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Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Nathan Jones, Angus Sampson, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Director: George Miller
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Your reviewer is not sure why movies featuring hot stars like Tom (The Dark Knight Rises) Hardy and Jim (The Passion of the Christ) Caviezel are so few and far between. It’s entirely possible Hollywood hasn’t recognised their worth. Or maybe, Messrs Hardy and Caviezel are just plain choosy.
Hardy stars as the titular hero of this new, wild, wacky edition of the character immortalised by the young Mel Gibson in Aussie helmer George Miller’s 1979 dystopian action film debut, the sequel in 1981 and the third installment in the franchise Beyond Thunderdome. Gibson should have been in Fury Road too but isn’t. I’m disappointed about that but pleased to say that Hardy is a worthy successor.
In the reboot, he plays a man in the run from a death cult which is clearly inspired by the evil, depraved ISIS. His female counterpart is Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who flees the death cult with a group of “breeders” aka wives of the savage self-serving warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who starves the populace and feeds an army of vampire-like creatures called Warboys with the blood of “universal donors” like Max.
Like Clint Eastwood from his spaghetti cowboy heyday, Hardy’s screen avatar is a taciturn loner haunted by dreams, nightmares and visions of the family he was unable to save. (Only think of Job whom tragedy was unable to reduce to nihilism). Our celluloid hero is a man who prefers anonymity, even as his Polish name (Max Rockatansky) evokes durability and dependability. Much in the manner of his illustrious literary namesake, Hardy is a pessimist and as they traverse the arid desert, warns the women not to cling to hope.
The post-apocalyptic setting ( the name Wasteland could well be a nod to T S Eliot’s epic poem) is evocative of Denzil Washington’s post-apocalyptic neo-Western and actioner, The Book of Eli. ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ is fast, furious and crammed with spills and chills, which will thrill adrenaline junkies. The fights and chase scenes are awesome! Most of all, I’m glad Miller and screenwriters refrain from a bleak outcome. Verily I say to you, gentle reader: Compassion redeems.
ronitatorcato@gmail.com
Ronita Torcato
