Mad Max Minute presents: The Road Warrior (1981)

In the same year that he portrayed Scottish Hero William Wallace, Mel Gibson lent his voice to the colonial explorer John Smith in Disney’s Pocahontas. Join us, along with Julia’s family, as we watch and discuss Disney’s 33rd feature-length animated production, with music by Alan Menken. A fanciful depiction of the first contact between the Powhatan tribe and English settlers in what would one day become Jamestown, Virginia. Along for the ride are sassy animal sidekicks, landscapes that look nothing like Virginia, and more magical leaves than can be believed.

In the fight against Fascism in Europe Captain Invincible was a shining hero and beacon of freedom for all Americans to look up to. A man mysteriously imbued with superhuman powers, taking the fight to the Nazis. But in the throes of the Red Scare and McCarthy era scrutiny, Captain Invincible disappeared. Forty years pass and in the wake of the emergence of the evil Mr. Midnight, the President of the United States call for Captain Invincible to return, a call answered by a Police Detective in Sydney, who is certain that a local drunkard is just the man they need.

After going toe-to-toe with Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior, Vernon Wells is back as Bennett, the Army special forces commando who was expelled from his unit for excessive violence by his commanding officer, John Matrix, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Together with a deposed South American Dictator, Bennett is determined to ruin the man who wronged him by kidnapping his daughter, and he’s even doing it for free. It’s up to John Matrix, along with his sidekick Cindy, to track down his daughter and rescue her from her kidnappers before he runs out of time.

It’s the film that MadMaxMovies.com describes as “Mad Max 2 mixed up with Star Wars.” Metalstorm is the tale of Dogen (Jeffrey Byron), our leather-clad, fast-driving hero and his pursuit of the villainous Jared-Syn (Mike Preston) who is determined to harvest enough soul energy to dominate the wasteland. To defeat his enemy, Dogen must find a mystical crystal mask which can defend him from Jared-Syn’s evil magics, but sinister forces hunt our hero, including the villainous cyborg, Baal. If this movie sounds ridiculous, rest assured, it is.

From acclaimed German director, Werner Herzog comes the story of modernity versus antiquity and the geologist stuck between them. Bruce Spence is Lance Hackett, an employee of the Ayers Mining Company who finds his search for a uranium deposit in the Australian outback held up by a group of Aborigines who are bound by tradition to stop the company’s expansion into the area in order to preserve the land where the green ants dream. Unable to reach compromise, the two sides meet in High Court to decide if the future belongs to commerce or tradition.

Hot on the heels of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior our hiatus begins with Peter Weir’s story of two Australian sprinters in 1915 and the brutal cost of war. Mark Lee stars as Archy Hamilton, a gifted young runner, who meets up with Frank Dunne, played by Mel Gibson, and together they set out to enlist in the Australian Light Cavalry. From Australia to the training grounds in Egypt they revel in the status afforded them by military service until the day comes that they are shipped to the front lines and the realities of the First World War begin exploding around them.

It’s the return of Yuri Lowenthal and Travis Sentell, from You Are Awaited: A Mad Max Fury Road Podcast, as we open the Thunderdome and pit Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior against Mad Max: Fury Road to see how George Miller’s sophomore effort stacks up against his 2015 mega-hit. Who was the better Max? How does the Lord Humungus stand up against Immortan Joe? Does Pappagallo stand a chance against Furiosa? All this and more as we bid a fond farewell to The Road Warrior.

In this penultimate episode of our deep dive into Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, we take a step back to examine the movie as a whole. We talk about our favorite parts, as well as discuss some elements that just didn’t work for us. We also talk about how The Road Warrior fits into the circular storytelling road map of the hero's journey and we try to come to a consensus over whether Max has a character arc.

With one final departing look at Max, the movie fades to black and the end credits begin. With the conclusion of this chapter in Max’s story let us take a step back and examine how the end chase would have been different if the film had more closely followed the original screenplay. With added instances of fighting, details that clarify questions from watching the movie, and a twist that upsets the entire structure of the horde, the screenplay is a must read.

