i remember all the manbabies having a cow because the movie's main characters were all ladies. BUT IT'S CALLED MAD "MAX" WHO ARE THESE LADIES. dude...max stumbles into these stories...it's never HIS story...
@@Butterflier00 I'm convinced that the whiners have never actually watch the stuff they're complaining about. I had someone complaining to me about how they didn't like Star Trek anymore now that it's full of moral/political messages. I mean have they ever watched TNG or TOS? It's full of "racism is bad" and "why shouldn't people be able to choose the gender that is truest to them?"
i absolutely adore how this fight scene, despite being two men trying to defeat six women five of whom are (a) scantily clad and (b) literally cutting off their chastity belts in the lead-up to the fight, does not sexualize the fight *at all*. Like, each person is just a combatant with varying degrees of kill-ability to each other combatant, and no time is spent calling attention to anyone's sex appeal, and none of the actors appear to have been directed to make their movements look "good" or to play into any sexual chemistry through the fight. All of the characters are here to do things, not to be looked at. Given that the plot concerns, you know, all of the characters involved in the fight escaping being treated as things (ie objectification) and especially the Wives escaping sexual slavery, it's definitely a relief that the camera does not objectify them.
You missed a spot: When Furiosa hits the door the bolt cutters damage the part of the door the chain goes through. So when she gets hit with the door and recovers - Max is not just aimlessly moving around in the background. The door's broken now and he's freeing the chain going through them, he does it just in time to yank it and trip Furiosa.
I also think that maybe Max fired the shotgun to make sure it didn't have any shells left in case Furiosa managed to disarm him and take it from him. Which she did. And it saved his life.
@@7PlayingWithFire7 Nux fired the first shell at Furiosa when he was chasing her ("Crew get out of the way!"), the other shell was a dud when Max tried to shoot off Nux's arm. So Max knew well he was threatening Furiosa with an empty gun.
I love that they didn't make a big deal about emphasizing Furiosa having one hand. There were no closeups and barely any "oh, look, she has to mess with her prosthetic" shots. The first time I watched this scene, I still didn't realize that she was down a hand. When it all clicked, later in the movie, my brain went back to this scene and i had an "ohhhhhh she is just THAT MUCH more badass now."
I loved the realism of how Max basically dominated the fight due to his size and strength yet would lose the upper hand every time the wives intervened. The only time Furiosa had the upper hand was when she bummed rushed him and caught him by surprise. I don't think Max had any intention of killing Furiosa. He just wanted to win. Furiosa, on the other hand had no idea what Max's intentions were. She felt she had to protect the wives and was willing to lay down her life for them. So she fought like a caged animal.
I also love how much character development the wives get during this fight. At first they're timid, completely unsure how to help Furiosa but by the end of the fight they're holding their own. For example, Angharad comes up with the "pull the chain to get Max off Furiosa" move, and then later the Dag uses it to save Furiosa again. In another example, at the beginning of the fight Max scares all the wives off with just a snarl but later they learn that though they have no combat experience there is strength in numbers, and together they subdue Nux These actions show that while the Wives are very unused to being in combat or having look after themselves, they learn quick, think quicker, and are determined to do what it takes to escape
For the record, "whatever that was" was a functioning sound system on a functioning diesel vehicle with a guy playing a functioning guitar and a functioning flame thrower, because George Miller is willing to use CG to keep actors safe but demands his practical effects work. "Realistic when it can be" isn't just a possible movie tagline, it's a way of life for George Miller. But mercy as a survival tool is also an important take away!
"...mercy as a survival tool..." Thank you. I am definitely going to need to contemplate that for a few hours. It's beautiful, surprising, true. (something, something, my own trauma, something, something)
I remember watching the bonus features on the DVD and the prop guy said he built the guitar prop, showed it to George Miller, and George went "now how does it shoot fire?" and the prop guy was like "you want it to shoot fire?!"
@@elizabethlockhart2103 That was production designer Colin Gibson, he brought Miller to the workshop to show him the Doof Wagon with the sound system. George Miller wanted everything to be functional so he told Colin to 'plug it in' but it didn't work, Colin took Miller aside and told him 'George this is a prop, we'll do the sound in post" and George was like "No it has to work". So they made the speakers work, the guitar worked as well but it was sounding like dogshit so they overdubbed everything in post anyway. But the flames were real.
A dumb drivey-shooty-fighty film, thought I. Cardboard acting, thought I. Dumb fun, thought I. Boy was I wrong. The more I watched it, the more points I came to appreciate.
One of the best things about Fury Road is that it is a drivey-shooty-fighty film, and it knows that, but it refuses to be dumb. It is a very smart, very deliberate, expertly-crafted drivey-shooty-fighty film. And it is all the more fun for it.
I'm staggered by how... oh, forty viewings down the line, it still reveals more to me. It feels like it should be threadbare, but because it's so heavy on visual storytelling and the script is so tautly worded that it's thematically dense as hell, while still being very lean in terms of exposition and all.
Honestly it reminds me of the first Tremors. Ridiculous on paper, and as concept, but it WORKS. Because there are NO idiot balls in it. NONE of the characters are dumb. Even today in high budget horror and monster movies there is almost always someone who has to be an idiot, or the plot would not be able to continue. It's the same with Fury Road, it is over the top, SHOULD be stupid (but isn't) and still fun in the very drivey chasey shooty way.
And yet some people STILL talk about how it "Has no plot! It's just a 90 minute chase scene!" Seriously. This is an action film masterclass, start to finish.
I think people are conditioned to think a plot requires multiple convoluted storylines culminating in a 'mind blowing' pointless twist that doesn't actually make any sense..
I was gobsmacked by the scene where the War Rig is rolled on to its side to block the pass. I was flabbergasted when I watched the "making of" video and saw that the roll was done for real; with such speed and precision. It really is a master class in practical stunt work and in the correct use of CGI to enhance scenes rather than fake them. Definitely the best Mad Max in my book, and probably one of my favourite action movies.
I also saw it multiple times in the theater. Easily one of my favorite all time films of quality. Instant classic, and a masterpiece on so many levels.
There's also some nice 'Dramatic Irony' in the misfire at 3:18 - Max's sawn-off has a habit of misfiring at critical moments. The set up here is perfect because you have just enough time to "of course it failed" in the melee....
I don’t even know that he fired the gun when she tackled him. Every time I’ve watched the movie it looked as though the shotgun wasn’t actually loaded at that point. Because earlier Nux had fired a shot to try and hit Furiosa, but hit Ace instead, and Max tried to blow Nux’s hand off after the sandstorm only for it to misfire. Max was holding up Furiosa and the wives with an empty shotgun, that’s why she cried out in anger when she went to bludgeon Max with it after it failed to blow his head off.
@@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick Yeah, I'm not sure the bang as Furiosa tackles Max is meant to be diegetic or just part of the percussion. There's also no muzzle flash
@@pavarottiaardvark3431 I also just find the idea of Max trying to perform a stick-up without any actual bullets really endearing. Like, the little close-up on his face before hand when he raises the gun eye-level is basically him saying “Welp. Here goes nothin’.”
Everything about Fury Road is simply perfect. The action. The cinematography. The props department's phenomenal attention to detail. The amazing Tom Holkenborg score. The fact that every character in it is a three-dimensional creation, with a story, most of which are just alluded to rather than told and just leave you wanting more. Nux's painful vulnerability and his journey to redemption after Capable provides probably the first simple kindness he has ever experienced. The mad, mad stunt work. And yes, this gloriously shot and choreographed fight scene.
Fury Road is one of few movies that never existed in script form, the storyboard was the start , (it blows my mind that its so rare in a visual medium) but is also why objects, visual symbols and actions are how pretty much the entire story is told.
@@spinecho609 It is really strange that storyboards aren't one of the first things that happen for films. It's one of the reasons _300_ was such a good adaption, it had the storyboards right there, in the comic. And Snyder was right to use them. Many of the shots in the film are lifted directly from the graphic novel.
