Mad Max (1979) - Parents Guide Movie Rating

MPA: R BBFC: 15 Maturity Rating 16+

BBFC Reason: strong threat, violence, injury detail

BBFC Ratings info: Mad Max is the original 1979 film that started the series of action drama films. In the near future, a cop embarks on a mission of vengeance against a lawless biker gang and its sadistic leader. Threat: There is strong threat, including: a couple trapped in a car being attacked by a gang armed with axes and sledgehammers; a shotgun being pushed into a man's mouth; a woman being stalked through a forest; a woman running along a road, with a child in her arms, being chased by a motorcycle gang. A man trapped in an overturned car is also threatened with it being set on fire. Violence: There is strong violence, including a man being shot in the leg and having his arm run over, and a man on a motorcycle being hit by a truck; bloody injury results. There is also a scene that shows the aftermath of a road accident in which the driver hangs out of a window with blood on his head and face. There is one use of strong language ('f**k') and brief nudity.

Sex & Nudity

mild

A man and a woman are shown sleeping in a car, it looks like the woman is topless at first but she is later shown wearing a bra. (No nudity) Two villains try to have sex with a mannequin they are stopped but the mannequin is topless. A sex scene with a couple seconds of nudity is shown in the grass There is a sex scene at the beginning of the movie. However, it is very brief and at a distance, nothing much is shown. A fully-clothed sex scene, lasting about 3 minutes. We see a man's butt as he runs through some tall grass.

Violence & Gore

moderate

Many scenes of Toecutters gang terrorizing the town. A tiny amount of blood is shown when a character's arm is cut open in a car crash. An injured driver hangs out of a car window after a road accident. He has blood on his head and face. Max is shot in the knee. The bloody wound is shown briefly. Max's arm is run over by a motorcycle. It happens quick and there are no details, although he grunts in pain briefly. A severely burned hand is shown for a few seconds. Several car chases, many resulting in crashes. When the leader of the biker gang is run over by a truck at the film's climax, there is a cut to a long shot which appears to show some of his severed limbs lying on the road. Officer Jim Goose is killed when Johnny throws a barrel full of flammable oil in his car, and Toecutter throws a match, setting him alight. We only see the the initial shot of Goose being set on fire, and the scene quickly cuts away to a new scene, however, when Max visits the hospital, we do see a quick shot of Goose's burnt hand. We do not see the rest of the body.

Profanity

mild

One use of asshole hell- 2, shit- 2, ass- 1, bitch- 1, fuck- 1, crap- 1

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

mild

There is some minor drinking. A man smokes a cigar

Frightening & Intense Scenes

moderate

Max is shot in the knee and has his arm run over briefly while trying to reach his gun. Some intense chases and scenes of the gang terrorizing the small city. A young man and woman are terrorized by a motorcycle gang who violently destroy their car while they are inside it. They are dragged out and it is implied that both are raped offscreen - a member of the gang forcefully grabs the woman so that she is straddling him, and the man is later seen running away and completely naked. A mother and baby are run over by a motorcycle gang. Not shown on screen but may be upsetting to some viewers.