The Gyro Captain finds Max and the two share a moment before they bring the Feral Child to the rendezvous point to meet up with the other compound dwellers. While the Gyro Captain and the Feral Child choose to travel with the convoy to the coast, Max refuses and chooses to stay behind in the wasteland, drifting into legend. The narrator’s voice returns to share the success of the convoy and how they found new leadership in their new home.

With the rig overturned and the raiders departed, Max collects himself and makes his way out of the wreck. With the Feral Child in hand, Max makes his way around to the side of the tanker and after placing the child down He turns to notice that sand is streaming from a spout on the side of the tanker. Max places his hand under the spout and it quickly fills with a small pile of dirt. This moment of realization is interrupted by the sound of a small motor approaching.

The Lord Humungus is dead, the rig and tanker lie wrecked beside the road, and the raiders who make up the horde find themselves at a loss. The tanker is revealed to be full of dirt, far from the bounty that the marauders were promised and so the raiders turn and leave. Inside the wrecked truck, it is revealed that Max and the Feral child have survived the crash. We are joined by Norman and Cassandra of The Lord of the Rings Minute podcast.

The Feral Child sits on the bonnet of the rig, staring at the shell that is just out of reach. He moves closer, but just as he’s about to grab the shell a blood-covered hand reaches up from the cow catcher, followed by the terrible visage of Wez. Punctuated by screaming, Max pulls the Feral Child back into the cab as Humungus appears on the road ahead. Humungus drives headlong at the rig resulting in one of the most spectacular crashes in all of cinema.

Alone against the fury of Humungus’ Horde, Max makes the bold decision to turn the rig around and head back along the way he came. Desperate for ammunition, Max sends the Feral Child out of the missing windshield towards a single shotgun shell sitting at the end of the Mack’s bonnet. Further up the road, Humungus has shaken off the firebomb and engages all of his trucks enhancements to speed towards the rig that evades him.

The tanker is losing tires, the rig is losing speed, and Max is almost out of defenders. Humungus grabs another trident and speeds towards Max, but before he can throw his terrifying weapon, the Gyro Captain swoops low to deliver a molotov onto the warlord. Suddenly covered in smoke and flames, Humungus back off from the tanker, but the victory is short-lived as the Snake Truck disables the gyrocopter sending it hurtling towards the ground.

The Feral Child goes on the offensive and attacks Bearclaw Mohawk with tooth and nail. Pappagallo finally catches up to the rig and after getting a look at Max tries to convince the Feral Child to jump from the Rig and make an escape, but a thrown spear (or perhaps trident) puts an end to the oil executive turned wasteland leader. Max and the Feral Child watch as Pappagallo’s vehicle drifts into the bush and rolls to a stop in a cloud of dust.

With all other defenders killed, the raiders begin to assault the rig directly. Max is able to quickly dispatch two raiders, but Bearclaw Mohawk and Wez quickly overwhelm Him. Assaulted from above and behind, Max gets creative with His driving and brakes hard, sending Wez flying over the front of the rig. Despite Max’s quick thinking Bearclaw Mohawk manages to hold on. Our special guests today are Caitlin, Karen, and Liz from the Foxes in the Henhouse podcast.

Having disappeared over a week ago, Pappagallo returns to the chase trailing all of the raiders that he led away initially, proving his efforts largely fruitless. Also returning to the chase is the Gyro Captain, flying high over the speeding vehicles giving us a clear view of the raiders that have begun to infest the tanker. Among these raiders is Wez, helped along by Bearclaw Mohawk, who has his sights set on ruining Max’s already terrible day.

After seeing his compatriot shot through the windshield, the remaining Bad Cop in the red XA Falcon continues to pester the tanker, until he makes the mistake of cutting in front of the rig and is plowed through. Despite this setback, the raiders continue to press the attack with marauders mounting the tanker from multiple points. Amidst all of this, the horde suffers an unexpected casualty as one of the motorcycle raiders is caught up in the tires and sucked underneath.