This movie is a mess, not sure why people love it so much. The story is absurd, not the setting or the premise so much, but the execution... so much of this movie just makes no sense, other than to pad run time, like useless voyages, or way too much budget used on effects, in a land where conservation is key, why are they spewing fire out of their guitars? doesn't seem like fuel is too much of a concern for them, so why chase the tanker at all? that armada is wasting more than the tanker is (or would be) carrying... The Mad Max video Game was a better canon story. and I don't know about you, but that ending is laughable,.. she spilled their water on the ground,.. yay? because i love drinking muddy water rather than taking it out from the reservoir lol ... lol grounded... geezuz christ,.. this is the most un grounded movie in the franchise,.. maybe go back and watch the real madmax films
What I love most about this movie is its wordless storytelling. In the sandstorm scene before this, you know exactly what Max is thinking without him saying a word. And at the end of this fight scene, that quizzical look Furiosa gives him when he doesn't shoot her... Damn. This movie is so good.
I really REALLY love how nobody’s ego is wounded by this fight. In a lesser movie, almost being murdered by a one-armed woman several times would be portrayed as something to be ashamed of, but Max really does not give a shit. Furiosa is a threat to his survival first and foremost. Any concept of toxic masculinity that Max might have possessed at one point has been sandblasted off of him by years of isolation and desperation in the wasteland. I just think it’s neat.
I think his ego can take it also because to survive in that world you need to be protected or tough, and she's clearly tough so being bested by her is no stain on his ego.
This doesn't just tell us something about Max, but also the world he lives in. He hasn't survived up to this point by worrying about his ego or self-image; it's all been necessity and practicality. This comes back later when he's trying to take out the Bullet Farmer with the rifle, and finally has to hand the gun off to Furiosa because she's a better shot. There's no room for butthurt in the wasteland.
This was one of the first action films I saw as as a kid (I would've been twelve? 13?) and as a early teen girl it became an instant favourite because of furiousa- i'd never seen a film where a woman wasn't pointed for the male gaze AND powerful like furiousa it was such a great film to start off my film obsession
Even the scene where Simon breaks River out would be amazing. I hadn’t seen Firefly before seeing Serenity, so I had no background. The bit where he has been so calm and cold and then says ‘She always did love to dance’ and the doctor/scientist realizes he’s screwed still gives me a shiver.
I also like how the three shots at the ends sends the message to Furiosa “The gun is now fully loaded and in my control. You have lost this fight” I also love how all movements just stop. The wives don’t dare move because if they do Furiosa will die and Furiosa doesn’t move because more of the same. The next thing i love about the end of the fight is how Max shows mercy, I feel, because he respected that Furiosa is just like him. Willing to defy the warboys for the sake of their own freedom and survival.
I love how pragmatic all of the combatants are in this fight. On the subject of Charlize Theron and fist fights between different weight classes. I'ld love to see you discuss some of the Atomic Blonde fights.
I really like how much you can learn from each character in this scene, especially the wives, like you pointed out, they are not used to violence, are against violence, but Angharad is immediately doing what she can, with Capable following her, Toast wants to charge at Max but knows he is bigger and stronger, while The Dag is ready to also follow Angharad but is being held or pulled away by Cheedo, which is one of my favorite details tbh honestly this entire movie is a masterpiece, in every aspect
I remember the first time I watched this movie. I had to lay down in a pitch black room and let my senses come down from the adrenaline fueled fever dream that I'd just watched. It was awesome to the point of being overwhelming, like the "Quickening" from "Highlander".
I can't help but gush over this movie constantly, start to finish its a nonstop thrill. I'm always very happy to someone who gets a similar level of enjoyment out of it
Some people think the movie is dumb because they just spend half the movie driving away and the other half driving back. But the entire movie is a metaphor for trauma recovery. When people finally escape an abusive, traumatic situation, the instinct I think is to run, to try and forget, to hide from the past because it's too painful. But you can't go back to the way things were before trauma, because that place doesn't exist any more. And you can't keep running from trauma, because you carry it with you. It's always in pursuit, and it keeps popping up no matter how much you try to avoid it. The other option is to turn around and face the trauma head-on. It's terrifying, but at some point it's worse to keep living in constant fear. The only way out is through. Face your demons and slay them, and when you emerge from the flames you can finally reclaim your self and start building a new life in the ruins of the old. My partner lives with childhood trauma, and I saw her struggle to be rid of it, to escape, to be free. I saw the moment she stopped running and turned around, determined to fight. It was the bravest thing I've ever seen. I walked the fury road alongside her, though I could not fight the battles. She is my Imperator, and I witness her every day.
I wasn't expecting much when I went to see this film, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I liked that Max barely spoke in his own movie, and that Furiosa and the wives were the main focus for a lot of the film. I liked how beautiful it was. I liked how they went out of their way to not objectify or demean any of the women, and they didn't try to make the trauma they suffered "sexy" (and that they made it clear what they had gone through without feeling the need to show any of it). I liked that the women had their own stories, goals and agency and weren't just catalysts for Max's story. And I loved the visual world building. It was so great.
Fan theory about the Dag: she PRETENDS to be not strong enough so as to pull Max's head and allow Furiosa to charge. Just look at how she checks discretely behind her to see if it worked and then jumps out of Furiosa's way.
I doubt it, she's been pretty much caged for god knows how long and only needed to be pretty for Joe. That and I'd imagine Max is pretty goddamn heavy.
That's exactly what I always thought! To add to your comment, we see her use the bolt cutters without issue when removing the chastity belt off Cheedo just moments before so she isnt as weak as she may seem.
It's really important that your secondary and background character are doing something and not just standing there waiting for their next cue, and if they are doing nothing there is a reason for that. Most people won't notice the background characters when the main ones are in a fight scene, but if you do look at them and they aren't acting or reacting to what's going on, then you're going loose some of that suspension of disbelief. This is great example of doing it right. A terrible example is Glinda from "The Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy sing "The house began to pitch". Yes, I said Glinda. When Dorothy is singing, Glinda's eyes tend to wander around, and it's very clear the actor isn't sure what to do when she's not the main focus.
This film is truly insane both in its aesthetics, but also just in how almost supernaturally perfect its pacing is. It's only 2 hours long, including its credits time, but it manages to invest you into everything that's happening more effectively than most 3 hour long genre films.
This is one of my favorite fight scenes. They just go ham on eachother like wild animals struggling for survival but it's all shot so well that you know what's going on at any moment. This fight could've easily been ruined by radid fire cuts or bad framing. This is pretty much where the "gang" comes together the first time they interact all in one scenes and it sets up their characters really well. Max doesnt really talk and also doesnt want to hurt them he just wants to leave and he knows there is no reason for them to help him, Furiosa doesnt just sit idly we see that even with an arm missing she will risk her own life and engage in hand to hand combat to protect the others, she doesnt just drive a truck. We see the ex wifes trying to help as best as they can, they are stunned by the brutality and afraid but they aren't just passive objects.
The realism of this fight is what made me love it too. They didn't try to act like Furiosa could be a even physical threat to Max. He had too many advantages but he also had enough distractions and setbacks...and an opponent smart and ruthless enough to take make the best of those distractions and setbacks. ...to make the fight interesting and leave you genuinely uncertain who would emerge on top.
I love the Mad Max series (saw Road Warrior in the drive-in as a small child), and Fury Road in particular. Charlize's ability to stay in character and to NOT use her (CGI covered) arm (even instinctively) is brilliant. She sells every scene she's in. I love gritty post apocalyptic movies, and I'm a huge fan of rat rod franken-cars. This movie sells it all. What a great flick. May you ride eternal, Jill. Shiny and Chrome.
When I saw this in theaters, I was late to the showing and had to sit in the first row. One of the only movies in existence where that was not a problem.
Well narrated fight scene, I'd add the nifty on-handed chambering of a round at 9:01 is worth pointing out. Fury Road is a masterpiece from beginning to end!
Best fight scene ever, hands down. No pun intended. Also love how "Furiosa" is Latin for "Mad". They're perfect opponents and an even more perfect team-up.
This is one of those movies that I'm really glad I saw in IMAX, if there was ever a film made for the format, this is it. Awesome video Jill, as always!
