George Miller's first entry in a trilogy, Mad Max is lean and spry compared its maniacal follow-ups (The Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome), but it still packs brutal action and insane stunts as it follows the inevitable downfall of relentless cop Max Rockatansky in a world gone mad. Living on the edge of an apocalypse (which seems as much cultural as unnatural, thanks to some of the most bizarre characters ever committed to film), Max is ready to run far away from it all with his family. But when he makes an unfortunate encounter with a motorcycle gang and its menacing leader, the Toecutter, his retreat from the madness of the world is now a race for his family's life.