As the Snake Truck is forced off the road, Max turns his attention back to the road ahead. Meanwhile, the Mechanic struggles in a tug of war with a pair of raiders over the Warrior Woman’s body, a contest that ends with both tanker defenders meeting their end on the paved road. Seeing this, Max uses his shotgun to kill one of the raiders which sets off a chain reaction that results in the now infamous Cannonball stunt that sent Stuntman Guy Norris to hospital.

Zetta is gone and the Mechanic is on fire so it’s up to the Warrior Woman to take control of the situation. She’s able to impede Bearclaw Mohawk, but Wez is quick to retaliate with a volley of arrows from the snake truck. The arrows find their target, sending the Warrior Woman over the edge of the tanker onto the barbed wire below. Wez takes this opportunity to rescue Bearclaw Mohawk and lift him onto the tanker before Max is able to sideswipe the raiders away.

We rejoin Zetta at the back of the tanker as he’s blindsided by an enemy grappling hook. As the buggy the hook is attached to begins to roll and drag behind the tanker, the strain proves too much for the platform and Zetta is pulled from the tanker. The mechanic tries to counter attack, but is shot by an advancing Bearclaw Mohawk. We are joined today by Professor Christy Porter, longtime contributor to the Indiana Jones Minute podcast.

With the help of one of his Bad Cops, Humungus unleashes Wez, freeing him to leap onto another vehicle and engage the tanker directly. Fortified at the rear of the tanker, Zetta and the Mechanic set about throwing Molotov cocktails at their pursuers, managing to send one car off the road. Despite this small victory, Wez is able to slip by and tear the driver-side door off of the rig, leaving Max exposed behind the steering wheel.

With one last explosion, the compound is nothing more than a thick mushroom cloud drifting over the outback. Elsewhere, the rig is driving hard with a swarm of raiders on its heels and only a handful of defenders. Hoping to lighten the load on Max, Pappagallo leaves the roadway managing to lead away several marauders in the process. With one fewer vehicle in their way, the raiders begin shifting around and preparing to unleash their deadliest weapons.

As the compound dwellers make a run for the rendezvous point, a small group of raiders enters the abandoned compound. Their victory is short lived as the compound dwellers rigged the encampment with explosives, sending the entire facility up in a massive fireball. The explosion is grand in scale and terrible in efficacy, causing the compound dwellers to turn back in amazement at the destruction that has been wrought in the hopes of the compound not falling into raider hands.

At the beginning of week 16, it’s up to max to use the raw power of the rig to smash his way through the assembled raiders. Aiding him in this task is the Gyro Captain who lays down a healthy smattering of molotovs to scatter the marauders. Humungus answers this defiance with gunfire as he tries to disable the rig once again. Finding thick armor blocking his efforts, Humungus turns his weapon on the Gyro Captain and drives off the aviator as Max leads the horde away from the compound.

Outside the compound, Wez sits chained before the Lord Humungus. As Humungus waits for the compound dwellers to make their move He loads his remaining bullets into his revolver. Back inside, the Warrior Woman notices the Feral Child clinging to the cab of the rig and orders him collected, but the Feral Child breaks free and finds his way back onto the Rig. Our special guests this Friday are Gary Roby and Victoria Cope from the Harry Potter Minute podcast.

Pappagallo capitulates to Max’s request and hands him not only his shotgun but a handful of shells to go with it. With all matters settled, the compound dwellers make their final preparations to leave. Zetta and the other tanker defenders get into their fortified positions, Pappagallo and Max share a respectful nod, and Arkie and the Gyro Captain share a meaningful look across the compound before they make their grand escape.

As the compound dwellers continue to discuss the evacuation, Max utilizes the Feral Child to help him walk across the yard and join the conversation. The Mechanic argues with the Warrior Woman about being included on the tanker team, but they are interrupted by Max who’s had a change of heart and wants to drive the rig. Pappagallo and Zetta are skeptical of Max’s ability to perform the feat, but Max is adamant and reminds them that he is the best driver they have.

Max swings his legs down to the floor as the Feral Child brings him his jacket and gear belts. They share a look between them before we join the compound dwellers outside. In the courtyard of the compound, Pappagallo is going over the evacuation plan one more time before they leave their refuge for good. He reminds everyone of how the tanker should draw off the raiders and how important it is that they get away as quickly as they can.

