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Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

Introduction by Ben Rivers
Screening on Film
Directed by George Miller.
With Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston.
US, 1981, 35mm, color, 94 min.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior introduction by Ben RIvers. ©Harvard Film Archive

“My life fades, the vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos, ruined dreams, this wasted land. But most of all, I remember the road warrior, the man we called Max.”

Filmed in the desolate deserts of Australia as the perfect backdrop to the ultimate post apocalyptic road film, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior takes place in a crumbled world where “the cities have exploded." A cool drifter comes to the aid of a community of settlers ravaged by bandits, as they battle for gasoline and survival in epic, wildly choreographed chase scenes complete with punk-rock-biker style and relentless action in this highly visionary work—somewhat eclipsing the preceding installment which had not been widely released in the US—and setting the stage for a whole new world of comic-book dystopian films to come.

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