Review: "Transporter 2" Offers Good Fight Scenes, Little Else

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 141 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Transporter 2 (2005)
Running time:  88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, sexual content, partial nudity, and brief language
DIRECTOR:  Louis Leterrier
WRITERS:  Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen (based upon characters created by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen )
PRODUCERS:  Steve Chasman and Luc Besson
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mitchell Amundsen
EDITOR:  Walter Mauriot, Christine Lucas Navarro, and Vincent Tabaillon
COMPOSER: Alexandre Azaria

ACTION/MARTIAL ARTS/THRILLER

Starring:  Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Katie Nauta, Matthew Modine, Jason Flemyng, Keith David, Hunter Clary, Shannon Briggs, François Berléand, and Raymond Tong

Transporter 2 is a 2005 French action thriller from director Louis Leterrier and maestro Luc Besson and stars Jason Statham in the title role.  It is a sequel to the 2002 film, The Transporter.  In Transporter 2, mercenary Frank Martin is in Miami, Florida where he is implicated in the kidnapping of  the young son of a powerful U.S. government official

Transporter 2 is set in Miami, Florida.  There, ex-Special Forces operative, Frank Martin (Jason Statham), lives in retirement, but is still providing services as a transporter.  Martin is a professional driver with almost-supernatural driving skills in a supa dupa car who can transport anyone or anything – no questions asked.  For the past month, Frank has been the driver for the wealthy Billings family, driving young Jack Billings (Hunter Clary) back and forth to school.

When Gianni (Alessandro Gassman), a powerful gun-for-hire and criminal operative, has Jack kidnapped, Frank rushes to the rescue.  However, Jack has been injected with a deadly virus as a ploy to poison his father, Jefferson Billings (Matthew Modine), and in turn spread the deadly virus, killing Mr. Billings’ government and business associates.  Frank defies and eludes the FBI, who believes that he is behind the plot, while he tries to uncover Gianni’s master plan and stop a disastrous epidemic.

There was no reason for a sequel to 2002’s The Transporter, other than that it was an international box office hit.  Transporter 2 is not as good as the first, mainly because the original had Frank Martin in a romantic entanglement that was the humanizing element of the film against its manic martial arts-inspired fight sequences and unrelenting gun violence.  Corey Yuen, the director of the first film, is back for Transporter 2 only as the fight choreographer, and while his successor, Louis Leterrier, benefits from Yuen’s work on the fight scenes, Leterrier didn’t inherit anything else from the original.  Thus, Transporter 2’s fight sequences are excellent in keeping with the spirit of The Transporter, but there just ain’t no soul.  I was only mildly entertained with this as a movie, but I bet electronic games fans would get a kick out of this as a video game.  We shouldn’t buy tickets to the cinema to see a flick and get instead a video game.  The child character, Jack Billings, could have been the soul of this film, they way the love interest was in the original, but Jack is just the object that starts the ball rolling towards a series of violent, supernatural, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Hero martial arts fight scenes.

Jason Statham has a nice film personality, but this time he wears Frank Martin as if he’s just a video game character and Transporter 2 is just the latest installment in a video game franchise.  If you waited to see the first film on home video, it would only be right to wait for Transporter 2 on DVD and home video, as it is inferior and should not be honored with the movie ticket purchase you didn’t give the first film.  This might sound nerdy and pretentious, but Transporter 2 is a pedestrian fight movie with great fights, but the kind of story that shows up in made-for-cable action movies.

5 of 10
C+

Revised: Thursday, September 3, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint syndication rights and fees.

VIZ Media Joins Wizards of the Coast for "Magic: The Gathering Art Book"

WIZARDS OF THE COAST AND VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCE MAGIC: THE GATHERING ART BOOK

SEATTLE, WA—Wizards of the Coast and VIZ Media announced The Art of Magic: The Gathering—Zendikar, an art book featuring images from popular strategy card game Magic: The Gathering. Available worldwide in January 2016, the 240-page book will feature full color illustrations from some of Magic's best artists, such as Aleksi Briclot and Adam Paquette, as well as in-depth lore written by best-selling author James Wyatt.

