Mad Max

Human settlements teeter in the waning days of a decrepit civilization, police stations and courts still function, but everything seems flimsy in the face of an approaching crime wave. Police Officer Max (Mel Gibson) knows the times of arrests and court hearings is long gone and heads out to face the barbarians in his hearse-black cruiser. George Miller’s classic is not a cyberpunk film in the strict sense. It’s more of a post-apocalyptic Western, but it betrays a fascination with social outcasts and rock’n’roll styling typical of the former genre. However, a fear underpins this fascination and the gang members are not the relaxed hippies from Easy Rider, but the missing links between apes and cave-men, while Max’s leather jacket reflects macho power rather than rebellion.