The worldwide success of "Mad Max" naturally led to a sequel.
Released on December 24, 1981, the film was widely known as "Mad Max 2″, except here in the states where it was retitled, "The Road Warrior".
Returning as Max is Mel Gibson and in the director's chair, is the first Mad Max director, George Miller.
Not only did this sequel receive critical acclaim, it is also considered by fans of the films to be the best of them.
This film takes off a few years after where the first left off.
The world as a whole has lost all economic and social stability.
A narrator in the opening of the film explains that due to massive energy shortages this led to the collapse of all order.
Then, followed by war between "...
two mighty warrior tribes", the world tumbles into total chaos.
With no law and order, roving bands of motorized marauders bring about what the narrative says is a, "whirlwind of looting and a firestorm of fear, in which men began to feed on men.
" Enter Max, who, with his dog, is little more than a scavenger who uses his training as a police officer and his powerful 'Interceptor' police car to survive against gangs of savage road pirates while he tries to get gasoline where ever he can to keep moving and escaping them.
He then runs into the pilot of a gyro-copter, (an ultra-lite homemade helicopter), played by Bruce Spence, who attempts to trap Max so he can steal his car and gasoline.
But Max turns the tables on him, and in order to save his own life, the pilot tells Max where he can get an almost endless supply of gas.
Max, along with his new captive finds the endless supply of gasoline.
Two problems arise for him however.
First, the gasoline is protected by a small group of people who, despite all that has happened, are civilized and good.
They are also housed inside a protective compound.
Second, along with Max, there's a large and vicious gang of outlaws that also covet the huge supply of gas.
This gang contains every degenerate form of human imaginable and is led by the 'Humungus", a muscular, facially scarred man who wears a hockey mask.
While the gang attacks the smaller more civilized group, the Humungus makes speeches to them, promising them their lives and freedom if they, as he puts it, "...
just walk away.
" Max decides to wait and watch for an opening that will get him a foot in the door Max sees his chance when the group inside the compound send out several vehicles in every direction to try to outrun their antagonizers and hopefully find some help.
Max and the gyro pilot watch as one group from the compound are immediately overtaken by members of Humungus' gang.
Max manages to save one of the dying survivors and makes a deal with him for some gasoline.
But shortly after Max gets the survivor back inside the compound, he dies and the deal is nullified.
Seen as just another untrustworthy scavenger, Max is about to be put to death on the orders of the groups leader, Pappagallo, portrayed by Micheal Preston, when the Humungus and his cohorts return with the remainder of the riders who were sent to get help earlier.
Some still barely alive, they won't be for long.
Once again, the Humungus makes the same offer as before.
Pappagallo and the others discuss frantically what their options may be.
There are not many.
They want to make a run for it, but without the precious gas, what's the point.
Max becomes the key when he explains to them that during his travels, he came up on a tanker that could haul the gasoline for them.
Pappagallo strikes a new deal with Max to get to the tanker and bring it back in one piece.
When night falls Max leaves the compound with all the gas he can carry, He stealthily sneaks past the Humongus' gang's campsite and in a few hours makes it to the tanker.
He fills it with gas and drives it straight through the camp of the Humungus.
With the help of the gyro pilot in his copter, some fancy driving and a little luck he's able to get inside the compound.
The tanker is in much need of repair but the groups main mechanic can fix it for the long and dangerous trip ahead.
Papagallo tries to talk Max into joining them for the journey, but Max refuses.
He collects the gas promised him in the deal and leaves.
Upon seeing his departure from the compound, the Humungus send several raiders after him.
Max makes it to the open road and seems to be more than able to outrun his pursuers.
But the gang has their vehicles rigged with nitrous oxide which when activated gives their cars twice their original speed.
They catch up to Max and smash in his windshield, causing him to hydroplane off the road and into a small canyon.
Max is badly injured in the wreck, but still manages to crawl away into hiding from the raiders who just sabotaged him and his vehicle.
Members of the gang rush down to get the gasoline from Max's 'Interceptor' and in the attempt they kill Max's dog.
But when they try to siphon the gas from his car, the unsuspecting gang members trigger a 'boobey trap' device Max had rigged to his gas tank.
The car explodes, killing those members of the gang.
Afterwards, the remaining gang members leave thinking Max is dead.
But life-saving help comes in the unlikely form of the gyro-captain who sweeps down and picks up Max, taking him back to the safety of the compound.
Max is treated for his wounds and despite looking like death warmed over, talks Pappagallo into letting him drive the tanker.
That following morning, the entire population of the compound head out in modified and makeshift vehicles with Max leading the way in the tanker.
Helping to cover their escape is the gyro-captain with his own special weapons, such as molotov cocktails and rattlesnakes.
Humungus sends in a group of his raiders into the now deserted compound to search for gasoline.
All they find however, is death and destruction when they trip an explosive trap, destroying them along with the compound.
Enraged even further by this, Humungus sends all his forces in hot pursuit after the gas and his intended human prey.
The group from the compound then separate, one group is comprised of most of the former residents of the compound.
They are all aboard a school bus with a few other vehicles to provide protection, while Max, the tanker of gas, Pappagallo, and some others make a dash for it in the opposite direction.
Humungus, obsessed with getting that gasoline, ignores the bus load of people and sends everything and everyone after the tanker.
The desperate gauntlet for Max and the others begins.
It doesn't take long for the small band to become surrounded on both sides by the Humungus' gang.
Using bolt shooters they try to take out the tanker's tires.
The gyro-captain flies in throwing his 'pet' rattlesnakes at the exposed raiders, in their panic they shoot the driver of their car, causing them to crash and burn.
In turn, Humungus, who carries a.
44 Magnum pistol gets off a shot at the gyro-copter.
With his engine damaged, the gyro-captain has to make a crash landing.
Humungus' raiders now attempt to board the besieged tanker.
Guards posted on top of the rig try to fight them off with some success, but eventually both are killed.
Then, Pappagallo is killed when Humungus spears him in the back with a three-pronged javelin.
Max is left alone to defend the tanker.
Very suspenseful ending as Max manages to kill Humungus' top man, then slams the rig head on into Humungus' vehicle, killing him instantly and wrecking the tanker.
Afterwards, a secret plan is revealed.
The tanker is full of...
sand.
The fuel was really aboard the school bus all along.
The narrator explains that the survivors from the compound go on to become a large and powerful tribe.
He finishes by saying that they never saw the 'Road Warrior' again.
But Max does return.