Review of Mad Max 2 (1981) by Ricardo O — 10 Feb 2011
Mad Max 2 aka The Road Warrior is not only one of the best films from the â~80s; it is also one of the greatest action films and greatest sequels. With a bigger budget, writer/director George Miller takes the original to another level.
While the first one felt like a western with a gang of psychopathic bikers, the sequel gets much of its influence from not only westerns of the past but also the samurai films by Akira Kurosawa as Max is almost like Toshiro Mifuneâ(TM)s ronin from Yojimbo; and Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name character from Leone's Dollars Trilogy seems like a distant relative of Gibson's Max in some ways as he's drifting along in the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland.
Most of the first half isn't really filled with a whole lot of action but once Max gets on the road inside of a big rig, Miller cranks the action up to 11. Also, Brian May's score is an improvement on his music from the first film and isn't as distracting.
This is an all out classic that has lasted the test of time thanks to Mel Gibson's definitive role and George Miller's exciting filmmaking. It is a top of the line action picture. 10/10.
This review of Mad Max 2 (1981) was written by Ricardo O on 10 Feb 2011.
Mad Max 2 has generally received very positive reviews.
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