Throughout its 22-year history, Magic: The Gathering has visited many richly imaginative worlds through card sets and stories. In its upcoming set, Battle for Zendikar (www.BattleForZendikar.com), Magic returns to the fan-favorite world of Zendikar, where united tribes of elves, vampires, and humans battle the monstrous Eldrazi across strange floating ruins and beautiful landscapes. The Battle for Zendikar card set launches on October 2, 2015.

"Magic: The Gathering has a rich history of bringing our fans and players the best fantasy art in the industry," said Elaine Chase, Senior Director of Global Brand Strategy and Marketing for Magic: The Gathering. "We are excited to bring work from some of Magic's most amazing artists to our fans in a new medium."

"We are very excited to help bring the art and story of Magic: The Gathering to more fans with this art book for the game," said Beth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director, VIZ Media. "The Art of Magic: The Gathering—Zendikar is a beautifully illustrated edition that immerses you in the exotic world of Zendikar's ancient ruins and strange inhabitants. We worked hand-in-hand with the Wizards of the Coast creative team to create the best art book imaginable, which we're sure every Magic fan will covet."

The Art of Magic: The Gathering—Zendikar will be available for pre-order at many retailers starting as early as September 1, and will be available at Amazon.com and retail and hobby gaming stores world-wide starting January 5, 2016.


About Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering is the world's best strategy game, with more than 20 million players and fans worldwide. In this innovative card game, players build personalized decks using cards they have collected from booster packs and by trading with friends. Magic offers a robust gaming experience for its community of passionate fans through face-to-face play events and social gatherings in more than 7,000 hobby game stores around the world, complemented by its Magic Duels and Magic Online digital games. For more information, visit MagicTheGathering.com.

About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards offers players and fans immersive digital and tabletop gaming experiences through its global brands MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, DUEL MASTERS and AVALON HILL. Wizards’ games help bring friends, families and communities together through shared imaginative play. Wizards also publishes a fantasy fiction series with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information please visit the website at www.Wizards.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets, and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies—Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd.—VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English-speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology Weekly Shonen Jump and blockbuster properties like Naruto, Bleach, and Inuyasha, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance, and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction, and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video, and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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Ten Finalists Vie to Be Naruto's "Hokage for a Day" Contest

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES HOKAGE FOR A DAY TOP 10 VIDEO CONTEST ENTRIES

Fans Invited To Vote For Favorite Entry To Send Winner To Meet The Legendary NARUTO Manga Creator Masashi Kishimoto At New York Comic Con

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has announced the final stage of its Hokage for a Day Promotion to celebrate NARUTO and the upcoming first-ever U.S. appearance by the manga series creator Masashi Kishimoto at the 2015 New York Comic Con (NYCC) in October.

Over the past 6 weeks, fans have submitted more than 800 entries to the contest, which encouraged hopeful winners to create a one-minute YouTube video describing what NARUTO means to them. The Hokage for a Day Grand Prize winner and a guest will have the opportunity to meet NARUTO creator Masashi Kishimoto on October 10th during NYCC, and participate in several of Kishimoto’s events during the show. The Grand Prize package also includes airline tickets and hotel accommodations, as well as transportation and a pair of NYCC show passes, courtesy of VIZ Media. The contest winner will be announced by VIZ Media around September 8th.

VIZ Media and ReedPOP, in partnership with The Japan Foundation, will welcome Kishimoto for a very special series of personal appearances at the massive pop culture convention that will take place October 8th-11th at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Full details on the show are available at: www.newyorkcomiccon.com.

Fans are invited to screen the following videos and by Sunday September 6th, vote for their own favorites at: viz.com/naruto?tab=hokageforaday.

The Inspiring, Top 10 NARUTO Hokage for a Day Video Selections:

Amanda: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_Dgf9PHjYU
Amanda showcases her NARUTO collection (amassed over ten years) and her handmade cosplay and artwork!

Brittney McConway: https://youtu.be/4qr-gsZLTRY
NARUTO became the muse for Brittney to start her own life coaching business, which uses a fun anime/manga approach to deal with depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.