High above the wasteland, Max drifts in and out of consciousness following his ordeal out on the road. Whisked along by the Gyro Captain, Max allows himself to fall asleep only to wake up inside the infirmary of the compound with his wounds dressed. Noises above him are revealed to be the Feral Child who has been holding on to Max’s gear. As Max sits up he discovers that he’s not alone, and Max comes face to face with what remains of the Quiet Man.

Disoriented, bloodied, and alone, Max drags himself through the underbrush. As the dust and smoke swirls around him, Max hears the muffled sound of the Gyrocopter and turning over, sees a familiar shape moving towards him out of the sky. Soon Max finds himself flying high above the outback with a familiar face. This week we’re joined by the incomparable Sean German from the Spinal Tap Minute, 5 Minutes of Mime, and the upcoming Groundhog Day Minute podcasts.

As the Black-on-black burns below, Wez is joined by his reinforcements, but seeing as his prize has gone up in smoke He orders an immediate withdrawal. Far away, one of the compound dwellers sees the smoke rising in the distance, which prompts the Gyro Captain to take a closer look with his spyglass. By instincts alone, He can tell that Max is in trouble and after considering his options makes no hesitation to leap into action.

Max has found cover behind a rock, but it’s not enough to hide him from the leather-clad raider hunting him. Dog puts on a brave display but is killed by the raider. The Toadie opens the gas cap on the interceptor, activating the booby trap, but fails to hear the fuse burning until it is too late. As the other raider is ready to kill Max, the booby trap explodes the black-on-black disintegrating the Toadie and sending Max’s attacker flying. From the ridge, Wez looks on, furious.

As the Black-on-black lands at the bottom of a ravine Wez and his accompanying raiders are there, ready to pick over the remains. Max is alive but gravely injured and bleeding heavily. Defiant, Max drags himself from the wreckage as Wez barks his commands to the Toadie and a Bad Cop raider. The two marauders make their way to the bottom of the ravine where the bad cop discovers an empty car, but the Toadie finds full gas tanks.

With the compound behind him and a full tank of gas, Max thunders out onto the open road pursued by a detachment of raiders from the nearby camp who saw him leave. Max is quick to lose most of the marauders, but Wez is still gaining on Him. The Mohawker unleashes the full might of The Lord Humungus’ truck and quickly closes the distance, dealing a killing blow to the interceptor that sends Max off the road and into a terrifying rollover.

Max opens the bus gate and begins walking back to his car, but the Gyro Captain is quick to intercept him and let Max know that he’s making a mistake by leaving like this. Max says goodbye and drives away, leaving the compound dwellers behind to watch him disappear into the darkness. Max doesn’t get too far before the sound of his engine reaches Wez, and a new chase begins. This week’s guest is our good friend, teacher and fabricator, Nathan Porter.

With His fuel tanks full, and all stowaways cast off, Max fires up the Black-on-black and drives through the compound to the bus gate. Seeing the Road Warrior leaving, Zetta marches over to Pappagallo, surprised that He would allow Max to leave like this. Pappagallo defends Max, giving him credit for upholding his end of the bargain. Zetta points out that they still need a driver for the tanker. Pappagallo is not concerned, as He has decided to drive the rig.

As Max replaces the booby trap under the Black-on-black, the Feral Child drops from the pipes above and sneaks into the car. Hearing the Feral Child scurrying about, and the twinkling of the music box, Max quickly discovers the kid and tells him to get out. The Feral Child is determined to leave with the Road Warrior, but Max isn’t having it and using the music box He gets the Feral Child out of his car, and turns his back on the disappointed child.

Desperate to convince Max to stay and drive the tanker, Pappagallo presses on Max and makes the mistake of pressing too hard on the subject of lost family. Max tries to turn away, but a grab at his arm causes Max to haul off and punch Pappagallo in the face, sending him sprawling. Pappagallo rises to his feet, condemns Max as a piece of garbage aimlessly blowing in the wasteland, and hobbles away leaving Max to reinstall his booby trap on The Interceptor.