Love your analysis and breakdown as always Jill! Just one note though..Tom Hardy normally wanders about at 162- 165 lbs (73.482 - 74.8427 kg), but says he was to lose 30 lbs (13.6078 kg) for this role. Charlize Theron...normally 119 lbs (53.9775 kg) stated that she put on 19 pounds (8.61826 kg) for this role...making her 138 lbs (62.5957 kg) to Tom Hardy's (if he lost all the weight he wanted to) 132 - 135 lbs (59.8742 - 61.235 kg). Which made them pretty even weight-wise. So it was actually Max surviving while fighting other better fed and hydrated, healthier and heavier men which one had to suspend disbelief for.
Another detail I just realized in this movie. If you look at the top round in the magazine right before it's loaded, you can see it's a cast lead bullet with a heavy crimp on the case. While pretty dated by today's standards, a hand loaded, roughly cast lead bullet would be the kind of thing you'd find in the apocalypse. Just another way they nailed this movie
I would point out two things that made it look too much like acting and a movie to me: When Furiosa punches Max with her stub, she's punching into a thick metal cage. That would have done a number on her arm. Probably hurt like all hell and draw blood. Second is when she's chasing him with the boltcutters, slamming the ground. Most of those hits are well out of measure with no hope to actually get him. Otherwise, *chef kiss*
I'd not considered it before this video, but like shooting the gun at the end, he could simply be taking the shotgun out of play by shooting it at nothing as soon as the fight was on. He immediately understands he can't reason with her, only prove that he's not a threat through actions during the fight.
Well, uh, I haven't seen this movie because nothing I've seen in clips and pics etc appealed to me. Just passed it off as one of those movies that passed by. I will now go watch it.
4:00 came back to rewatch your breakdown because it was so good, and I noticed a detail I never had seen before and don’t think you mention! Speaking of the ruthlessness and practicality of the fight- When Max gets hold of Furriosa, he rolls on top of her, pinning her, but in one smooth motion he also scoops sand onto her face! Thats probably the one classic cinema environmental fighting move available through this whole movie that i didn’t think was used- trying to blind someone with sand to the eyes. I love that it’s so quick and given no attention because there is just SO much going on.
This 12-minute analysis of 1 scene has 10x more words than the whole movie, which just speaks to how much Miller et al packed into that masterpiece and showed-not-told (and to how much this TH-camr's eye can discern!)
Miller knows how to film an action movie, that's for damn sure. And the life the actors breathe into the roles was phenomenal, especially with such little dialog. He cast the absolute right two people for the title roles.
Not only is it an intensely intimate and complex use of every object and element, the fluid nature of actual split second decision making has complex exchanges and interplay. It’s actually hard to give it enough credit. And it seems like one of those scenes that everyone interested in fight scenes should study. When I go back to that scene I’m actually going to take a notepad with. The most basically enjoyable thing about the entire movie is the commentary how perceived strengths can be turned into weaknesses and vice versa. This 2 minutes covers the whole conversation. Love when you do these.
Normally I love your videos (and I love this one as Fury Road is one of my all time favorite movies) but I disagree that the wives aren’t strong enough to use the bolt cutters alone! When the scene comes in we see Dag literally using them on her own, meaning she is strong enough and the way she twists Max is to distract from Furiosa running at him like a train (notice the way she twists him?). Obviously Angharad would need help since she’s pregnant aaaaand standing outside the vehicle. Anyways! Great video!! Just wanted to point that out
This movie is an absolute classic. I am consistently surprised at the amount of thought and care that went into what, on the surface at least, amounts to a 2 hour car chase.
I've never seen any Mad Max film, but it's hard to overlook all the praise for this one. And analyses like this make it clear why it became such a respected classic so quickly.
The entirety of Fury Road is a lesson in script writing, especially paying off in setup and pay off, as well as with character work. The characters have clear and sensible arcs that they go through, the action both makes sense in terms of what is possible, the people involved in each fight, and the framing of the shots so you can see everything that is happening. This video is excellent because it breaks down all of that and how it is encapsulated by this fight. I need to buy a copy of this movie again.
Great analysis! Millar did say that this was his take on a "silent movie" and you can see that in the action, in the focus on characters and especially in that center framing of the fight scenes. You can literally enjoy this film with the sound off and never really get lost.
And now I know at the very least a part of why I have heard nothing but amazing things about this movie. The way you show and explain each bit and how it shows character, shows choreography, shows excellent editing (removing frames and playing the remaining frames at 24fps standard is clever and I never would've noticed) and yet I can already tell I would've loved this fight as a highlight in any movie. Time to go watch Mad Max, I guess.
I don't know if I said this before, but your channel together with Max Miller's "Tasting History" is my favorite "accidental recommendations" the algorithm has spitted out. Both of you were insta-subscriptions after watching a single episode.
I have binged your videos recently and tbh your analysis for fight scenes and how you tie them into the whole world and character evaluation in said movie or piece of work in general is BRILLIANT! You bring a great prospective into a world that is so well thought out it's as if you lived in said world and knew the characters. Please do an analysis of the whole mad max movie! And if you think it doesn't fit into the fight scene analysis then I pose this...the whole movie is a fight "scene" for post apocalyptic survival and growth...please 🙇♀️🙇♀️
One of my favourite films! I like how the speed ramping makes the movements often look so jerky and overwound that it gives off the impression that either the watcher or the characters are on drugs. Or having a fever dream, as you called it.
While listening to your brilliant, articulate breakdown (THANK YOU!!!) it occurs to me that there's something missing from this fight that makes me happy: the woman on top of man (or vice versa) moment with flirty/sexy undertones...the "Shame I gotta kill ya cuz yer pretty cute" vibe that often foreshadows romance. It's one more way that the fight feels authentic to the world and to the characters themselves; it also conveys the rawness, ruthlessness and "reality" of the fight (because if you're in a visceral fight for your life then your brain literally doesn't think about those things). Looking forward to more videos about Fury Road :D (oh, and everything else!)
Thanks for a great analysis. I did not notice the following in any of my viewings of Fury Road and would not have noticed it this time except that you showed the fight to us carefully in pieces, but does he ever run the slide? One of my pet peeves is when a movie doesn't understand how auto-load pistols work. Usually this takes the form of thinking the gun can't fire once the magazine's removed. This movie is smarter than that -- as you pointed out, the bullet that's still in the chamber IS fired. BUT, when the magazine is popped back into the pistol, Max is holding the pistol with one hand and Furiosa with the other. The slide MIGHT have locked open on the empty chamber (meaning all he'd have to do to chamber a round is work the hold-open release, which he could do with the hand holding the gun), but it doesn't look to me like it did (sometimes if the magazine's out, they don't). That means that after the magazine's replaced, he has to run the slide to load the top bullet, and he didn't have a hand to do it with. It shouldn't have fired when he shot near her head. It seems weird to me for a movie that got it RIGHT about being able to fire one round after the magazine's removed would turn around a few seconds later and get essentially the same issue wrong (just as taking the magazine out does not remove the round in the chamber, putting the magazine back in does not put a round into the chamber). Disclaimer: I just watched 8:13 one frame at a time, and when she fires that one last shot, the slide DOES NOT MOVE. So. Is this a futuristic auto-load pistol that doesn't work AT ALL like they do now? (More likely, it's a practical safety matter to do with film making, not the fictional situation. As I understand it, prop guns aren't ordinary guns firing blanks -- not remotely. They are severely modified and all sorts of tricks are needed to get them to function. So maybe the slide didn't move because it's a movie.) Even in that case, I don't see how a round that was at the top of the magazine got into the chamber without anyone doing anything. Despite the length of this comment, this is not a big deal. The main weird thing to me is how they got the same issue right one place and wrong the next. But it's weird, not bad. I love the movie. HUGE RETRACTION: I'm making this addition rather than deleting the comment because, who knows, a notification may already have been sent out and I don't want to create a mystery. LOOK AT 9:01. It's so quick I didn't see it the first several times. He puts the pistol back near his hip, makes a small motion, and THEN brings it forward near her head. I don't think the slide actually moves -- again, on a prop pistol it may not be ABLE to move -- but the ONLY reason for that action MUST be that he was running the slide (in pantomime with a prop that didn't quite work) by rubbing it or catching it against his body/clothes. I can't think what else that motion could be meant to convey. Brilliant. The reputation of this movie for not missing the smallest detail remains intact. It was just so subtle I couldn't see it.
