Motor-cycle madness

Press, 30 May 1983, Page 4

Motor-cycle madness

Mad Max. Directed by George Miller. Screenplay by James McCausland and George Miller. It is not easy to write a review about a movie like “Mad Max” (Carlton) because, for a four-year-old film, most of its interest lies on the fact that it has been banned by the censors of this country until how. I would like to talk about this film’s originality and technical expertise in the action scenes — particularly the car and motorcycle crashes. However, what most people seem to associate “Mad Max” with is the fact that it had been forbidden for screening by some government decree.

On its eventual release here, unfortunately, this is the factor which will drive many people to see it — instead of the fact that it is a “bloody” good show. This administration’s worries, at the time of its first release in Australia in 1979, were based on the fear and influence it may have on New Zealand bikie gangs: giving them new ideas.

Of course, these antisocial influences have infiltrated this country anyway — just try to recollect some of the brutal and bizarre murders that have been committed here in the last couple of years, while the police are still fretting over some of the unsolved crimes of 10 years ago. What is laughable is the fact that Marlon Brando’s “The Wild One” was released here a couple of years ago, while the questionable freedom of “Hell’s

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Angels" and “Easy Rider” was admitted long before. “Mad Max 2” was shown in Christchurch early last year — and this also was nasty and violent. Its redeeming feature seemed to be that the director, George Miller, had set it a little further in the future, and made its characters appear as pop-out clowns from a moving comic strip. With the original “Mad Max,” however, the problems are much closer to

those that we may encoun--ter on our way home to-’ night. Thus, the feeling of; immediate horror is much: closer. , The original “Mad Max”, has been described as aGothic horror story set only a few years from now urban society is in terminal decay, while the inter-city highways have become: white-line nightmares. It is the arena for ai strange, apocalyptic death: game between nomad bikies' and a small group of young: law enforcers, who ares there to chase our sons in. “souped-up” pursuit cars. |

On their rampage, the bikies are not amusing. Funnily enough, neither are the; black-leather policemen, who always seem to arriveabout three minutes after: the last atrocity. These cops are supposed: to be out to curtail the ; bikies and, sometimes, they ; do. The film, however, tries to make a point about moral degeneration, which , leaves the audience puzzled about which side to be on. Perhaps I am an idealist, but meeting violence with violence is not the solution — it only leads on to another box-office success like “Mad Max 2.”

i After finally seeing the original “Mad Max,” I am not surprised that it could have engendered a sequel. Both films are great fun — if you forget about the question of morality.