The New York Times recently released a list of the Top 100 Films of the 21st century that includes titles from a multitude of genres, but only a few action movies made the cut, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Hurt Locker, and Inception. It should come as no surprise that the highest-ranked action film, coming in at number 11 on the list, is Mad Max: Fury Road. The fourth installment of George Miller’s Mad Max franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road is remembered for its meticulously choreographed, high-octane action sequences and is often considered one of the best action films ever made, and for good reason. Set in a desolate post-apocalyptic society overseen by a ruthless warlord who hoards the earth’s precious resources, the film is much more than its pulse-pounding action and has become even more relevant in the ten years since its release. Nominated for ten Oscars and winning six, Mad Max: Fury Road was a huge undertaking that took over a decade to actually complete, but the end result is an epic masterpiece.
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Is the Best Action Film of the Past 25 Years
Director Steven Soderbergh summed up Mad Max: Fury Road best when he said, “I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.” Defined by its spectacular action sequences, Mad Max: Fury Road operates with near-relentless intensity. Though it would certainly help contextualize the film and understand the lore, Mad Max: Fury Road doesn’t require you to have seen the previous three films in the franchise, throwing you straight into this bizarre post-apocalyptic wasteland and trusting you to keep up. Going in blind may actually enhance the experience and leave you walking away with an even greater feeling of “WTF did I just watch?” The sheer scale of the production of Mad Max: Fury Road is impressive enough on its own, utilizing over 150 stunt performers and mostly practical effects to create an immersive, action-packed experience. There’s an entire book dedicated to the making of the film published in 2022, called Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road.
Related
The 10 Best Action Movies of the Last 25 Years, Ranked
Which action movie deserves the number one spot?
Mad Max: Fury Road is led by Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky and Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa. Max is held captive by Immortan Joe’s (Hugh Keays-Byrne) War Boys because of his universal blood type, while Furiosa serves as one of Joe’s officers, tasked with driving the War Rig to trade water, breast milk, and produce for gasoline and bullets with two of Joe’s allies. A number of War Boys, with Max in tow, accompany her on her trip, but Furiosa soon goes rogue and changes course, and it’s revealed that she’s secretly smuggled Immortan Joe’s five wives out of the Citadel with her to escape slavery. Max and Furiosa reluctantly team up along the way, both having been exploited by Immortan Joe. Though Hardy and Theron reportedly didn’t get along on set, Max and Furiosa’s dynamic anchors the film, forgoing romance and instead defined by mutual respect for the other’s tenacity and survival instinct.
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Is So Much More Than Its Action Sequences
Mad Max: Fury Road didn’t place so high up on The New York Times list simply because of its incredible action sequences. There is considerable depth to its largely straightforward narrative about survival and collective resistance to capitalist, patriarchal oppression. The aging Immortan Joe hoards the earth’s scarce resources for himself and his family to keep the people under his thumb, encouraging them not to become “addicted to water.” The horrific consequences of ecological collapse lead to large-scale exploitation at the hands of Immortan Joe. He serves as a cult leader, chasing eternal life and promising to lead his devoted War Boys to Valhalla, who willingly and enthusiastically sacrifice themselves for him. People are treated as expendable objects – Max is often referred to as a “blood bag,” while the women are nothing but breeders and milk machines in Immortan Joe’s eyes.
Not every action movie with a female lead is automatically a feminist action movie, but Mad Max: Fury Road has very clear feminist themes. Furiosa is a badass protagonist to be sure, but also vulnerable and even hopeful, yearning to return to the matriarchal society she was raised in before she was kidnapped and taken to the Citadel. Tired of being used as sex slaves, Immortan Joe’s wives, led by The Splendid Angharad (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), stage their revolt against him and liberate themselves with Furiosa’s help. The film highlights the importance of solidarity among women in a society that treats them as commodities to be bought, sold, and used as breeding stock. And for a film full of brutality, violence, and death, the value of empathy and simple human kindness is at the heart of Mad Max: Fury Road, showing how people joining together can reclaim their humanity and topple authoritarian regimes.
Mad Max: Fury Road is now streaming on Netflix.