Mad Max: Collector's Edition

Director George Miller has often referred to his original "Mad Max" - just released onto Blu-ray in a special edition from Shout Factory - as a western on wheels. It's easy to see why: Mel Gibson's character is a morally conflicted lawman tasked with taking out the outback's rowdiest outlaws. He may as well be Clint Eastwood. And when those outlaws take his family from him, he goes cold: He becomes a warrior burdened only by righteous wrath. This is more than a narrative. It's a myth.

Miller makes it mythic by replicating the visual style of defining western films. Check out our first introduction to Max - it's right out of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." We get close-ups of black racing gloves, burning wheels, and a bustling engine. Max's body is broken down to its iconic parts before we've ever even seen it in full. He's not a person. He's the living embodiment of the lone rider archetype, and he's on wheels.

The new Blu-ray release from Shout Factory packs in a number of extra features: For starters, there's 30 minutes worth of new interviews (with Mel Gibson, co-star Joanne Samuel, and cinematographer David Eggby) where the cast and crew offer their memories of the shoot, and their thoughts on the legacy that the film has built up. There's also an audio commentary track (with Eggby and other members of the crew,) as well as trailers, and a few short documentaries. The first one ("Film Phenomenon") considers the long-lasting influence of the low-budget original, while the second ("The High Octane Birth of a Superstar") contemplates the way that this movie turned Mel Gibson into a star overnight.

A number of the interviews mention that "Max" was more than just a car-chase picture. It's a movie determined to express something about the place where it's set, and about the people who live there. That this small-time effort has led all the way to the massive contemporary sequel "Fury Road" is almost surreal. But even that evolution feels true to the spirit of westerns. All myths need to start somewhere.

"Mad Max"
Blu-ray
shoutfactory.com
$19.97