Mad Max (1979)

Mad Max rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb6.8/10· 244K votes

Rotten Tomatoes89%

Metacritic73%

TMDb6.677/10· 5K votes

With 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 6.8/10 on IMDb and 73/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Mad Max

In the ravaged near-future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police force hell-bent on stopping them.

Cast of Mad Max

• 

  Mel Gibson

  as Max Rockatansky

• 

  Joanne Samuel

  as Jessie Rockatansky

• 

  Hugh Keays-Byrne

  as Toecutter

• 

  Steve Bisley

  as Jim Goose

• 

  Tim Burns

  as Johnny the Boy

• 

  Roger Ward

  as Fifi

• 

  Vincent Gil

  as Nightrider

• 

  Lulu Pinkus

  as Nightrider's Girl

• 

  Lisa Aldenhoven

  as Nurse

• 

  David Bracks

  as Mudguts

• B

  Bertrand Cadart

  as Clunk

• 

  David Cameron

  as Underground Mechanic

Mad Max facts

Budget

$350K

Box office

$100M

Collection

Mad Max Collection

Our take on Mad Max

George Miller's 1979 debut launched a franchise on a shoestring, imagining a ravaged near-future where a savage motorcycle gang terrorizes the roads and a stretched police force struggles to hold the line. Shot with raw energy and startling vehicular ferocity, it's leaner and grittier than its epic sequels—more revenge thriller than post-apocalyptic spectacle, following one lawman pushed past the edge. The Australian setting and low-budget grime give it a genuinely dangerous feel. A foundational action film for viewers curious about where the series began, and anyone who likes their thrillers stripped down, fast, and mean. Expect brutal chases over world-building and gloss.