Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

1982

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

Critics Consensus

The Road Warrior is everything a bigger-budgeted Mad Max sequel with should be: bigger, faster, louder, but definitely not dumber.

98%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 43

86%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 84,312

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Movie Info

Director George Miller's follow-up to his own 1979 hit Mad Max is proof that not all sequels are inferior to their originals. If anything, this brutal sci-fi action film is even more intense and exciting than its predecessor, although the state of its post-apocalyptic world has only become worse. Several years after the deaths of his wife and child, Max (Mel Gibson) has become an alienated nomad, wandering an Australian outback that has fallen into tribal warfare conducted from scattered armed camps. After a road battle with psychotic villain Wez (Vernon Wells), Max meets up with the odd Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence), who takes him to the camp of a sympathetic group led by Pappagallo (Mike Preston). As Pappagallo's people are camped at a refinery, Max plans to take their oil -- more precious than gold in this world -- but eventually joins them to fight a band of marauders led by the evil Humungus (Kjell Nilsson). The stunning climax features a heart-pounding chase scene involving an oil tanker-truck and a frenzied rush for the coast, with Humungus and his forces in hot pursuit. Nilsson is a scary villain, with huge muscles and a sinister pre-Jason hockey mask, but the stunt work is the key here, and it is more flamboyantly dynamic than ever, edited at breakneck pace and staged with manic fury by Miller and stunt coordinator Max Aspin. Savage and kinetic, Mad Max 2 is a must-see for action buffs. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

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Cast

Mel Gibson
as Max Rockatansky
Bruce Spence
as Gyro Captain
Vernon Wells
as Wez
Emil Minty
as Feral Kid
Mike Preston
as Pappagallo
Kjell Nilsson
as Humungus
Virginia Hey
as Warrior Woman
Syd Heylen
as Curmudgeon
Moira Claux
as Big Rebecca
David Slingsby
as Quiet Man
Arkie Whiteley
as Lusty Girl
Annie Jones
Steve J. Spears
as Mechanic
Max Phipps
as Toadie
William Zappa
as Farmer
Jimmy Brown
as Golden Youth
David Downer
as Wounded Man
Tyler Coppin
as Defiant Victim
Harold Baigent
as Narrator
Max Fairchild
as Broken Victim
Kristoffer Greaves
as Mechanic's Assistant
Michael Preston
as Pappagallo
Guy Norris
as Mohawk Biker with Bearclaw
Tony Deary
as Mohawk Biker
Anne Jones
as Tent Lover
James McCaedell
as Tent Lover
Kathleen McKay
as Young Woman
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Critic Reviews for Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

All Critics (43) | Top Critics (7)

  • Exhilarating entertainment -- and a textbook for sophisticated, popular moviemaking.

    Aug 25, 2008 | Full Review…

    Richard Corliss

    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic

  • A straightforward action/adventure film, filled to the brim with over-the-top chases and stunts.

    Jun 10, 2008 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    James Berardinelli

    ReelViews
    Top Critic

  • A film of pure action, of kinetic energy organized around the barest possible bones of a plot.

    May 30, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    Roger Ebert

    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic

  • Director Miller keeps the pic moving with cyclonic force, photography by Dean Semler is first class, editing is supertight, and Brian May's music is stirring.

    May 30, 2007 | Full Review…

    Variety Staff

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • For pure rhythm and visual panache, Miller has few real competitors; the climactic chase, with its deft variation of tempo and point of view, is a minor masterpiece.

    May 30, 2007 | Full Review…

    Dave Kehr

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • Miller's choreography of his innumerable vehicles is so extraordinary that it makes Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark look like a kid fooling with Dinky Toys.

    Jun 24, 2006 | Full Review…

    David Pirie

    Time Out
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (43)

Audience Reviews for Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

  • Sep 17, 2017
    A little better than the first thanks to the story being more interesting, There was some nice violent action scenes, Great car chases full of fun well done stunts, And the ending was pretty good but I still found it a little dull when the action stops, I didn't care for any of the cast apart from Mel Gibson but the rest were just there to make the body count bigger, Same as the first as it's not a bad movie just I expected much more.
    Jamie C Super Reviewer
  • Jul 18, 2016
    Set in the world established by George Miller, the world has gone far worse than ever where people resort to tribalism. Along came the now drifter Max who protects a town from violent gang members in one of the most iconic car chase ever. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is one of the best sequels ever made that surpassed its predecessor, the minimal dialogue, the leather costumes, the set made out of junk and highly modified cars are just some of the best elements in the film. The final chase was the most thrilling ride I've ever had in a long time, the limit of rewatchablity doesn't exist!
    Sylvester K Super Reviewer
  • Feb 24, 2016
    A superior sequel that sets the series on the road to blockbusterdom, Mad Max 2 takes the action, humor, and verve revved up in the first film and maximum overdrives George Miller's unique vision into a highly entertaining and star-making series. Mad Max put the character on the map, but Road Warrior puts the franchise on the map.George Miller made his mark from the get-go by staging some gonzo bedlam, but - given a much bigger budget - he truly builds a world that effectively and giddily races away with filmgoers. His follow up, Fury Road, shares most of its DNA with this, the true franchise starting point. In this R-rated sci-fi actioner set in in a post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter (Gibson) agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits. Movies like this don't happen by accident. Miller loves grindhouse theatrics, but his mastery of the form evinces a genius level understanding of classic cinema. With Mad Max 2, he does something that fellow B-movie maestro Roger Corman never accomplished: branding a star vehicle. Sure footed, steely cool, and deservedly cocksure, Mel Gibson emerges as a bona fide superstar with this edgy defining role. Bottom line: Apocalypto Now!
    Jeff B Super Reviewer
  • Feb 11, 2016
    By far the best of the Mel Gibson installments and one of the best action films of all time. The Road Warrior is a giant improvement over its predecessor, featuring really cool action sequences, great abundance of characters, cool villain as well as Mel Gibson being badass as ever in this installment!
    Mr N Super Reviewer
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