Cassidy Kerr: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc49pcwAzsw
Cassidy not only has S-rank NARUTO collection, she was inspired to introduce NARUTO and cosplay to her family/friends!

Christina Faye: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m25JNj5htkk&feature=youtu.be
Christina has been a fan since the manga debut, and is inspired by and cosplays as Sakura.

Custat: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCOY4xmKA2s&feature=youtu.be
Custat  animates herself for her video entry, and dreams of becoming a manga-ka!

Dinah Baergas: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWZzGWV30-Q
Dinah is an ardent fan who cosplays as Guy (“Maito Gai”) and also works to improve her community.

Randi Willett: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjFpPHHe_sg
Randi and her twin sister cosplayed as Naruto and Sasuke for over 10 years.

Steven Gathings: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d45AT0tPFPs&feature=youtu.be
Steven and his friends create a NARUTO fan film!

Thomas Molina: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePzRnxRWcpA&feature=youtu.be
NARUTO got Thomas through 2 bouts of leukemia, and it became a source of strength to persevere through trying times.

Victor Lee: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AUODewW5lY
The tenets of friendship and teamwork in NARUTO inspired Victor to strive to be a Hokage in his own community, and he volunteers for March of Dimes and Baton Rouge Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation!

The final volume of the NARUTO manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) will be published by VIZ Media in print and also digitally in October and brings the long-running ninja action adventure to its thrilling conclusion. The first NARITO spin-off movie, BORUTO: NARUTO THE MOVIE, which launches a new storyline and characters focusing on the son of Naruto, will launch in the Fall.

Additional information on NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN is available at www.Naruto.com.

For more information on manga titles available from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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Remembering Wes Craven: "The Hills Have Eyes" Review

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 106 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Running time:  89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – X
EDITOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Wes Craven
PRODUCER:  Peter Locke
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Eric Saarinen (D.o.P.)
COMPOSER:  Don Peake

HORROR/THRILLER

Starring:  Susan Lanier, Robert Houston, Martin Speer, Dee Wallace, Russ Grieve, Virginia Vincent, John Steadman, James Whitmore, Lance Gordon, Michael Berryman, Janus Blythe, Cordy Clark, Brenda Marinoff, Peter Locke, and Flora

The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 exploitation and horror film written, edited, and directed by Wes Craven.  The film follows a California-bound family that has the misfortune of having car trouble in an area closed to the public and inhabited by violent savages.

Big Bob Carter (Russ Grieve) and his wife, Ethel (Virginia Vincent), are taking their children, son-in-law, and baby granddaughter to California when they accidentally go through an Air Force testing range.  They crash their car and trailer and are stranded in the desert.  Later that night, as the family looks for help, a cannibalistic clan attacks the family.  One by one, the clan picks off family members until the inbred marauders have left only half the family alive.  It’s up to the remaining members to fight back, rescue the kidnapped infant, and seek vengeance against their savage attackers.

A low budget 70’s horror film by horror master, director Wes Craven, The Hills Have Eyes helped Craven’s then growing reputation as a maker of fright flicks, especially coming on the heels of Last House on the Left.  The monsters really aren’t supernatural monsters, but they’re like the killers in Last House – savage humans living beyond even the farthest boundaries of civilization.   They are such outcasts that even domestic pets have a higher place in society than they do.

Forget the assumptions about Craven as a horror filmmaker.  The Hills Have Eyes is also a dramatic thriller about people fighting for their survival, even if that fight means the brutal deaths of their antagonists.  The Hills Have Eyes isn’t a great film, but it has its moments.  And like the best thrillers and horror films, The Hills Have Eyes is unsettling, frank, raw, and unrefined.  It’s not among Craven’s best work, but deserves to be seen as part of his larger body of filmmaking.  The Hills Have Eyes is a must see for true horror fans, and Michael Berryman as Pluto has become an iconic image in the horror film genre.

