Max Rockatansky
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| Max Rockatansky | |
|---|---|
 Max in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior |
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| First appearance | Mad Max (1979) |
| Created by | George Miller and Byron Kennedy |
| Portrayed by | Mel Gibson |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Mad Max |
| Aliases | The Road Warrior |
| Occupation | Police officer |
| Spouse(s) | Jessie (deceased) |
| Children | Sprog (deceased) |
| IMDb profile | |
"Mad" Max Rockatansky, sometimes referred to as The Road Warrior, is the main character from director George Miller's Mad Max film trilogy, appearing in the films Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Max is played by Mel Gibson.
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[edit] Mad Max
In Mad Max, Max Rockatansky is a Main Force Patrol officer fighting for peace on the roads of a dystopic Australia. Max is quiet, rarely speaking to any great extent, and never paying much attention to his steadily increasing reputation. He is an outstanding pursuit driver and is emotionally complex, often laughing and joking with his peers and his wife, Jessie, with whom he is very much in love.
Though the best officer on the force, he is secretly afraid that he is becoming cold and heartless like the criminals he pursues. Max is eventually unable to cope with the loss of his friend, wife, and infant son. As a result, he carries out the ruthless revenge killings of those responsible for their deaths.
[edit] Mad Max 2 (aka The Road Warrior)
In this film, set less than five years after the first film, Max, while wandering the wasteland of the outback, discovers a besieged group of people manning a remote oil drilling station and refinery. After losing nearly all of his remaining worldly possessions, including his dog and his car, the "Pursuit Special", Max, with few options, agrees to help the refinery's denizens to escape.
In this film, although Max has lost everything, he is able to find, at least in part, his humanity once again. However, he still cannot form any significant bonds with others and chooses to continue wandering the Earth alone, once more.
[edit] Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
In this edition of the Mad Max series, it has been just under 20 years since Max Rockatansky left his life behind him following his revenge killings of the Toecutter and his gang, and his later defeat of Humungus. Since that time he has wandered through the outback, scavenging whatever he needed for survival. His hair has grown long, and very few remnants of his old police uniform remain recognizable.
In this movie, Max is able to finally to complete the full circle. He regains his humanity and soul, once again, and sacrifices his own freedom (and, possibly his life) for the sake of others.
[edit] Max's age and timeline of events
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This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) |
In the official movie magazine for Beyond Thunderdome it is stated that Beyond Thunderdome is set 18 years after Road Warrior (George Miller is quoted as saying Beyond Thunderdome takes place 13 years after Road Warrior). There is also mention in the Beyond Thunderdome script that Bartertown is the first civilization that Max has seen in almost 20 years. Assuming he has not been back to civilization since Jessie and Sprog died that would put Mad Max 18 years prior to Beyond Thunderdome, not counting the people he meets holed-up in the refinery in Road Warrior.
[edit] Equipment
During the first two films, Max makes use of a V8 Pursuit Special, though he drives a different vehicle (an MFP Interceptor) earlier in the first film. In the third movie, after the destruction of the Pursuit Special, Max acquires a caravan resembling an Armoured personnel carrier, which he later loses.
Max is armed with a revolver (which he never uses, or even draws) during his time with the Main Force Patrol, though once Jesse and Sprog are killed, he favours a sawn-off shotgun. The shotgun is his weapon of choice (though he gains several more during the course of his time in the wasteland) until it is confiscated upon his arrival in Bartertown.
In the third film, he is shown to have a plethora of weapons hidden on his person, including his shotgun, a Mauser C96, several other pistols, a crossbow, and a collection of knives, all of which are confiscated.
[edit] Abilities
Max's most apparent skill is his driving. At the time of Mad Max, he was considered the "top pursuit man" in the MFP. He can easily pursue or evade gangs in the wastes as the situation dictates, even ramming or outdriving them off the road. This skill is apparent in a wide range of vehicles, as he is able to drive a large truck after sustaining severe injuries. He can even shoot while driving.
Max is established to have lightning quick reflexes by Mad Max 2. He is capable of grabbing a snake before it can bite him. This leads Auntie Entity to choose him to kill Master Blaster in Mad Max 3, as he was the only one to survive her "interview".
Max also displays a fair amount of mechanical ability, since he can perform minor repairs on his own vehicle, and can even rig it to explode, should someone try to take his fuel.
It is worth noting that a number of "Hero rules" don't apply to Max. Gunshot trauma to his left leg during the events of Mad Max is still apparent in Mad Max 2, as he walks with a slight limp and wears a leg brace, and still even wears a bandage on the knee in Mad Max 3. He has also had multiple near-death experiences almost all of which occur due to car crashes.
[edit] External links
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