What is the movie Mad Max about?
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian action film directed by George Miller, starring Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a police officer seeking revenge against a violent motorcycle gang in a collapsing near-future Australia.
The film was made on a very small budget, around 350,000 dollars, using real roads around Melbourne. It became one of the most profitable films ever made, earning many millions worldwide.
Mel Gibson, then a young actor, became an international star after the film's success. Miller, a former doctor, had seen car crash victims and drew on that experience.
A franchise is born
Sequels followed: Mad Max 2 in 1981, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985, Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015 and Furiosa in 2024.
Mad Max 2, filmed near Broken Hill and Silverton, defined the post-apocalyptic desert look of leather costumes, modified cars and wasteland that was later copied in films, video games and music videos worldwide.
The series influenced generations of action filmmakers, and Fury Road won six Academy Awards. Silverton has a small Mad Max museum, and fans visit the outback locations to see where the films were shot.
Did You Know?
Mad Max held the Guinness record as the most profitable film relative to its budget for about 20 years.