5 of 10
C+

Revised: Monday, August 31, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

"Weekly Shonen Jump" Jumps to comiXology and Amazon

VIZ Media’s Weekly Shonen Jump Debuts on comiXology and Amazon

New York, NY – VIZ Media, comiXology and Amazon announced the debut of Weekly Shonen Jump across the comiXology platform as well as Amazon’s Kindle Store. The English language digital manga magazine comes out weekly and is published simultaneously with the print version in Japan. This debut gives comiXology and Kindle fans a taste of the latest manga from Japan, on the same day, now accessible to English speakers across North America, the U.K., Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Today’s magazine contains chapters of such hit ongoing manga series as One Piece, Bleach, Blue Exorcist, My Hero Academia, and Food Wars! Shokugeki No Soma.

“Weekly Shonen Jump is a fan favorite magazine where emerging and long-running hit manga series are shown to the world first,” says Andy Nakatani, Editor-In-Chief of Weekly Shonen Jump, “We’re excited to expand the readership of this magazine to the comiXology and Kindle audience.”

“It’s amazing we live in an age where it’s possible for fans to read manga in English the same day as appears in Japan,” said Chip Mosher, comiXology VP of Communications & Marketing, “This is why we’re thrilled to share Weekly Shonen Jump on comiXology and Kindle as we’re now able to give fans access to the latest and greatest manga around.”

Weekly Shonen Jump is published digitally each week by VIZ Media and features the latest installments of some of the world’s most popular manga series released to English readers across North America, the U.K., Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand on the same day as the magazine’s general print release in Japan. Currently featured series include Black Clover, Bleach, Blue Exorcist, Food Wars! Shokugeki No Soma, My Hero Academia, Nisekoi, One Piece, One-Punch Man, Seraph Of The End: Vampire Reign, Toriko, World Trigger and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.

The Kindle Store gives readers access to millions of books on the most popular devices and platforms, including Fire tablets, Kindle e-readers, iOS, Android and more.

With over 75,000 comics, graphic novels and manga from more than 75 publishers, comiXology offers the widest selection of digital comics in the world. ComiXology’s immense catalog and cinematic Guided View reading experience make it the best digital platform for comics worldwide.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

About comiXology
ComiXology, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology's Guided View reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become a top ten grossing iPad app in 2011 and 2012 and the top grossing non-game iPad app in 2012 and 2013. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from over 75 publishers - and independent creators as well - comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan. ComiXology is based in New York City, with operations in Seattle, Los Angeles and Paris. For more information visit www.comixology.com.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, Fire TV, and Amazon Echo are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

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"Mad Max" the Video Game Takes Off

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Launches Mad Max

Experience the expansive post-apocalyptic, open-world game from Avalanche Studios for PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One and Windows PC
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced that Mad Max, the open-world, third-person action game developed by Avalanche Studios and set in a post-apocalyptic setting, is now available for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and Windows PC.

    “We can’t wait to see how players customize their Max characters, as well as their cars.”

The Mad Max video game introduces an original story set within the universe of Mad Max and features deep car customization that impacts its handling, metal-grinding vehicular action and gives players a vast arsenal of mobile weaponry within The Wasteland. Players become Max, the lone warrior who must fight to stay alive by engaging in vicious on-ground fighting, as well as physics-based vehicular combat, against savage factions who are fighting for domination and survival in this gritty, dynamic open-world.

“Mad Max is an iconic character, recently re-introduced to the world by the latest film, and now we’re introducing a new way for fans and gamers to experience the adventure-filled Wasteland universe in which he lives,” said Peter Wyse, Vice President, Group General Manager, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Avalanche Studios has created an expansive, beautiful open world environment that comes to life with a brand new story for Mad Max.”

“Avalanche Studios are big fans of Mad Max and creating an open-world game in such a brutal setting was right up our alley,” said Christofer Sundberg, Avalanche Studios Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. “We can’t wait to see how players customize their Max characters, as well as their cars.”

Following the theft of his iconic Interceptor, Max must align himself with a gifted, but peculiar, mechanic named Chumbucket to build the ultimate survival vehicle, something Chumbucket calls the “Magnum Opus.” Players design, customize and upgrade their essential vehicle by choosing from different car chassis and a myriad of upgrades including mounted weapons, armor and engines in the hopes of escaping to the Plains of Silence. Gamers must endure the open-world, post-apocalyptic environment that features a huge variety of encounters in a host of different locations throughout The Wasteland, many of them remnants of the world before the apocalypse. Players brave the treacherous landscapes, hostile weather patterns and deadly marauders, while accumulating Max’s equipment and weapons to survive by combining melee combat, gunplay and tactical techniques.

