The Mad Max Movies

So writes leading film writer Adrian Martin in this sparkling new appreciation of the movies that rudely shook up Australian cinema and made Mel Gibson and George Miller internationally famous

Martin compares the three Mad Max movies-Mad Max, Mad Max 2 and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome-sharing his views on which works best and why. In a chapter dedicated to each film, he looks at their critical reception and their themes, examines Miller's shooting techniques and provides a shot-by-shot analysis of integral scenes

Since Mad Max roared onto cinema screens in 1979, the films have developed a worldwide cult following and provoked numerous debates as to their meaning: a study of masculinity in crisis, an investigation of good versus evil, a celebration of the Western (with wheels), or a frightening vision of the post-apocalypse

Martin explores these diverse interpretations in his fascinating account of three of Australia's most influential films