Mad Max (1979)

A vision of an apocalyptic future set in the wastelands of Australia. Total social decay is just around the corner in this spectacular cheap budget gang orientated road movie, where the cops do their best to lay down the law and the outlaw gangs try their hardest to defy the system. Leather clad Max Rockatansky husband, father and cop turns judge, juror and executioner after his best friend, wife and baby are killed. Here we see the final days of normality of a man who had everything to live for, and his slip into the abyss of madness. Mad Max is the antihero on the road to vengeance and oblivion.

An astonishing achievement given how low the budget was, Mad Max still impresses as a tense, violent and exciting work of pulp fiction. Granted, the pace slackens occasionally, but this is a great B-movie with extra punch thanks to some thrilling chase sequences and kinetic editing and camera-work.

It's a bit rough around the edges, and the bombastic soundtrack by Brian May (most definitely not the Queen guitarist of the same name) is a little overcooked when not scoring the action sequences, but this is a very good start to a series that would get even better with Mad Max 2.