This is brutal, exciting stuff, all the more impressive for its budget constraints.
Mad Max (1979)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:35
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.6/10
Consensus: Staging the improbable car stunts and crashes to perfection, director George Miller succeeds completely in bringing the violent, post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max to visceral life.
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: Futuristic tale set in Australia, which has become a wasteland where vicious, fast-driving criminals cause death, destruction, and mayhem on the highways. The police do their best to maintain... Futuristic tale set in Australia, which has become a wasteland where vicious, fast-driving criminals cause death, destruction, and mayhem on the highways. The police do their best to maintain control, but their attempts prove futile. As a result, one cop named Max quits his job and goes on a vacation with his family. However they are terrorized by a gang of malicious speed-demons, who kill Max' wife and baby. Angry, Max rejoins the force, revs up his motorcycle -- and seeks bloody revenge against the fiends who murdered his family. [More]
Starring: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Tim Burns, Steve Bisley
Starring: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Tim Burns, Steve Bisley
Director: George Miller
Director: George Miller
Producer: Bill Miller
Composer: Brian May
Screenwriter: George Miller
Get This Movie
Reviews for Mad Max
Overnight, Mad Max went from being a U.S. cult hero to a mainstream figure, and Mel Gibson's place in the firmament was secured.
Australia exported this creative, original, exciting, low-budget genre landmark which gave the young Mel Gibson his first starring role.
Stunts themselves would be nothing without a filmmaker behind the camera and George Miller, a doctor and film buff making his first feature, shows he knows what cinema is all about.
Some of the most determinedly formalist filmmaking this side of Michael Snow.
The tone sometimes wavers into self-parody, and there are occasional crude patches, but overall this edge-of-seat revenge movie marks the most exciting debut from an Australian director since Peter Weir.
Though director George Miller took the post-apocalyptic tough guy Max a lot farther in the sequel The Road Warrior, Mad Max still packs in Miller's particular brand of black-comedy thrills.
Cult low-budgeter that benefits from Miller's direction and Gibson's then lack of self-importance.
Latest News for Mad Max
November 16, 2009:
Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
Not a lot of people know that actor Eric Bana, familiar to most from roles in the likes of Star Trek, Munich and Ang Lee's Hulk, is a massive petrol head. With the release of... More...
October 30, 2009:
Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy Set for Mad Max 4 ![]()
George Miller's fourth "Mad Max" movie could have its stars: Tom Hardy is in talks to take over the title role, and Charlize Theron is negotiating for the female lead. More...
October 26, 2009:
George Miller Talks Mad Max 4, Shows Off New Cars ![]()
George Miller is in pre-production on "Mad Max 4" -- and to prove it, he invited ABC Australia into his studio to show off its cars (and talk about the movie, of course). More...
May 19, 2009:
Mad Max 4 Rumbles to Life ![]()
Nothing much in the way of actual information has been released, but according to AICN's sources, George Miller is officially at work on a fourth "Mad Max." More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


