A few thoughts: The film that made Mel Gibson a star and spawned several of the most well-loved and acclaimed dystopian action sequels of all-time. While the praise gets heaped onto this movie from pretty much every direction, I'm slightly more tempered in my reaction, as I appreciate it for what it accomplished, but still can't see myself considering it among the greatest sci-fi/dystopian movies ever made. I like how this movie shows a civilization on the verge of collapse setting the tone for the wild sequels, in that limbo where some of the greats belong (RoboCop and A Clockwork Orange, for example). Probably the last great car/chase movie of the 1970s, this isn't like 'Vanishing Point', relying entirely on the stunts for the movie to work, but instead features chases and action sequences sporadically and with purpose. I was surprised at how the movie approached the revenge aspect of the story, never falling to the lows of exploitation. This is an impressive and effective movie that balances a lot of genres and ideas well.
Fans of me grounded dystopians and chase movies, though I'd probably recommend it to more people than that, even if just for the influences it had.
My grade: B
No comments:
Post a Comment