The first 10 minutes of Mad Max presents some of the hardest evidence in film concerning character, setting and plot compacted into sheer spectacle. This can further be cut down to the final 3 minutes of this opening scene. The scene that I am analyzing is one of great intensity, and one of the most breath taking car chases in the film. It begins with The Nightrider, in a stolen interceptor, being chased down by 5 MFP (Main Force Patrol), two in each car and one on a motorcycle. After nearly slaughtering a baby in the middle of the road and causing great destruction, both cars and Goose, who was on the motorcycle, crash, thus ending their chances of continuing the chase and making them, “Out of the game. Unable to continue pursuit” (Mad Max). Goose microphones to Max Rockatansky, the film’s protagonist, and warns him that it is up to him to stop the Nightrider. After playing Chicken with the Nightrider on the highway, Max causes the Nightrider to flip the vehicle which then explodes. This may seem like any typical action film with a random car chase, but this particular scene holds a much deeper meaning. The film’s opening action sequence sets the stage for everything that follows in the film.
In regards to Australian cinema, Gibson’s article states, “If you want the real Australia, look at the earth, not the people” (Gibson, 1999: 40). The Landscape reflects its people, and vice versa. If Landscape represents the people, the characters in Mad Max can be read right from the start. From the film’s opening shot, the Australian landscape remains vast and empty except for the desolate double lane of blacktop that cuts through it. As the viewer watches the car chase progress, the landscape for the majority of time is brown with dry fields and a dull grey skyline hovering above. This wide empty and static landscape foreshadows what the rest of the film will be overwhelmed by. Gibson also refers to the landscape as “ultimately untamable, conceding social subsistence but never allowing human dominance” (Gibson, 1999: 40). This suggests the idea of Max’s struggle to dominate the landscape, allowing him to represent the road that he is trying to protect as his territory. While Max is the personification of the road, The Nightrider portrays the barren and endless Australian landscape that surrounds them. As The Nightrider speeds uncontrollably while screaming obscene things at the top of his lungs, his brutality and recklessness are quite evident. Even though he is the only one of his gang shown in this clip, he encompasses the characteristics of his entire gang and the savagery of the Australian landscape that Max will have to deal with during the film.
So far I have only discussed men in the film, in particular, white men. As described in McFarlane’s article, “An important element of the ‘man’s country’ image is offered by Australian films” (McFarlane, 60). Just from this opening scene, it is evident that the film will be dominated by men. In this short clip we never actually get to see Max’s face. Instead he is shrouded in mystery as we are only given low, close shots of Max, nothing that reveals his full features. There is an air of toughness about him as the camera zooms up on only his eyes, which are covered by his aviator sunglasses, and then flashes to his black leather gloved hand slowly starting the car as the engine groans and we finally see the back image of his V8 Interceptor pull up to the road to enter the chase. Without even seeing Max’s face, the viewer already has a sense of his monumental coolness. McFarlane’s article also describes a typical image of the Australian male, “physically tough, capable of arduous work, quick to respond to perceived in justice” (McFarlane, 60). In just three minutes, it is evident that Max exemplifies all of these characteristics of masculinity. He took down The Nightrider when no one else had managed to in order to protect the law while showing no sign of apprehension.
Another key concept that this clip shows is mateship. Mateship is an important theme in Australian film (McFarlane, 62). When Goose skids across the pavement on his motorcycle he immediately contacts Max. The first thing Max asks is, “You okay Goose?” (Mad Max). This may not seem significant now, but the bond that these two share is an important one for the rest of the film. Inevitably, the death of Goose is half of what eventually makes Max go mad. The relationship and bond that Max and Goose share was one of great magnitude. After one of the gang members brutally burns Goose to death, Max decides he wants to avenge the death of his mate, and later on wife and son, by killing the remaining members left in The Nightriders gang. Max exemplified many key ideals that are important in Australian identity and go along with mateship, such as bravery, sacrifice, and masculinity.
The cinematography of the film does exactly what it should: it evokes loneliness and the necessity for the brutality many of the characters exhibit. The majority of camera shots in the opening scene come from the street level and tilt upwards, which allows for the buildup of intimidation to occur. This is portrayed throughout the remaining film to keep the viewer’s interest and anticipation of what will happen next. It’s amazing how a simple car chase can set the flavor of an entire film.
Gibson, Ross. ‘Camera Naturea: Landscape in Australian Feature Film’ in John Frow and Meaghan Morris, eds., Australian Cultural Studies (St. Leonard’s: Allen & Unsin, 1993), 209-221
Mad Max. George Miller. Film. 1979.
McFarlane, Brian. “Ch.4: Mates and Others in a Wide Brown land: Images of Australia,” in McFarlane, Australian Cinema 1970-1985 (Melbourne: Heinemann, 1987), 47-69
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