Mad Max is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB. For more information, visit www.madmaxgame.com, Facebook.com/MadMaxGame and Twitter.com/MadMaxGame.


About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc., is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all platforms, including console, handheld, mobile and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About Avalanche Studios
Avalanche Studios is the original creator of the award-winning Just Cause franchise, and is currently working on Just Cause 3 (published by Square Enix), slated for release in December 2015. The studio has created acclaimed twin stick shooter Renegade Ops (published by SEGA) and self-published free-to-play service theHunter (developed by subsidiary Expansive Worlds) with more than 5 million registered players across 190 countries. Avalanche Studios, which is based in Stockholm and New York City, was founded in 2003 by Christofer Sundberg and Linus Blomberg. The studio develops games built on its proprietary technology, the Avalanche Engine, enabling huge open worlds filled with emergent gameplay. More information is available at www.avalanchestudios.com.

MAD MAX software © 2015 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by Avalanche Studios. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

WB GAMES LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s15)
"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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Review: Original "Mad Max" Still Motoring

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mad Max (1979)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Australia
Running:  88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  George Miller
WRITERS:  James McCausland and George Miller
PRODUCER:  Byron Kennedy
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  David Eggby (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Cliff Hayes and Tony Paterson
COMPOSER:  Brian May

ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Geoff Parry, Vince Gil, John Ley, and Brendan Heath

Mad Max is a 1979 Australian near-future action movie and crime thriller from director George Miller and starring a young Mel Gibson.  Mad Max was the first movie in what is, to date, a four-film franchise.  This movie's story was originally conceived by the film's director (George Miller) and producer (Byron Kennedy).  Mad Max focuses on an Australian police officer who must eventually avenge the lives of his wife and toddler son and also the cop who was his partner.

Mad Max opens in a dystopian future that takes place “a few years from now.”  The roads of Australia are plagued by motorcycle gangs and other high-speed drivers.  Trying to keep the roads safe are the police officers of the MFP – Main Force Patrol – who pursue reckless road criminals.  The top pursuit-man is Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson).

Max has an encounter with a gang member known as the “Nightrider” (Vincent Gil), in which Nightrider is killed.  The vicious and cruel Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) leads “The Acolytes,” Nightrider's motorcycle gang, and the gang seeks payback against the MFP.  Their actions against Max's family and colleagues sets Max on a mission of vengeance against Toecutter.  In his supercharged Police Special, Max goes on hot pursuit with killing on his mind.

Mad Max is one of those rare films that has the misfortune living in the shadow of a better-known and more popular sequel.  1981's Mad Max 2 (known in the United States simply as The Road Warrior) was a huge hit when it was originally released in the U.S. in 1982.  The second film had an influence on American pop culture and references from and homages to the film continue to appear decades after its initial release.

Still, the first Mad Max remains both a unique and an exceptional film.  It is also darn-good fun to watch, and I wish that at least one of the Mad Max sequels was more like it.  Max Max seems to blend 1950s Film-Noir crime films (especially those about street cops) and 1970s action-movies about cars and motorcycles with the kind of dystopian science fiction films that defined the 1970s.

The result is a fast and efficient film with power that belies its size.  Mad Max is cool without being slick and pretty.  It is one of the few science fiction films that are entirely plausible or close to it.  Mad Max is also timeless, although its future scenario originally took place only “a few years” from 1979.

Director George Miller has apparently stated that the filming of Mad Max was unpleasant for him.  From his suffering came cinematic art, and a movie star was born.  Yes, Mad Max introduced the world to Mel Gibson, who would go on to be a fine actor, a worldwide movie star, and an award-winning filmmaker before his public behavior and private comments seemed to derail his career (at least as of this writing).  Before that however, the legend of Mad Max carried us deep into the Outback, and we were in the passenger seat with rising star.

8 of 10
A

Tuesday, May 26, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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