Drugstore.com Coupons
Max, a loner in black leather who rides the highway in search of gasoline and supplies, has an encounter with Bruce Spence, a talkative and eccentric man with bad teeth and a flying machine. He takes Max to a nearby compound, where oil is being pumped and refined. The compound is staffed by perhaps 20 men, women, and children, and is under siege by a murderous road gang led by Humungus (Kjell Nilsson), who talks like a pro wrestler but looks like Jason of "Friday the 13th" infamy. Humungus' right hand man is Wez (Vernon Wells), a risk-taking wild man with a Mohawk and an attitude.
Naturally, Max falls in with the good guys inside the compound. Their leader is Pappagallo (Michael Preston), an eloquent blond who dreams of taking his people, and the oil, to a reputed beachfront paradise 200 miles away. But this plan requires a tanker and a driver, which is where Max comes in.
The most interesting supporting character is the Feral Kid (Emil Minty), an unschooled mute orphan child of perhaps eight who has nonetheless developed important survival skills. The Kid soon worships Max, and tags along (though unwanted) on his missions.
How others will see it. Allegedly the most expensive film made in Australia up to that time, The Road Warrior had ten times the budget of its predecessor (but less than Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), the lackluster film that completed the series). This budget is spent on (what else?) spectacular stunts. Cars, motorcycles, and, yes, tankers crash into each other, roll over, and blow up. Which is much better than it reads, because George Miller knows how to make an exciting action movie. After all, he directed Mad Max.
Unsurprisingly, men like the film more than women, per the imdb.com user ratings. Men are cool with the stunts and violence. Women may merely wonder why hottie Arkie Whiteley is willing to run off with a creepy stranger like Bruce Spence and his funky teeth. They might also reasonably inquire why, if gasoline is so precious, does the road gang keep driving their vehicles aimlessly, wasting gas. They have to patrol their territory, I suppose.
How I felt about it. The star here is Mel Gibson, and this is the film that first brought him serious notice in America. (Gallipoli, as notable as The Road Warrior, followed shortly later.) Gibson continues the Clint Eastwood action hero tradition of saying as little as possible. He straddles the line between independent loner and vigilante against the formidable road gang. He knows who the good guys are, but he will help them only as much as is absolutely necessary. His place is the open road, where he has no connections and doesn't have to give or take orders.