This is the UK press-kit for the third movie in George Miller’s original (Mel Gibson-starring) Mad Max series.

I was never much of a fan of the first movie (although it did give us a terrific French poster, which I am still trying to track down for a reasonable price). Mad Max 2 (aka The Road Warrior) is though an action classic, and IMHO by far the best in the series.  Thunderdome doesn’t quite reach those heights, although it does have many memorable moments, including the fight sequences in the Thunderdome itself. 

For me, too, it contains one of the very best shots in any action movie, and this is what sticks in my mind most about this film. 

At the climax, a rag-tag band of survivors is attempting to escape in a small plane.  Bandits are however bearing down on them, resulting in “not enough runway.” Max promises to sort it out, and there follows a reverse tracking shot of the plane at a a low angle coming towards us at speed.  At which point, Max pulls out in his previously hidden car from behind it, and overtakes to cut a path for them, leading to his almost-certain death. It is a terrifically economically staged sequence, without dialogue. Miller is absolutely at the top of his game here.

The movie also includes a rare (and very decent) movie appearance by Tina Turner, as the “Auntie” of Bartertown. (She also contributed “We Don’t Need Another Hero” to the soundtrack). Miller seemed to like casting musicians, as Aussie rocker Angry Anderson (of Rose Tattoo) plays her sidekick.