	Nurse
David Bracks	...	Mudguts
Bertrand Cadart	...	Clunk
David Cameron	...	Barry, MFP Garage Mechanic
Robina Chaffey	...	Singer at Sugartown Nightclub
Stephen Clark	...	Sarse
Mathew Constantine	...	Toddler
Jerry Day	...	Ziggy
Reg Evans	...	Station Master

Alternativ:

Mad Max (Österreich) (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

93 Min

Produktionsland:

Australia

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe (Eastmancolor)

Seitenverhältnis:

2.35 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono

Altersfreigabe:

UK:X (theatrical rating) | Australia:MA (TVrating) | Italy:VM18 | Brazil:16 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:18 (cut) (1986) | Ireland:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (special edition) | Canada:R | France:-16 (re-rating) | France:X (original rating) | New Zealand:(Banned) (original rating) | New Zealand:R18 (re-rating) | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-18

Drehorte:

Anakie Rd, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Firma:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Dies und das:

Mel Gibson didn't go to the audition for this film to read for a part, he actually went along with a friend who was auditioning. But because he had been in a bar fight the night before and his head looked like "a black and blue pumpkin" (his words), he was told he could come back and audition in three week's time because "we need freaks!". He did return in three weeks' time, wasn't recognized (because his injuries had healed well), and was asked to read for a part.

Pannen:

Abfolgefehler: When Max is playing with the rubber mask to cheer up a "not grumpy" Jessie before he goes to see Goose, the baby (Sprog) in the background has different toys in his left hand each time we see him. When Max takes off the mask, Sprog has a brick, ball or similar object that he can clearly lift, and the plush toy is behind him, out of reach. When Max jumps onto the table, we see Sprog in close-up holding the barrel of Max's service revolver. Then after Jessie tells Max to "get out of here" Sprog now has the plush toy.

Dialogzitate:

Johnny the Boy: Whacked right out of his skull man! He ain't never comin' back!

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Wird parodiert in Passion to the Max (2006)

After nearly 30 years still an amazing trip at high speed

After not seeing it for about seven years, I just saw it on DVD for the first time. I remembered it as an exciting near-chaos-future adventure with highway cops in muscle cars and one insane biker gang. It's great how it keeps on standing the test of time. High speed and raw power are of every age, past and future. The way the highway action is shot in this movie simply stays exhilarating, putting it in the top ranking of best high-speed-chase movies ever. Seeing the camera follow the highway marker at high speed, along with the sound of a bike- or V8-engine delivers a Mad and chaotic but really cool result. The pace of the movie remains considerably high, without many slow moments.

Some aspects of the movie have (understandably) dated. Obviously the 70's clothing and hair styles. Sometimes the acting is a little over the top, and some characters could come directly from a comic book. And of course the story is not that deep or difficult. It's partly action-thriller, partly science fiction adventure. All weaknesses are covered and compensated by lots of a-moral fun though.

At the heart of this one of a kind look movie, there is a hero character named Max. This speed-demon-cop is at the top of his game on the highway, ruthlessly dealing with maniacs ravaging his jurisdiction. But he is also a happy family man with his wife and son. This duality makes the character human, timeless and very memorable. In some scenes you can clearly see Mel Gibson was only just getting into acting. For a rookie he was doing a good job nonetheless.

Others strengths lie within the scary nature of the biker gang. An extravagant rag-tag band of maniacs, led by the iconic villain The ToeCutter. To this day, their actions remain tough and very disturbing. It will have you staring at the screen dead serious, making Max' battle against them even more gratifying.

There is much to say about this movie, but first and foremost it is a must see. A cult classic still as enjoyable as it was nearly 30 years ago.