Mad Max (1979)

The initial entry in director George Miller's "Mad Max" series offered a star-making turn by Mel Gibson as Max Rokatansky, a fed-up Australian cop in the near future whose decision to retire from the force is railroaded by the death of his wife and daughter at the hands of a murderous gang of cycle-riding marauders. Co-stars Joanne Samuel, Steve Bisley. Includes the original Australian audio track that had been previously unheard in America. 94 min. C/Rtg: R

The Road Warrior (1981)

Director George Miller's landmark and influential sci-fi actioner set in a bleak post-apocalyptic Australia became a cult hit and made Mel Gibson a global star. Gibson returns as burned-out adventurer Max Rockatansky, who's enlisted to help a band of refugees cross a vast wasteland, along the way battling hordes of punkish marauders on tricked-out vehicles out to steal their gasoline, the most valuable commodity available in this nightmarish world. With Bruce Spence, Vernon Wells. 95 min. C/Rtg: R

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

The third film in the futuristic "Road Warrior" series pits Max (Mel Gibson)-perhaps not quite as "mad" as he once was-against the sadistic residents of Bartertown and their leader, Auntie Entity (Tina Turner). Perceived as a messiah by a tribe of wild children, the leather-clad nomad finds it in his heart to lead them to their "promised land." Director/co-writer George Miller's sci-fi epic co-stars Bruce Spence, Angelo Rossitto, Paul Larsson. 107 min. C/Rtg: PG-13