The Road Warrior (1982)

Still One of the Greatest Car Chases Ever Filmed

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Mar 3, 2005

Pros: Style, design, car stunts, unflinching nihilism.

Cons: Music is a bit stodgy

I caught Road Warrior in its original theatrical run as a second half of one of the strangest double features ever paired (it was paired with Diner!). I had heard about this film and had seen Mad Max. What I wasn't expecting was how superior this... would be to Mad Max. Mad Max had a great rough feel to it. The low budget look, the rough film stock, and the weak dubbing added a crudeness that I think enhanced the experience. And, the gutsy carchases were outstanding. I expecially like how George Miller and Gibson basically reinvented Max for The Road Warrior. He's much like Clint Eastwood's stranger, the archetypal loner who just wants to get by, but gets sucked into situations he can't escape without fighting his way out. Well, this easily changed the look of Apocalyptic films. The final chase sequence, timing out at over 1/2 hour, set a new standard for vehicle action sequences. I think the only other chase comparable to this point was from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the against traffic motorcycle chase in Matrix Reloaded surpasses it in some ways...but Road Warrior was well before CGI. What you see is what was filmed. Key actors do many of their own stunts (especially the viscious Wez character), and they are impressive. Mel Gibson has those steeley blue eyes that convey much more with a look that most good screenwriters couldn't achieve with dialogue. This film doesn't shy away from its "R" rating. Beyond Thunderdome hurt the franchise by taming things down too much. This is not a kinder, gentler world. It's Darwin at humanity's worst. It's crude, simple, and violent. I watched this only last week and was impressed how well it holds up. The scenery is barren and the characters struggle to survive the rugged stage they're trapped in. The only salvation is risking that deadly strip of asphalt cutting unnaturally across the hot desert. It's a great metaphor of man, machine, and nature. Read more Less