Lucky week 13 begins with Max insisting that Pappagallo has run out of bargaining chips to keep him around, but He and the Curmudgeon are convinced that they can still change Max’s mind. Curmudgeon leads by showing Max some postcards from their destination, the lovely Sunshine Coast, and extolling the virtues of a simple life by the ocean. Unimpressed, Max continues to refuse which leads to Pappagallo stepping up his tactics.

Arkie Whiteley’s character makes the final decision to stay with the other compound dwellers. The Gyro Captain respects her decision and ultimately decides to stay with them as well. Elsewhere in the compound, Max is approached by Pappagallo and the Curmudgeon who would like Max to stay and drive the rig, but the Road Warrior is not keen on sticking around. We are joined this week by Tom Taylor from the Indiana Jones Minute podcast.

As the mechanic and his assistants work on preparing the rig, the Gyro Captain and Arkie Whiteley’s character appear to be sneaking away. Before they get too far Arkie has a change of heart and stops to look back at the other dwellers frantically preparing for the morning. Noticing her hesitation the Gyro Captain tries to assuage her concerns, but she simply cannot bring herself to sneak out on the people who have become her family.

The torture montage continues as scouts are strung up and brutalized while Lord Humungus stands on the ridge gesturing and reciting poetry. Meanwhile, in the compound, the dwellers are frantically preparing to leave the next morning. Zetta stands in the center of the courtyard calling out directions in order to ensure that no effort is wasted. Vehicles are reinforced and repaired as the Curmudgeon tries to round up the compound’s livestock.

Despite the praise he received from the compound dwellers Max in unswayed in his decision to take his fuel and leave. Later that evening, the compound’s look-out points to the ridge where the Lord Humungus and his raiders have begun torturing and killing the captured scouts in full view of the dwellers. He declares for all to hear that they will know his vengeance and none of them will make it out alive. Then there’s a raider montage of raiders doing raider things.

Pappagallo receives an estimate of how long it will take to fix the damage to the rig and immediately orders it done in half the time. Max is replaced on the flamethrower by the Warrior Woman who extends an olive branch after their rocky first encounter. Max is only interested in getting back to his car, but several compound dwellers take the opportunity to swarm around him, this time to express gratitude for the delivery of the rig and to persuade him to stay.

The Curmudgeon is taken with the Gyro Captain’s flying machine and wonders if it can be used to ferry people away from harm. Up on the wall, Zetta checks on Pappagallo whose main concern is the condition of the rig. Using the tried and true strategy of shouting across open spaces, the Mechanic, and his assistant relay the extent of the damages to the rig. We’re joined this week by Brad Mendenhall from The Cosmic Geppetto Podcast.

Suddenly alone against the entire compound, Wez beats a hasty retreat, vaulting over the compound’s moat to scurry away. The Gyro Captain takes this opportunity to land in the compound. Things begin to settle as the horde retreats into the distance and the clean up begins. In the middle of it all is the Gyro Captain who finds himself divided between greeting the compound dwellers and trying to keep the Feral Child from touching his gyrocopter.

Distracted by the fighting behind him, Pappagallo lets his guard down and falls prey to an arrow shot by an attacker causing him to collapse and leave the flamethrower unattended. Both Wez and Max see this and begin a race to the weapon. Wez swings and climbs across the compound while Max takes off running through the mayhem of raiders and dwellers. Max is able to reach the flamethrower and fend off another wave of marauders charging the gate.

The rig is in the compound, but the danger is no over as several raiders, including Wez, were able to get past the bus gate before it closed. From his defensive position, Pappagallo is able to destroy one raider vehicle and keep the rest of them at bay. Meanwhile, Wez is trying to direct the raiders inside the compound to gain control of the gate but finds his efforts made difficult by the fierce opposition from the compound dwellers.

The compound is in sight as Max makes the last push through the raiders. Suddenly, Max is blindsided by Wez, who punches through the side window nearly trying to pull Max out of the rig. As Max fights off the raider in his window, more marauders close in on the rig, shooting at the tires. Not content to be an observer, the Gyro Captain drops one of his snakes onto a raider, causing them to panic and crash, giving Max the time to make it inside the compound.