Will movie analysis videos about Fury Road ever NOT make me cry? Signs point to no. This is such a fantastic fight scene breakdown! Really really really good stuff
Fury Road is one of my favorite films and I am so glad I had that I took the opportunity to see it on the big screen. Every shot and scene matters and as bonkers over the top as the action is it all serves a purpose to the story.
The shotgun is also a pay off of another set up, with Max having tried to blow off Nux's arm with it before. I swear this movie got me so excited while watching it since it was the first movie I'd seen in such a long time that used the strenghts of cinema visual story telling to such a high degree. Max and Furiosa exchange like four or five sentences in the whole movie and you still understand their whole relationship for example. It's so fucking amazing.
one of the many great parts about this scene is that they get the power scaling very well, and she explains why in the video talking about the strengths of each character. yes there are 7 women there but only 1 knows how to fight and even then is double disadvantaged with 1 arm and small body mass. the men were worn down too due to illness and lack of blood / starvation. you can really see the struggle from both sides and it's a very satisfying fight because it was so close
One point of disagreement: I believe The Dag was deliberately stalling for time by pretending to be too weak to use the bolt cutters. Even Max was starting to not believe how long it was taking. Apart from that, love the breakdown of one of my favourite films ever.
I honestly think she would be too weak, she's been Joe's captive for ages and there's practically nothing to her. Using bolt cutters to cut a chain, esp when you're doing it at chest level, requires a good bit of strength.
@@theboy5438 yes, she was rather waif-like, I’ll admit, but she was also smart. I choose to believe she was giving Furiosa an opportunity to intervene by distracting Max. Because only me and Mr Burns is that hopeless when it comes to physical activity.
This fight made the whole world work in this film for me. It actually tells a story unlike most modern fight scenes. Plus how bad ass is it when he racks the slide on his leg and pops those 3 ' calm the fuck down' shots. Poetry
FINALLY saw this movie this weekend and your analysis is spot on. One thing you didn't mention, Max's slave mask saves him again and again from getting his face reduced to pulp
I've gotta be honest with you, Jill, watching you break down fight scenes like this is actually one of the only things that makes me want to watch some of these movies.
This fight has a great sense of realism in the over the top world. Max has always been a sort of vestigial representation of the world that used to be, an idea that yes, he can survive, yes he WILL survive but in that there are still the instincts are tempered by the fact he was a cop, he was a father, he was a husband. Little sparks of that shine through in the fights and that is one of the things that makes this movie shine
I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. Or more accurately ever since I discovered your channel and watched Mad Max Fury Road, but I’m pretty sure my life didn’t properly start before watching that movie.
I've always wondered why I loved this movie so much. I knew I loved the colours, plot and the cars (especially after watching behind the scenes) but I didnt really know why until now. Thx for the brilliant breakdown!
I adore this movie, and I've quite enjoyed your analysis of this fight. Absolutely delightful. And I appreciate the mention of how they did the "moves too fast because frames are missing" thing, because that explained a lot. Thanks!
I wrote an essay about this fight in film school, you did the much more engaging (tho less technical) video version of it lol. Great analysis. Masterpiece of a movie ❤️
Amongst the amazing cinematography, stunt choreography, prop details, and the wonderful job of fleshing out each and every character (especially without having to resort to endless flashbacks or exposition), one of my favorite things about this movie is Nux's character as we go through the movie. I know it's not fight-related, but you could do an amazing job examining that.
I rarely finish this kind of videos but I watched yours entirely and did not skip a frame! Fury Road is my favorite film too. I love this. You just earned +1 sub ❤️
I only watch a few hours of TH-cam content a week, I usually don't subscribe or like videos cause I forget, i specially don't comment. This video inspired me to like, subscribe and comment. You have my attention and loyalty. Thank you for doing such great work.
I really hope you do a full analysis of this movie- it's one big beautiful perfect fight scene. I loved fury road enough to watch it three times in theater and then buy it but you pointed out so many things I didn't notice before!
This is your best viddy yet. And while it doesn't have the same visceral-qualities as this fight, I'd really like to see you analyze/gush over the fight on the approach back to the Citadel (~1:33 +). The combat isn't as tight and pucker-inducing as the Furiosa fight. But it introduces verticality/climbing (a la Polecats/clinging desperately onto the bodies of rolling vehicles), environment & terrain consideration (vehicles are anti-vehicle, anti-personnel assets, which can also be surfed upon). Plus, how 'bout that score? Tom Holkenborg via Junkie XL making me have all the feelings around 1:37 where Furiosa gets shanked, Max is hanging on by an artificial thread, Toast is re-captured, and the war rig is enveloped by the convoy. You just feel all the blood drain away from you as Evil is seconds from triumph. The Chrome edition for MMFR really sells this through its play on contrast.
petition for a 12 hour video where you break down this entire film, because it's basically one feature length fight scene.
(Makes a note for a potential Significant Milestone video, like 500k or something)
12 hours would be overkill but you know, give me license to waffle and I WILL...
I would 100% watch all of this, yes, please and thank you.
1000% needs to be a series. This movie is chock full of amazingly done fight scenes!
SIGNED! XDDD
I love underselling the movie to people I’ve convinced to watch it by saying “they drive cars in a circle for two hours.”
And then they see it.
The same sentence can be used to oversell FF series....
i remember all the manbabies having a cow because the movie's main characters were all ladies.
BUT IT'S CALLED MAD "MAX" WHO ARE THESE LADIES.
dude...max stumbles into these stories...it's never HIS story...
@@Butterflier00 They also miss that Max has a legitimate arc and a ton of great moments. He's still the co-lead with Furiosa for my money.
@@Butterflier00 I'm convinced that the whiners have never actually watch the stuff they're complaining about. I had someone complaining to me about how they didn't like Star Trek anymore now that it's full of moral/political messages. I mean have they ever watched TNG or TOS? It's full of "racism is bad" and "why shouldn't people be able to choose the gender that is truest to them?"
In my experience that never works. If I want someone to never check out this movie I'll tell them that.
i absolutely adore how this fight scene, despite being two men trying to defeat six women five of whom are (a) scantily clad and (b) literally cutting off their chastity belts in the lead-up to the fight, does not sexualize the fight *at all*. Like, each person is just a combatant with varying degrees of kill-ability to each other combatant, and no time is spent calling attention to anyone's sex appeal, and none of the actors appear to have been directed to make their movements look "good" or to play into any sexual chemistry through the fight. All of the characters are here to do things, not to be looked at.
Given that the plot concerns, you know, all of the characters involved in the fight escaping being treated as things (ie objectification) and especially the Wives escaping sexual slavery, it's definitely a relief that the camera does not objectify them.
at 1:01 I just realized that Maxs tattoo says no lumps, no bumps genitals intact multiple scars "Heals Fast" dayum. Never really noticed it before.
You missed a spot:
When Furiosa hits the door the bolt cutters damage the part of the door the chain goes through. So when she gets hit with the door and recovers - Max is not just aimlessly moving around in the background. The door's broken now and he's freeing the chain going through them, he does it just in time to yank it and trip Furiosa.
Bloody hell there's so much _detail_ in that film. 5:44 in this video?
I also think that maybe Max fired the shotgun to make sure it didn't have any shells left in case Furiosa managed to disarm him and take it from him. Which she did. And it saved his life.
@@7PlayingWithFire7 Nux fired the first shell at Furiosa when he was chasing her ("Crew get out of the way!"), the other shell was a dud when Max tried to shoot off Nux's arm. So Max knew well he was threatening Furiosa with an empty gun.
I love that they didn't make a big deal about emphasizing Furiosa having one hand. There were no closeups and barely any "oh, look, she has to mess with her prosthetic" shots. The first time I watched this scene, I still didn't realize that she was down a hand. When it all clicked, later in the movie, my brain went back to this scene and i had an "ohhhhhh she is just THAT MUCH more badass now."
I loved the realism of how Max basically dominated the fight due to his size and strength yet would lose the upper hand every time the wives intervened. The only time Furiosa had the upper hand was when she bummed rushed him and caught him by surprise.
