First Things First…
Long before Fury Road came out, I randomly DVR’d and watched the original trilogy. I still haven’t seen Fury Road, and now Furiosa is also coming out soon, so I want to revisit these movies ahead of time.
It’s surprising that my memories aren’t overly fond. Especially for this movie—it’s supposed to be a classic, but I remember it as boring.
I don’t know if this is because the franchise has returned to the culture so strongly, but I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy and appreciate it more this time. I hope I’m right.
4 Things I Like
4. Toecutter
“This is a threshold moment, Johnny. Step through.”
Toecutter
In a way, Toecutter is an odd choice as the gang leader, because he’s not a calculating mastermind as you might expect. But he’s unpredictable and sadistic. And his minions show complete loyalty to him.
He also coerces Johnny the Boy into throwing the lit match into the flipped truck Goose is trapped in, which is hemorrhaging gasoline.
They even leave some of his and the gang’s violence off screen, like when they clearly rape the young couple in the hot rod. That “less is more” approach is for the best, because I don’t need to see that. But ironically, it makes Toecutter seem even more menacing, because you know you haven’t seen the worst he’s done.
3. Collapsing, Not Collapsed
I like that society hasn’t completely collapsed yet. Sure, it’s in VERY rough shape. You’re not safe on the roads, where biker gangs and other marauders are just waiting to rape and pillage.
But there are still functioning police precincts and hospitals… Max and Jess have a nice house to raise their baby in… hell, there are even ice cream shops.
It’s a good blend of knowing societal collapse is inevitable while still having some remnants of normal civilization.
2. From Cool Intro to Dead Eyes
The movie kicks off with two pairs of cops bumbling around, chasing after a criminal called Nightrider and his woman. Another cop, Goose (who we come to find out is Max’s partner), eventually joins the fray.
They all get outmaneuvered.
Meanwhile, as they’re bickering with one another and making mistake after mistake, and even crashing multiple times, we cut away periodically to another cop—a much cooler, more poised cop. We watch him slowly and deliberately get ready. And when he finally gets the call to jump in, everything he does, from the way he turns his keys in the ignition to the engine’s purr, feels more measured—and more badass.
That’s our introduction to Max, who takes down Nightrider after damn near the rest of the force fails.
Fast forward to the end of the movie, when Jess is dying in the hospital and their son has been killed, while Max has been shot through the knee and had his arm run over. As he drives away from the explosion he set in motion that probably kills Johnny the Boy and finishes off the biker gang, he has the most dead-eyed look on his face as we cut to credits. This sets up the Max I expected to see all along—uncaring, unflinching, and unremorseful.
1. Chases
“I am the Nightrider. I’m a fuel-injected suicide machine! I am a rocker! I am a roller! I am an out-of-controller!”
Nightrider
I can’t do justice to the frenetic chase scenes with just words. But the opening chase of Nightrider is an adrenaline rush from the start. There are multiple wipeouts and fiery wrecks, including Nightrider’s death after Max spooks him with a game of chicken.
Then, the whole biker gang chases down the young couple in the hot rod, destroys the car, and terrorizes them. This chase doesn’t last as long, but the rage and brutality of the scene wallop you.
1 Thing I’m Mixed On
1. Incongruence
“It’s that rat circus out there. I’m beginning to enjoy it. Any longer out on that road and I’m one of them, you know?”
Max
The classic Mad Max look, which Max rocks in both the beginning and end, looks badass.
But in the middle of the film, he quits the force after Goose is burned alive—yet he leaves for his trip with Jess and their infant son looking like he just walked out of Brooks Brothers.
His look, and his whole approach, really, are at odds with the anger, frustration, and disillusionment he feels after he sees Goose’s barely living husk.
And the reasoning he gives his chief, Fifi, about how he’s scared because he’s starting to enjoy himself out there among the crazies, also fails to match up with his rage after seeing Goose.
But whether or not the logic of these scenes makes total sense, there’s a positive side to seeing him away from the force. We get to spend time with Max the family man. We see how much he loves Jess, and how he doesn’t want to fall into the trap he fell into with his father of not expressing his love. It’s such a beautiful glimpse into what his life could look like. Which is why it’s such a gut punch when it’s violently ripped away from him.
1 Thing I Don’t Like
1. Rushed Revenge
I’m shocked at what a misnomer it is to call this a revenge flick.
In reality, Max only seeks revenge in the final 15 minutes or so. Because that’s how long it takes until Jess is hospitalized and their son is killed.
Typically in these types of movies, the death (or other catastrophe) that incites the action happens in the first 20-30 minutes. That allows for more time with the protagonist struggling with their loss while scheming for revenge.
It’s okay that they do it differently here—after all, I just talked about how seeing Max as a family man makes this loss more impactful. But the movie is only about 90 minutes total. A little extra time following the deaths to be with Max in his grief and rage would’ve gone a long way.
Plus, Max doesn’t even kill Toecutter himself. I mean, he’s obviously still responsible for causing it, but it just doesn’t feel as vengeful.
Tim Matassa
