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 s the scope of special effects technology widens,
there really isn't much that a person can imagine that can't be replicated
on screen. This freedom of expression has had both positive and negative
effects on modern movies. On the positive side, there's more eye candy and
it's far more convincing. Conversely, the ease with which complex special
effects can be integrated into a film has led modern directors to crowd the
screen with effects, as well as using said effects to mask deficiencies in
narrative coherence. While this 'disease' has affected films in the science
fiction genre the most (ala the two "Star Wars" prequels), it has
also become prevalent in standard action films, as evidenced by the
continued employment of Michael Bay.
Given the amount of CGI viewers
are forced to ingest these days, it's always nice to go 'old school' and see
real meat-and-potatoes action. "The Road Warrior" is just such a
flick. In 1979, Australian director George Miller released a little action
flick called "Mad Max", about police officer 'Mad' Max Rockatansky
(Mel Gibson) who patrols the barren wastelands of a post-apocalyptic
Australian Outback. After a devastating nuclear war, the world (or maybe
just Australia, it's never made clear) has been reduced to a dusty wasteland
rampaged by degenerate mechanized gangs of bloodthirsty marauders. Due to
the nomadic nature of what is left of humanity, gasoline (or Juice as it is
known in the film) became more valuable than life itself.
Miller followed up the success of "Mad Max"
with "The Road Warrior" in 1981. "Warrior" continues
the story of Max, now reduced to a scavenger; an 'empty shell of a man' no
better than the lawless thugs he once stood against. Max's life still
revolves around outrunning biker gangs in search of precious Juice to keep
his supercharged V8 Interceptor on the road. Accompanied by his trusty dog
(enigmatically named Dog), Max's misadventures eventually entangles him in
a brutal stand-off between a rag-tag community operating a small refinery
(led by the fatherly Pappagallo, played by Mick Jagger look-alike Michael
Preston) and a gang of ruthless marauders. The villains are led by The
Humungus (played by the truly humongous and former Olympic weightlifter
Kjell Nilsson) and his psychotic lieutenant Wez (brilliantly played by
former S.A.S commando Vernon Wells).
The gang wants the Juice inside the refinery and
would prefer to slaughter everyone who stands in their way. Max steps into
this morass with an offer to find a way to get the Juice out of the
refinery, past the gangs and across 2,000 miles of desert to the coast,
the destination of choice for those in the refinery. Thus ensues about 60
minutes of nonstop, gasoline-fueled edge-of-your-seat mayhem and
destruction on a scale that had never been seen and, in my opinion, has
yet to be replicated.
The scope of the action in "The Road
Warrior" is truly astounding. All manner of cobbled-together motor
vehicles are strewn across the Outback in spectacular crashes that send
battered bodies and severed limbs hurtling through the air and under
tumbling wreckage. It's a demolition derby on NAWZ, set to pounding music.
How Miller and his crew managed to coordinate these stunts, get the
cameras positioned just right and pull all of it off without killing
anyone, is beyond me. Despite the obviously limited budget, the execution
and editing are nearly flawless. The production values are also high, with
an authentic and lived-in sheen about the whole film. And just to add
icing to the cake, Miller offers up a twist ending that both makes sense
and isn't obvious from the get-go.
Aside from the outrageous action, the main area where
"The Road Warrior" outshines "Mad Max" is with the
characters, which are so over the top, so larger-than-life that you can't
help but remember them. The good guys are rarely the strength of action
films, but here they are imbued with a fair amount of gusto. Max is much
more enigmatic and dangerous this time around, with only the slightest
glimmer of decency separating him from the biker hordes. The refining
community stands out for their guts and determination. And then there's
the zany Gyro Captain (a perpetually dusty Bruce Spence) and his flying
machine, both of which brings a welcome bit of light comic relief to the
movie.
However, for an action film to be successful, the bad
guys must leave an impression, and "The Road Warrior" outdoes
itself in this department. The Humungus is a truly frightening villain,
with his monstrous physique adorned in leather fetish gear, his visage
hidden behind a hockey mask, and veins bulging along his bald head. His
'Dogs of War' serve as a stark and powerful counterpoint to the refining
community, showing just how low humanity has sunk. However, it's the
psychotic and sexually ambiguous Wez who steals the show. In a freakish
and unhinged performance that has to be seen to be believed, Wells creates
a character that is so outlandish and brutal he even manages to make
assless leather chaps seem cool.
In the pantheon of action films, "The Road
Warrior" stands proudly as not only a classic of the genre, but as a
reminder that things really were better in the good old days. There is a
level of palpable intensity and visceral thrill that can only be generated
by banging two objects together, and no amount of CGI can replace that.
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