Mad Max 2

Mad Max 2 (also known as The Road Warrior and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. The film is the second installment in the Mad Max film series, with Mel Gibson starring as Max Rockatansky. The film's tale of a community of settlers moved to defend themselves against a roving band of marauders follows an archetypical "Western" frontier movie motif, as does Max's role as a hardened man who rediscovers his humanity when he decides to help the settlers. Filming took part in locations around Broken Hill, in the outback of New South Wales.

Mad Max 2 was released on 24 December 1981, and received ample critical acclaim. Observers praised the visuals and Gibson's role. Noteworthy elements of the film also include cinematographer Dean Semler's widescreen photography of Australia's vast desert landscapes; the sparing use of dialogue throughout the film; costume designer Norma Moriceau's punk mohawked, leather bondage gear-wearing bikers; and its fast-paced, tightly edited and violent battle and chase scenes.

Mad Max 2 (soundtrack)

Mad Max 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is a soundtrack album for the 1981 film, Mad Max 2 (also known as The Road Warrior), composed by Brian May. It was released on vinyl in the United States in 1982 by Varèse Sarabande, followed by a CD release on 25 October 1990.

Overview

In 1981, composer Brian May reteamed with director George Miller and producer Byron Kennedy to write the music for Mad Max 2. Unlike the score for the previous film, May approached the music with a more legato and grandeur frame of reference. "It was an optimistic picture, and it was really like a modern revival of an old Western," said May. "Whereas in Mad Max I had a jagged brass, very atonal and difficult to play, in Mad Max 2 I had deep basses, cellos, and lots of short motifs that were not totally melodic but were just enough to be unified."

The score also bares resemblance to the Western genre, featuring a refined orchestra that differs from the first film. It is also often compared to "Mars, the Bringer of War" from Gustav Holst's orchestral suite The Planets.