In anticipation of Mad Max: Fury Road hitting theaters soon I figured I would review the movie that made me a fan of the world created in the original and polished to perfection in the second. Of course I’m talking about Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior or just The Road Warrior as it’s known here in the states. I remember my first viewing of this movie was as a youth late one Saturday night while watching TNT’s MonsterVision with Joe Bob Briggs (which was awesome by the way). With drive in totals such as these:
Sixty dead bodies.
Exploding cities.
Six motor vehicle chases, with fourteen crash-and-burns.
Dart to the bicep.
Dog-food eating.
Dart to the chest.
Crossbow execution.
Finger-hacking.
Multiple fireballs. Flaming extras.
Skinhead crushed under a tractor trailer.
Giant fork in the back.
One helicopter crash.
Flamethrower Fu.
Boomerang Fu.
Molotov cocktail Fu.

Four stars. Greatest movie ever made in Australia.
HOW COULD I NOT STICK AROUND AND WATCH? Now the censored TNT version that I saw that night wasn’t as good as the full uncut, uncensored version I saw years later but the chase scenes, the action, the story telling was all there and I was hooked by the first commercial break. Now for those of you who aren’t familiar with the plot it goes as follows:
Set in a post apocalyptic world where law and order is no more and fuel is as precious as gold, a loner known as Max (Mel Gibson) travels the roads of the wasteland. Following the death of his family in the previous film Max is an empty shell of a man searching for a purpose. He happens upon a compound that is under attack from a gang of marauders that want their fuel reserves. The Road Warrior to me is a western at heart, with Max serving as the lone gun slinger that strolls into town to save the townsfolk from the local gang of bandidos. Only the horses and stagecoach are replaced with V8’s and a tanker truck. But does that make this a car movie?

HELL YES IT DOES!!! The car chase scenes are exciting, suspenseful, and chock full of action. Not to mention that the entire third act is one long chase scene with Max piloting a semi tanker full of gas out of the wastelands with all the baddies in tow. The movie still holds up well even 30+ years later. fans of action will love it and car guys will have plenty to look at with all post apocalyptic vehicles that are pieced together and souped up. The stand out obviously being Max’s supercharged 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT.
I can only hope that the new movie can live up to the hype and be half as good as The Road Warrior. I’ll post a review of it as soon as I see it and let you know how it compares. Until then I suggest you take an afternoon and re-watch this classic or maybe watch it for the first time, you won’t be disappointed.