Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Director: George Miller Cinematographer: Dean Semler


Having avenged the death of his wife and child in the original film, hardened “Mad” Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) returns to patrol the dusty highways of a post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland where he fights off nomadic tribes. However, the cynical drifter begins to recover some humanity when he is drawn into protecting a  community of settlers from a roving band of marauders. The film follows an archetypal “Western” frontier movie motif, but still feels strikingly original thanks to stunning visuals, Gibson’s star performance and an influential comic book style. With a bigger budget than the first instalment, it delivers even more in the way of relentless and disturbing action scenes.

---

Buy or Rent (watch online)
Blu-ray
Mad Max Anthology [Blu-ray] [2015] [Region Free]
Mad Max Collection (Trilogy) – 3-Disc Set ( Mad Max / Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior / Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome ) ( Mad Max / Mad Max 2 / Mad Max 3 ) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import – Italy ]
The Road Warrior / Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Double Feature) DVD
MCPosters Mel Gibson Movie Poster – MCP243 (24″ x 36″ (61cm x 91.5cm))

---

• • No. 721 on The Pendragon Society’s 1000 Greatest Films of All-Time (2019)
  • No. 11 on Playboy’s 15 Sequels That Are Way Better Than the Originals (2016)
  • No. 1 on The 10 Best Action Movies of All Time (2015)

CAST

• Mel Gibson as Max, a former member of the Australian highway patrol called the Main Force Patrol (MFP).
• Bruce Spence as the Gyro Captain, a wanderer who looks for fuel and supplies. 
• Mike Preston as Pappagallo, the idealistic leader of the settlers in the barricaded oil refinery. 
• Max Phipps as the Toadie, the gang crier.
• Vernon Wells as Wez, a mohawked, leather-clad biker who serves as Lord Humungus’ lieutenant in the gang. 
• Emil Minty as the Feral Kid, a boy who lives in the wasteland near the refinery settlement.
• Kjell Nilsson as The Humungus, the violent yet charismatic and articulate leader of a “vicious gang of post-holocaust, motorcycle-riding vandals” who “loot, rape, and kill the few remaining wasteland dwellers”. 

• Virginia Hey as Warrior Woman, a female member of the settlers who initially distrusts Max.
• William Zappa as Zetta
• Arkie Whiteley as The Captain’s Girl, a beautiful young woman among the settlers who rejects the Gyro Captain’s offer to escape together.
• Steven J. Spears as Mechanic
• Syd Heylen as Curmudgeon
• Moira Claux as Big Rebecca, a female warrior among the settlers who wields a bow and arrow.
• David Downer as Nathan, a member of the settlers who tries to escape the settlement and is fatally wounded by some of Humungus’ bikers.

---

Directed by George Miller
Produced by Byron Kennedy
Screenplay by Terry Hayes, George Miller, Brian Hannant
Music by Brian May
Cinematography Dean Semler
Edited by David Stiven, Michael Balson, Tim Wellburn
Running time 96 minutes
Country Australia
Language English