I don't think Max had any intention of killing Furiosa. He just wanted to win. Furiosa, on the other hand had no idea what Max's intentions were. She felt she had to protect the wives and was willing to lay down her life for them. So she fought like a caged animal.
I also love how much character development the wives get during this fight. At first they're timid, completely unsure how to help Furiosa but by the end of the fight they're holding their own. For example, Angharad comes up with the "pull the chain to get Max off Furiosa" move, and then later the Dag uses it to save Furiosa again. In another example, at the beginning of the fight Max scares all the wives off with just a snarl but later they learn that though they have no combat experience there is strength in numbers, and together they subdue Nux
These actions show that while the Wives are very unused to being in combat or having look after themselves, they learn quick, think quicker, and are determined to do what it takes to escape
For the record, "whatever that was" was a functioning sound system on a functioning diesel vehicle with a guy playing a functioning guitar and a functioning flame thrower, because George Miller is willing to use CG to keep actors safe but demands his practical effects work. "Realistic when it can be" isn't just a possible movie tagline, it's a way of life for George Miller.
But mercy as a survival tool is also an important take away!
"...mercy as a survival tool..."
Thank you.
I am definitely going to need to contemplate that for a few hours. It's beautiful, surprising, true.
(something, something, my own trauma, something, something)
It's actually two guitars if I remember correctly. One that plays, and one that does fire.
Fact fiend with Karl Smallwood did a video on it
Plus he wears his mother's deathmask on his face...
What a great movie!
I remember watching the bonus features on the DVD and the prop guy said he built the guitar prop, showed it to George Miller, and George went "now how does it shoot fire?" and the prop guy was like "you want it to shoot fire?!"
@@elizabethlockhart2103 That was production designer Colin Gibson, he brought Miller to the workshop to show him the Doof Wagon with the sound system. George Miller wanted everything to be functional so he told Colin to 'plug it in' but it didn't work, Colin took Miller aside and told him 'George this is a prop, we'll do the sound in post" and George was like "No it has to work". So they made the speakers work, the guitar worked as well but it was sounding like dogshit so they overdubbed everything in post anyway. But the flames were real.
A dumb drivey-shooty-fighty film, thought I.
Cardboard acting, thought I.
Dumb fun, thought I.
Boy was I wrong. The more I watched it, the more points I came to appreciate.
One of the best things about Fury Road is that it is a drivey-shooty-fighty film, and it knows that, but it refuses to be dumb. It is a very smart, very deliberate, expertly-crafted drivey-shooty-fighty film. And it is all the more fun for it.
@@jarrakul
Damn right!
I'm staggered by how... oh, forty viewings down the line, it still reveals more to me. It feels like it should be threadbare, but because it's so heavy on visual storytelling and the script is so tautly worded that it's thematically dense as hell, while still being very lean in terms of exposition and all.
Haha I was the same, I was just totally shocked when I realized how awesome the movie was.
Honestly it reminds me of the first Tremors. Ridiculous on paper, and as concept, but it WORKS. Because there are NO idiot balls in it. NONE of the characters are dumb. Even today in high budget horror and monster movies there is almost always someone who has to be an idiot, or the plot would not be able to continue. It's the same with Fury Road, it is over the top, SHOULD be stupid (but isn't) and still fun in the very drivey chasey shooty way.
And yet some people STILL talk about how it "Has no plot! It's just a 90 minute chase scene!"
Seriously. This is an action film masterclass, start to finish.
I think people are conditioned to think a plot requires multiple convoluted storylines culminating in a 'mind blowing' pointless twist that doesn't actually make any sense..
@@Macebigi yeah i think its literally the lack of words
It's a fantasy movie. Saving the kingdom from the evil king, even if it was accidental to their overall goal of finding saftey.
This
@@Macebigi This movie is a perfect example of show don't tell.
Fury Road is one of my "Perfect Films" no detail, no matter how minor, that I would see changed for any reason. Great fight analysis.
For me, Mad Max Fury Road is not a movie, it's an experience.
Only detail I'd take out is the composited steering wheel that shows up when the war rig is flipped
@@sylvernale Yeah, that was an obvious gimmick for 3D cinema.
Recently I've started making my list of these kind of films:
The World's End
Mad Max: Fury Road
I seriously believe Fury Road is the greatest action film of all TIME. PERIODT.
was blown away by this film when I saw it in the cinema. Ended up going 4 more times and never tired of it.
I was gobsmacked by the scene where the War Rig is rolled on to its side to block the pass. I was flabbergasted when I watched the "making of" video and saw that the roll was done for real; with such speed and precision. It really is a master class in practical stunt work and in the correct use of CGI to enhance scenes rather than fake them. Definitely the best Mad Max in my book, and probably one of my favourite action movies.
I also saw it multiple times in the theater. Easily one of my favorite all time films of quality. Instant classic, and a masterpiece on so many levels.
Twice for me, and one of a handful of films to carry that distinction. AMAZING.
Watched it pirated...
Then ran to the cinema to watch it bigger and louder, then two more times in 3D - in first row.
I remember watchingthe trailer thinking "pah another crap remake" then I saw it in the cinema and "god dam what a great remake"
I love how seamlessly Max and Furiosa move from inimical to trusting with so little expressed in dialogue.
"This is not The Princess Bride..." Hello, my name is Furiosa! You killed my mother! Prepare to die!
Well, they are making a Furiosa prequel so we just might get something like this.
@@princesha100 Seriously?! I never knew that! Wow, thank you, you've made my day! 😊
@@princesha100 that sound cool as hell!
I love the use of the mask thing Max have, Furiosa landed several dangerous hits to the face and head but that thing protects him
There's also some nice 'Dramatic Irony' in the misfire at 3:18 - Max's sawn-off has a habit of misfiring at critical moments. The set up here is perfect because you have just enough time to "of course it failed" in the melee....
I don’t even know that he fired the gun when she tackled him. Every time I’ve watched the movie it looked as though the shotgun wasn’t actually loaded at that point.
Because earlier Nux had fired a shot to try and hit Furiosa, but hit Ace instead, and Max tried to blow Nux’s hand off after the sandstorm only for it to misfire.
Max was holding up Furiosa and the wives with an empty shotgun, that’s why she cried out in anger when she went to bludgeon Max with it after it failed to blow his head off.
@@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick Yeah, I'm not sure the bang as Furiosa tackles Max is meant to be diegetic or just part of the percussion. There's also no muzzle flash
@@pavarottiaardvark3431 I also just find the idea of Max trying to perform a stick-up without any actual bullets really endearing. Like, the little close-up on his face before hand when he raises the gun eye-level is basically him saying “Welp. Here goes nothin’.”
@@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick That may or may not be a reference to the Road Warrior where Max does the same thing to the Gyro Captain.
@@torstikinnunen3801 Right.
Everything about Fury Road is simply perfect. The action. The cinematography. The props department's phenomenal attention to detail. The amazing Tom Holkenborg score. The fact that every character in it is a three-dimensional creation, with a story, most of which are just alluded to rather than told and just leave you wanting more. Nux's painful vulnerability and his journey to redemption after Capable provides probably the first simple kindness he has ever experienced. The mad, mad stunt work. And yes, this gloriously shot and choreographed fight scene.
Fury Road is one of few movies that never existed in script form, the storyboard was the start , (it blows my mind that its so rare in a visual medium) but is also why objects, visual symbols and actions are how pretty much the entire story is told.
@@spinecho609 It is really strange that storyboards aren't one of the first things that happen for films. It's one of the reasons _300_ was such a good adaption, it had the storyboards right there, in the comic. And Snyder was right to use them. Many of the shots in the film are lifted directly from the graphic novel.
