THE ROAD WARRIOR
STARRING: Mel
Gibson, Bruce Spence, Vernon Wells, Mike Preston, Virginia Hey, Emil Minty, Kjell Nilsson
1981, 94 Minutes, Directed by: George Miller
 Description:
In the 1979 original, Max (Mel Gibson) is a policeman, the last guardian
of civilization and order in a devastated world reduced to chaos. But when a
leather-clad gang of sadomasochistic speed demons mows down Max's family,
his remaining connections to humanity are also permanently severed. After
brutally exacting his revenge, Max wanders off into the wasteland alone, "a
burned out shell of a man" who (to paraphrase The Searchers) is destined to
wander forever between the winds. In The Road Warrior, Max rediscovers a
sliver of his shattered humanity, and a spark of redemption, when he helps
an embattled colony of pioneers fight off the savages who are after that
most precious of all commodities: "guzzline." —
Amazon.com
This is a rarity: a sequel that is
actually better than its predecessor, in this case Mad Max.
With a much bigger budget, more spectacular stunts than the first movie, this is
undoubtedly the best movie in the series.
In it, a dog food eating
Mel Gibson helps a settlement against a gang of marauding bikers - all in his own
self-interest, of course. The final chase, with a huge oil truck pursued by fellow
post-apocalyptarians on all kinds of outlandish vehicles, is thrilling and exciting to
watch. It definitely ranks as one of the most exciting car chases of all movie history
along with classics such as The French Connection.
Kevin Costner (not to
mention countless others) tried to do something similar (albeit on water) in Waterworld a decade or so later, but simply couldn't match it
because you can't touch what is by now definitely a cult classic. If you haven't seen The
Road Warrior yet jump on your bike right now and head for your nearest video shop to
rent it!
Voted
# 27
of the
Top 100 Sci-Fi
Movies
of all time
by:
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