The Road Warrior

UPC: 883929076109

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: 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

Category: Action

Awards: Best Foreign Film – Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Features: Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

The Road Warrior

Format: DVD

Release Date: 06/30/2009

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 95 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Brendon Hanley

Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) is a pure expression of cinematic existentialism. The characters spend their time driving through a barren, post-apocalyptic world looking for gasoline so that they can continue to drive around the desert and find more gasoline. Of course, there's an exciting action movie thrown in as well. The loner protagonist at the center of our attention is again Max (Mel Gibson), who in the first Mad Max lost his wife and child to a murderous bunch of thugs. Max retreats from society, living the life of a scavenger in the "wasteland." It might be a sci-fi setting, but Max is a direct descendant of classic Western and film noir antiheroes. He looks out for himself and only himself, and there's only a very fine line between him and the bad guys. The setup of the "reluctant savior" rescuing the stranded "villagers" is about as traditional a storyline as you can get, and the movie precedents are no less obvious: it's Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven (minus the six other guys). Following the success of this movie, Gibson became an international star. Talented writer/director George Miller has gone on to mixed financial success as a producer and director, but has consistently produced interesting and original material. The infamous Kevin Costner vehicle Waterworld is basically a remake of Mad Max II in an aquatic setting. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Brian Hannant  Screenwriter 
Terry Hayes  Screenwriter 
Brian May  Composer (Music Score) 
Byron Kennedy  Producer 
George Miller  Director 
George Miller  Screenwriter 
Mel Gibson  Actor 
Virginia Hey  Actor 
Syd Heylen  Actor 
Emil Minty  Actor 
Kjell Nilsson  Actor 
Max Phipps  Actor 
Vernon Wells  Actor 
David Slingsby  Actor 
Steve J. Spears  Actor 
Bruce Spence  Actor 
Tyler Coppin  Actor 
Annie Jones  Actor 
Arkie Whiteley  Actor 
William Zappa  Actor 
David Downer  Actor 
Max Fairchild  Actor 
Guy Norris  Actor 
Harold Baigent  Actor 
Michael Preston  Actor 
Jimmy Brown  Actor 

Country: Australia