Sunday, July 16, 2006
BIKERS
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
Odd, I was sure that I saw this film but I did not. I remember the sequel, Road Warrior, which we will see later.
The third film in the series, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdrome, did not make the cut.
This is a biker flick.
It is an American International picture made in Australia. That should tell us all we need to know about the film.
The language is in Australian and I did not put on the English subtitles but I think that I got most of it.
Mel Gibson—the pre-boring Mel—says his lines as clear as a bell. He was brought up American, after all.
Since all the rest, except his wife, are thugs, it doesn't matter what they say as it is all unrelievably nasty.
I hate to admit that I enjoyed it. It is finely filmed and edited for the maximum adrenalin rush. Quite skillful.
We are treated to only the minimum, necessary horror to get in the mood for some really kick ass revenge at the end.
It is also a good setup for the second film, that I do remember, which has Max still on a rampage and very, very angry.
I liked this first one.
It is not to my personal taste.
I wouldn't voluntarily go to see one of these things.
But I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5 for the extremely skillful story-telling and the dexterity in the filmed/edited final product.
I think that it is very difficult to rise above a genré like this and they manage it quite well.
