Director George Miller didn’t waste anytime giving cinemagoers everything they loved from the original Mad Max and more! After the deaths of his wife and child, Max (Mel Gibson) wanders the post-apocalyptic Australian outback, nomadically navigating a landscape descended into tribal warfare. The bare minimal plot was (mostly) abandoned for spectacular high speed chases that make it a must see for all action fans.
Miller matched then quickly exceeded expectations with this breakneck sequel to the genre original. The films startling use of the arid outback and perverse costuming again set the benchmark for other genre films, especially in the US and Europe where it spawned many imitations and is still referenced to this day in film, music video and fashion. Again Miller ups the ante with the white-knuckled practical stunts which he would go on to perfect in the award-winning Mad Max: Fury Road.
The trailer for Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior from the Warner Bros. YouTube channel
Related articles
Related works
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Stream, rent or buy via
Collection
In ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
183635
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Australia → MA-03. Car Culture → MA-03-C01
Object Types
Moving image file/Digital