Fantastic video
Oh hi Jack
This movie is a mess, not sure why people love it so much. The story is absurd, not the setting or the premise so much, but the execution... so much of this movie just makes no sense, other than to pad run time, like useless voyages, or way too much budget used on effects, in a land where conservation is key, why are they spewing fire out of their guitars? doesn't seem like fuel is too much of a concern for them, so why chase the tanker at all? that armada is wasting more than the tanker is (or would be) carrying... The Mad Max video Game was a better canon story. and I don't know about you, but that ending is laughable,.. she spilled their water on the ground,.. yay? because i love drinking muddy water rather than taking it out from the reservoir lol ... lol grounded... geezuz christ,.. this is the most un grounded movie in the franchise,.. maybe go back and watch the real madmax films
@@dr.decker3623 umm go tf away
Modern action directors: *exist*
70-year old director of "Babe: Pig in the City" and "Happy Feet": "Step aside, sonny. I'm making an ACTION FILM."
He got his start making action films. I'm old enough to have gone. Wait what the director of Mad Max is making a talking pig film?
yeh and he took what he learned in Happy feet and gave us Fury Road,.. aka "pad the run time with BS The Movie"
What I love most about this movie is its wordless storytelling. In the sandstorm scene before this, you know exactly what Max is thinking without him saying a word. And at the end of this fight scene, that quizzical look Furiosa gives him when he doesn't shoot her... Damn. This movie is so good.
I love show don't tell
I really REALLY love how nobody’s ego is wounded by this fight.
In a lesser movie, almost being murdered by a one-armed woman several times would be portrayed as something to be ashamed of, but Max really does not give a shit.
Furiosa is a threat to his survival first and foremost. Any concept of toxic masculinity that Max might have possessed at one point has been sandblasted off of him by years of isolation and desperation in the wasteland.
I just think it’s neat.
I see your Marge Simpson reference...and I like it. 😁
I think his ego can take it also because to survive in that world you need to be protected or tough, and she's clearly tough so being bested by her is no stain on his ego.
Makes a nice contrast to Immortan Joe and his facade of masculinity, enforced dictatorial power...
@@FFKonoko Precisely!
This doesn't just tell us something about Max, but also the world he lives in. He hasn't survived up to this point by worrying about his ego or self-image; it's all been necessity and practicality. This comes back later when he's trying to take out the Bullet Farmer with the rifle, and finally has to hand the gun off to Furiosa because she's a better shot. There's no room for butthurt in the wasteland.
This was one of the first action films I saw as as a kid (I would've been twelve? 13?) and as a early teen girl it became an instant favourite because of furiousa- i'd never seen a film where a woman wasn't pointed for the male gaze AND powerful like furiousa it was such a great film to start off my film obsession
I reccomend Aliens for that as well if you do not mind horror.
Furiosa is a total fucking badass. Theron gave a top shelf performance imo. People do not give her enough credit for it.
@@OhNoTheFace and T2
@@peoples2296 True
@@BlindErephon top tier! the top shelf is where adult magazines are in corner shops!
I love how you're finally doing a fight from one of the greatest action movies ever
Next up, the best fight scenes from Serenity! I'd just like to see her tackle any scene with River Tam.
Even the scene where Simon breaks River out would be amazing. I hadn’t seen Firefly before seeing Serenity, so I had no background. The bit where he has been so calm and cold and then says ‘She always did love to dance’ and the doctor/scientist realizes he’s screwed still gives me a shiver.
I also like how the three shots at the ends sends the message to Furiosa “The gun is now fully loaded and in my control. You have lost this fight” I also love how all movements just stop. The wives don’t dare move because if they do Furiosa will die and Furiosa doesn’t move because more of the same. The next thing i love about the end of the fight is how Max shows mercy, I feel, because he respected that Furiosa is just like him. Willing to defy the warboys for the sake of their own freedom and survival.
"I love this movie"
Just yes, its one where everything works, it exists so well with its own style that wouldn't work anywhere else.
I love how pragmatic all of the combatants are in this fight. On the subject of Charlize Theron and fist fights between different weight classes. I'ld love to see you discuss some of the Atomic Blonde fights.
I find it incredible that Theron basically decide at age 40 that she was now going to be the biggest female action star in hollywood.
Don't forget that wonderful detail when he chambers a round by snagging the front sight on his boot.
*chef's kiss*
I really like how much you can learn from each character in this scene, especially the wives, like you pointed out, they are not used to violence, are against violence, but Angharad is immediately doing what she can, with Capable following her, Toast wants to charge at Max but knows he is bigger and stronger, while The Dag is ready to also follow Angharad but is being held or pulled away by Cheedo, which is one of my favorite details tbh honestly this entire movie is a masterpiece, in every aspect
Cheedo trying to keep the Dag out of the fight is one of my favorite background character details
I remember the first time I watched this movie. I had to lay down in a pitch black room and let my senses come down from the adrenaline fueled fever dream that I'd just watched. It was awesome to the point of being overwhelming, like the "Quickening" from "Highlander".
Someone somewhere is making a deep-dive analysis of how well this video seamlessly foreshadows the ad segue.
I can't help but gush over this movie constantly, start to finish its a nonstop thrill. I'm always very happy to someone who gets a similar level of enjoyment out of it
Some people think the movie is dumb because they just spend half the movie driving away and the other half driving back. But the entire movie is a metaphor for trauma recovery. When people finally escape an abusive, traumatic situation, the instinct I think is to run, to try and forget, to hide from the past because it's too painful. But you can't go back to the way things were before trauma, because that place doesn't exist any more. And you can't keep running from trauma, because you carry it with you. It's always in pursuit, and it keeps popping up no matter how much you try to avoid it.
The other option is to turn around and face the trauma head-on. It's terrifying, but at some point it's worse to keep living in constant fear. The only way out is through. Face your demons and slay them, and when you emerge from the flames you can finally reclaim your self and start building a new life in the ruins of the old.
My partner lives with childhood trauma, and I saw her struggle to be rid of it, to escape, to be free. I saw the moment she stopped running and turned around, determined to fight. It was the bravest thing I've ever seen. I walked the fury road alongside her, though I could not fight the battles.
She is my Imperator, and I witness her every day.
I'm not crying. YOU"RE CRYING.
Seriously, that was lovely and I wish you both the best.
Well said. 10 Cloverfield Way does much the same.
I was genuinely disappointed to reach the end of the fight. Fantastically engaging analysis!
I wasn't expecting much when I went to see this film, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I liked that Max barely spoke in his own movie, and that Furiosa and the wives were the main focus for a lot of the film. I liked how beautiful it was. I liked how they went out of their way to not objectify or demean any of the women, and they didn't try to make the trauma they suffered "sexy" (and that they made it clear what they had gone through without feeling the need to show any of it). I liked that the women had their own stories, goals and agency and weren't just catalysts for Max's story. And I loved the visual world building. It was so great.
Fan theory about the Dag: she PRETENDS to be not strong enough so as to pull Max's head and allow Furiosa to charge. Just look at how she checks discretely behind her to see if it worked and then jumps out of Furiosa's way.
I doubt it, she's been pretty much caged for god knows how long and only needed to be pretty for Joe. That and I'd imagine Max is pretty goddamn heavy.
That's exactly what I always thought! To add to your comment, we see her use the bolt cutters without issue when removing the chastity belt off Cheedo just moments before so she isnt as weak as she may seem.
@@Cherriheart Unless the chain and bloodline ware tougher than the metal used in the lock.
It's really important that your secondary and background character are doing something and not just standing there waiting for their next cue, and if they are doing nothing there is a reason for that. Most people won't notice the background characters when the main ones are in a fight scene, but if you do look at them and they aren't acting or reacting to what's going on, then you're going loose some of that suspension of disbelief.
This is great example of doing it right.
A terrible example is Glinda from "The Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy sing "The house began to pitch". Yes, I said Glinda. When Dorothy is singing, Glinda's eyes tend to wander around, and it's very clear the actor isn't sure what to do when she's not the main focus.
This film is truly insane both in its aesthetics, but also just in how almost supernaturally perfect its pacing is. It's only 2 hours long, including its credits time, but it manages to invest you into everything that's happening more effectively than most 3 hour long genre films.
