Mad Max
Dir: George Miller
1979
*****
George Miller's original 1979 Mad Max is an Ozploitation classic. Set in a (not too distant) post-apocalyptic dystopian future, Mad Max is more a revenge film in the vein of the Spaghetti western rather than the typical vigilante movies of the era that were more concerned about neoconservatism vs. libertarianism than anything else. George Miller combines tribalism and anarchy, adds punk rock and muscle cars and sets it in the harsh Australian outback for what is a beautiful orchestra of chaos. The budget constraints are obvious but that only lead to more creativity in my opinion, the characters, car creations and stunts all being work of mad genius. The last scene, whereby Mel Gibson's Max hand-cuffs the villainous Toecutter (played by Ozploitation legend Hugh Keays-Byrne) to an oil leaking car rigged with a time release fuse and offers him a hacksaw and the option of either cutting through the cuffs (which will take 10 minutes) or his ankle (which will take 5) is now one of the most notorious conclusions of all time. It's ruff around the edges, ballsy as hell and quite magnificent.