This is one of my favorite fight scenes. They just go ham on eachother like wild animals struggling for survival but it's all shot so well that you know what's going on at any moment. This fight could've easily been ruined by radid fire cuts or bad framing. This is pretty much where the "gang" comes together the first time they interact all in one scenes and it sets up their characters really well. Max doesnt really talk and also doesnt want to hurt them he just wants to leave and he knows there is no reason for them to help him, Furiosa doesnt just sit idly we see that even with an arm missing she will risk her own life and engage in hand to hand combat to protect the others, she doesnt just drive a truck. We see the ex wifes trying to help as best as they can, they are stunned by the brutality and afraid but they aren't just passive objects.
The chain part that connects the blood always makes me shiver. Primarily because... NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The realism of this fight is what made me love it too. They didn't try to act like Furiosa could be a even physical threat to Max. He had too many advantages but he also had enough distractions and setbacks...and an opponent smart and ruthless enough to take make the best of those distractions and setbacks. ...to make the fight interesting and leave you genuinely uncertain who would emerge on top.
I love the Mad Max series (saw Road Warrior in the drive-in as a small child), and Fury Road in particular. Charlize's ability to stay in character and to NOT use her (CGI covered) arm (even instinctively) is brilliant. She sells every scene she's in. I love gritty post apocalyptic movies, and I'm a huge fan of rat rod franken-cars. This movie sells it all. What a great flick.
May you ride eternal, Jill. Shiny and Chrome.
When I saw this in theaters, I was late to the showing and had to sit in the first row. One of the only movies in existence where that was not a problem.
Always a good day when a new Jill video is on my front page
I hope I’m in the timeline where Jill Bearup becomes a producer and makes awesome movies. Because they will be seriously awesome.
Well narrated fight scene, I'd add the nifty on-handed chambering of a round at 9:01 is worth pointing out. Fury Road is a masterpiece from beginning to end!
Nice
Blood for the blood god, skulls for the skull throne, comments for the algorithm.
Best fight scene ever, hands down. No pun intended. Also love how "Furiosa" is Latin for "Mad". They're perfect opponents and an even more perfect team-up.
This is one of those movies that I'm really glad I saw in IMAX, if there was ever a film made for the format, this is it. Awesome video Jill, as always!
Love your analysis and breakdown as always Jill! Just one note though..Tom Hardy normally wanders about at 162- 165 lbs (73.482 - 74.8427 kg), but says he was to lose 30 lbs (13.6078 kg) for this role. Charlize Theron...normally 119 lbs (53.9775 kg) stated that she put on 19 pounds (8.61826 kg) for this role...making her 138 lbs (62.5957 kg) to Tom Hardy's (if he lost all the weight he wanted to) 132 - 135 lbs (59.8742 - 61.235 kg). Which made them pretty even weight-wise. So it was actually Max surviving while fighting other better fed and hydrated, healthier and heavier men which one had to suspend disbelief for.
I appreciate that Jill can appreciate these more brawly kinds of scraps.
What a vid, what a lovely vid!
Another detail I just realized in this movie. If you look at the top round in the magazine right before it's loaded, you can see it's a cast lead bullet with a heavy crimp on the case. While pretty dated by today's standards, a hand loaded, roughly cast lead bullet would be the kind of thing you'd find in the apocalypse. Just another way they nailed this movie
The punctuation of those three final shots and the silence that follows... Guh. This movie is incredible.
Probably my favorite action film of the last decade. Thanks for breaking down this fight!
Jill releases a video.
Me: What a wonderful day.
i think you mean "what a lovely day"
I would point out two things that made it look too much like acting and a movie to me: When Furiosa punches Max with her stub, she's punching into a thick metal cage. That would have done a number on her arm. Probably hurt like all hell and draw blood. Second is when she's chasing him with the boltcutters, slamming the ground. Most of those hits are well out of measure with no hope to actually get him. Otherwise, *chef kiss*
I have been waiting for you to cover this since I found your channel, thank you!
I'd not considered it before this video, but like shooting the gun at the end, he could simply be taking the shotgun out of play by shooting it at nothing as soon as the fight was on. He immediately understands he can't reason with her, only prove that he's not a threat through actions during the fight.
Well, uh, I haven't seen this movie because nothing I've seen in clips and pics etc appealed to me. Just passed it off as one of those movies that passed by.
I will now go watch it.
When you are analysing the fight I see so many things, that I've never paid attention to. It's awesome!
4:00 came back to rewatch your breakdown because it was so good, and I noticed a detail I never had seen before and don’t think you mention! Speaking of the ruthlessness and practicality of the fight- When Max gets hold of Furriosa, he rolls on top of her, pinning her, but in one smooth motion he also scoops sand onto her face! Thats probably the one classic cinema environmental fighting move available through this whole movie that i didn’t think was used- trying to blind someone with sand to the eyes.
I love that it’s so quick and given no attention because there is just SO much going on.
And your next paragraph is literally about how “anything that can be used as a weapon is. “
This 12-minute analysis of 1 scene has 10x more words than the whole movie, which just speaks to how much Miller et al packed into that masterpiece and showed-not-told (and to how much this TH-camr's eye can discern!)
Miller knows how to film an action movie, that's for damn sure. And the life the actors breathe into the roles was phenomenal, especially with such little dialog. He cast the absolute right two people for the title roles.
Not only is it an intensely intimate and complex use of every object and element, the fluid nature of actual split second decision making has complex exchanges and interplay. It’s actually hard to give it enough credit. And it seems like one of those scenes that everyone interested in fight scenes should study. When I go back to that scene I’m actually going to take a notepad with. The most basically enjoyable thing about the entire movie is the commentary how perceived strengths can be turned into weaknesses and vice versa. This 2 minutes covers the whole conversation. Love when you do these.
Normally I love your videos (and I love this one as Fury Road is one of my all time favorite movies) but I disagree that the wives aren’t strong enough to use the bolt cutters alone! When the scene comes in we see Dag literally using them on her own, meaning she is strong enough and the way she twists Max is to distract from Furiosa running at him like a train (notice the way she twists him?). Obviously Angharad would need help since she’s pregnant aaaaand standing outside the vehicle. Anyways! Great video!! Just wanted to point that out
This movie is an absolute classic. I am consistently surprised at the amount of thought and care that went into what, on the surface at least, amounts to a 2 hour car chase.
one of the best fight scenes ever generated, absolutely perfect in every way using so many different moving parts.
I've never seen any Mad Max film, but it's hard to overlook all the praise for this one. And analyses like this make it clear why it became such a respected classic so quickly.
I love listening to people who love things
you're part of the best the internet has to offer
The entirety of Fury Road is a lesson in script writing, especially paying off in setup and pay off, as well as with character work.
The characters have clear and sensible arcs that they go through, the action both makes sense in terms of what is possible, the people involved in each fight, and the framing of the shots so you can see everything that is happening.
This video is excellent because it breaks down all of that and how it is encapsulated by this fight.
I need to buy a copy of this movie again.
Great analysis! Millar did say that this was his take on a "silent movie" and you can see that in the action, in the focus on characters and especially in that center framing of the fight scenes. You can literally enjoy this film with the sound off and never really get lost.
And now I know at the very least a part of why I have heard nothing but amazing things about this movie. The way you show and explain each bit and how it shows character, shows choreography, shows excellent editing (removing frames and playing the remaining frames at 24fps standard is clever and I never would've noticed) and yet I can already tell I would've loved this fight as a highlight in any movie.
Time to go watch Mad Max, I guess.
I don't know if I said this before, but your channel together with Max Miller's "Tasting History" is my favorite "accidental recommendations" the algorithm has spitted out. Both of you were insta-subscriptions after watching a single episode.
I have binged your videos recently and tbh your analysis for fight scenes and how you tie them into the whole world and character evaluation in said movie or piece of work in general is BRILLIANT! You bring a great prospective into a world that is so well thought out it's as if you lived in said world and knew the characters. Please do an analysis of the whole mad max movie! And if you think it doesn't fit into the fight scene analysis then I pose this...the whole movie is a fight "scene" for post apocalyptic survival and growth...please 🙇♀️🙇♀️
One of my favourite films!
I like how the speed ramping makes the movements often look so jerky and overwound that it gives off the impression that either the watcher or the characters are on drugs.
Or having a fever dream, as you called it.
While listening to your brilliant, articulate breakdown (THANK YOU!!!) it occurs to me that there's something missing from this fight that makes me happy: the woman on top of man (or vice versa) moment with flirty/sexy undertones...the "Shame I gotta kill ya cuz yer pretty cute" vibe that often foreshadows romance.
It's one more way that the fight feels authentic to the world and to the characters themselves; it also conveys the rawness, ruthlessness and "reality" of the fight (because if you're in a visceral fight for your life then your brain literally doesn't think about those things).
Looking forward to more videos about Fury Road :D (oh, and everything else!)
Thanks for a great analysis. I did not notice the following in any of my viewings of Fury Road and would not have noticed it this time except that you showed the fight to us carefully in pieces, but does he ever run the slide? One of my pet peeves is when a movie doesn't understand how auto-load pistols work. Usually this takes the form of thinking the gun can't fire once the magazine's removed. This movie is smarter than that -- as you pointed out, the bullet that's still in the chamber IS fired. BUT, when the magazine is popped back into the pistol, Max is holding the pistol with one hand and Furiosa with the other. The slide MIGHT have locked open on the empty chamber (meaning all he'd have to do to chamber a round is work the hold-open release, which he could do with the hand holding the gun), but it doesn't look to me like it did (sometimes if the magazine's out, they don't). That means that after the magazine's replaced, he has to run the slide to load the top bullet, and he didn't have a hand to do it with. It shouldn't have fired when he shot near her head. It seems weird to me for a movie that got it RIGHT about being able to fire one round after the magazine's removed would turn around a few seconds later and get essentially the same issue wrong (just as taking the magazine out does not remove the round in the chamber, putting the magazine back in does not put a round into the chamber). Disclaimer: I just watched 8:13 one frame at a time, and when she fires that one last shot, the slide DOES NOT MOVE. So. Is this a futuristic auto-load pistol that doesn't work AT ALL like they do now? (More likely, it's a practical safety matter to do with film making, not the fictional situation. As I understand it, prop guns aren't ordinary guns firing blanks -- not remotely. They are severely modified and all sorts of tricks are needed to get them to function. So maybe the slide didn't move because it's a movie.) Even in that case, I don't see how a round that was at the top of the magazine got into the chamber without anyone doing anything. Despite the length of this comment, this is not a big deal. The main weird thing to me is how they got the same issue right one place and wrong the next. But it's weird, not bad. I love the movie. HUGE RETRACTION: I'm making this addition rather than deleting the comment because, who knows, a notification may already have been sent out and I don't want to create a mystery. LOOK AT 9:01. It's so quick I didn't see it the first several times. He puts the pistol back near his hip, makes a small motion, and THEN brings it forward near her head. I don't think the slide actually moves -- again, on a prop pistol it may not be ABLE to move -- but the ONLY reason for that action MUST be that he was running the slide (in pantomime with a prop that didn't quite work) by rubbing it or catching it against his body/clothes. I can't think what else that motion could be meant to convey. Brilliant. The reputation of this movie for not missing the smallest detail remains intact. It was just so subtle I couldn't see it.
This comment was painful to read due to formatting, but it was worth the effort of doing so.
Will movie analysis videos about Fury Road ever NOT make me cry? Signs point to no.
This is such a fantastic fight scene breakdown! Really really really good stuff
I can’t believe how many brilliant elements went into this movie. Great video! Thanks!
Fury Road is one of my favorite films and I am so glad I had that I took the opportunity to see it on the big screen. Every shot and scene matters and as bonkers over the top as the action is it all serves a purpose to the story.
Anytime I think that I can't appreciate this movie more, someone comes by and shows me how glorious it is. Superb analysis !
The shotgun is also a pay off of another set up, with Max having tried to blow off Nux's arm with it before.
I swear this movie got me so excited while watching it since it was the first movie I'd seen in such a long time that used the strenghts of cinema visual story telling to such a high degree. Max and Furiosa exchange like four or five sentences in the whole movie and you still understand their whole relationship for example. It's so fucking amazing.
one of the many great parts about this scene is that they get the power scaling very well, and she explains why in the video talking about the strengths of each character. yes there are 7 women there but only 1 knows how to fight and even then is double disadvantaged with 1 arm and small body mass. the men were worn down too due to illness and lack of blood / starvation. you can really see the struggle from both sides and it's a very satisfying fight because it was so close
One point of disagreement: I believe The Dag was deliberately stalling for time by pretending to be too weak to use the bolt cutters. Even Max was starting to not believe how long it was taking. Apart from that, love the breakdown of one of my favourite films ever.
I honestly think she would be too weak, she's been Joe's captive for ages and there's practically nothing to her. Using bolt cutters to cut a chain, esp when you're doing it at chest level, requires a good bit of strength.
@@theboy5438 yes, she was rather waif-like, I’ll admit, but she was also smart. I choose to believe she was giving Furiosa an opportunity to intervene by distracting Max. Because only me and Mr Burns is that hopeless when it comes to physical activity.
This fight made the whole world work in this film for me. It actually tells a story unlike most modern fight scenes. Plus how bad ass is it when he racks the slide on his leg and pops those 3 ' calm the fuck down' shots. Poetry
FINALLY saw this movie this weekend and your analysis is spot on. One thing you didn't mention, Max's slave mask saves him again and again from getting his face reduced to pulp
I've gotta be honest with you, Jill, watching you break down fight scenes like this is actually one of the only things that makes me want to watch some of these movies.
This fight has a great sense of realism in the over the top world. Max has always been a sort of vestigial representation of the world that used to be, an idea that yes, he can survive, yes he WILL survive but in that there are still the instincts are tempered by the fact he was a cop, he was a father, he was a husband. Little sparks of that shine through in the fights and that is one of the things that makes this movie shine
You are supremely detail-oriented and knowledgable about story editing. Well done!
I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.
Or more accurately ever since I discovered your channel and watched Mad Max Fury Road, but I’m pretty sure my life didn’t properly start before watching that movie.
I've always wondered why I loved this movie so much. I knew I loved the colours, plot and the cars (especially after watching behind the scenes) but I didnt really know why until now. Thx for the brilliant breakdown!
I adore this movie, and I've quite enjoyed your analysis of this fight. Absolutely delightful. And I appreciate the mention of how they did the "moves too fast because frames are missing" thing, because that explained a lot. Thanks!
I wrote an essay about this fight in film school, you did the much more engaging (tho less technical) video version of it lol. Great analysis. Masterpiece of a movie ❤️
Amongst the amazing cinematography, stunt choreography, prop details, and the wonderful job of fleshing out each and every character (especially without having to resort to endless flashbacks or exposition), one of my favorite things about this movie is Nux's character as we go through the movie. I know it's not fight-related, but you could do an amazing job examining that.
This is a very underestimated film in how much detail went in to all of it including the fighting. Great vid thank you
@9:16 You can also see he has his finger outside the trigger guard. Showing both weapon discipline and lack of kill intent.
I rarely finish this kind of videos but I watched yours entirely and did not skip a frame! Fury Road is my favorite film too. I love this. You just earned +1 sub ❤️
I only watch a few hours of TH-cam content a week, I usually don't subscribe or like videos cause I forget, i specially don't comment. This video inspired me to like, subscribe and comment. You have my attention and loyalty. Thank you for doing such great work.
I really hope you do a full analysis of this movie- it's one big beautiful perfect fight scene. I loved fury road enough to watch it three times in theater and then buy it but you pointed out so many things I didn't notice before!
This is your best viddy yet.
And while it doesn't have the same visceral-qualities as this fight, I'd really like to see you analyze/gush over the fight on the approach back to the Citadel (~1:33 +). The combat isn't as tight and pucker-inducing as the Furiosa fight. But it introduces verticality/climbing (a la Polecats/clinging desperately onto the bodies of rolling vehicles), environment & terrain consideration (vehicles are anti-vehicle, anti-personnel assets, which can also be surfed upon).
Plus, how 'bout that score? Tom Holkenborg via Junkie XL making me have all the feelings around 1:37 where Furiosa gets shanked, Max is hanging on by an artificial thread, Toast is re-captured, and the war rig is enveloped by the convoy. You just feel all the blood drain away from you as Evil is seconds from triumph. The Chrome edition for MMFR really sells this through its play on contrast.