TheMad Maxfranchise is known for its incredible stunts, and here are the 10 most impressive stunts from across all five movies. TheMad Maxfranchise consists of five filmsthat span multiple decades, with the first entry releasing in 1979 and the most recent entry,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, releasing in 2024. While theMad Maxfranchise has undergone a lot of changes throughout its time, George Miller has made sure to center the action and stunts in all five movies, and these 10 are the best that the franchise has to offer.
Mad Max: Fury RoadandFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagaare often considered to be the modernMad Maxmovies, with them taking everything that the original trilogy has done before and turning things up to 11. These two films contain some of the most high-octane stunts in the franchise’s history, with many fans thinking of these two films when picturing the franchise. However, there is stilla lot to love from George Miller’s incredible originalMad Maxtrilogy, with the first three films also containing stunts that live up to those seen in the most recent movies.
Up until the release ofMad Max: Fury Road,Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorwas often held upas the peak of the franchise, with its post-apocalyptic tone and epic car chases being quintessentialMad Max. One of the film’s most impressive stunts comes at the very end of the movie. Shortly after the death of Lord Humungus, a massive oil tanker flips, with the scale of the stun’s destruction and danger being absolutely epic.
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This stunt was obviously incredibly dangerous, and while it may not seem all that special compared to what some of the laterMad Maxfilms managed to pull off,it is still immensely impressive when you consider the time that the film was made. This is probably the largest-scale stunt inMad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and the importance of this oil tanker to the story makes for a potentially tragic moment. As the film soon reveals, though, things aren’t quite what they seem.
9Toecutter’s Truck Crash
Another one of the most impressive stunts inMad Maxcomes from the original 1979 film, with it being Toecutter’s truck crash.Toecutter is the main villain of the originalMad Max, with him being the leader of the post-apocalyptic motorcycle gang that kills Max’s family. Because of this, Max spends most of the movie attempting to get revenge on Toecutter and his gang, culminating in this moment.
While Max is chasing Toecutter down,Toecutter’s bike drives directly into a massive semi-truck. Not only does this lead to the motorcycle getting absolutely demolished, but the shot also shows the dummy that is meant to represent Toecutter getting sucked under the semi and run over. In the context of the film, this death is brutal, with the preceding chase and iconic eye-popping shot making it one of the most memorable moments of action in theMad Maxfranchise.
8Lord Humungus' Death
Shortly before the oil tanker is flipped inMad Max 2: The Road Warrior, an even more interesting stunt happens, with this too being one of the most memorable moments of action in the franchise.Max and the Feral Kid find themselves driving head-first into Lord Humungus' vehicle, with the oil tanker tearing through the car, killing Humungus and his crony.
The visual of the massive oil tanker absolutely demolishing Lord Humungus' car is so much fun, with it doubling down on Toecutter’s death from the first film. On top of that, a soldier of Humungus' is hanging onto the front of the oil tanker during the crash, making the implied kill count of the stunt even higher. The gruesome death of Humungus remains one of the most memorable parts of the sequel, especially due to it being followed up by the oil tanker flipping.
7The War Rig Barrel Roll
The oil rig fromMad Max 2: The Road Warriorisn’t the only tanker that crashes in theMad Maxfranchise, asMad Max: Fury Roadcontains an even more epic version of this stunt. Near the end of the film,Immortan Joe and his forces trail Max, Furiosa, and the rest of the ganginto a tight canyon, with the protagonists driving Joe’s War Rig. Everyone except Nux makes it onto Joe’s truck, with them escaping as Nux flips the War Rig, blocking the rest of the antagonists from continuing into the canyon in epic fashion.
The behind-the-scenes footage ofMad Max: Fury Road’s War Rigbarrel roll is incredibly impressive, with the dangerous and destructive stunt being on a massive scale. This is one of the most memorable parts of the film, with it being a fantastic goodbye to the vehicle that had carried the gang for so long.
6The “Witness Me” Explosion Dive
The chase scene that takes place early inMad Max: Fury Roadis iconic, with Max being strapped to the front of Nux’s car as they trail the War Rig. When a rival gang attacks, the War Boys have to fend them off, with them defending the War Rig with their lives. At one point, one of the War Boys grabs two explosives on a stick, yells out the group’s iconic death cry, and jumps onto a nearby car, leading to a huge explosion.
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There is all kinds of behind-the-scenes footage that shows off how this stunt was pulled, and it is mostly real. While there are some wires and other bits of extra protection, a stuntman literally jumped off of the War Rig and onto the other car, something that looks incredibly dangerous.This moment creates an explosive opening forMad Max: Fury Road, perfectly highlighting how the War Boys work.
One of the best fight scenes in the entire franchise surprisingly occurs inMad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, with it taking place in the titular battle arena. The fight sees Max and Blaster take on each other, with them being strapped to bungee ropes that allow them to quickly hop around the Thunderdome. This leads to an incredibly dynamic fight that also looks like it could have been dangerous to film.
Since so much of theMad Maxfranchise takes place on cars and during chases,it is refreshing to see a more traditional fight scene. However, the added mobility still makes the fight wacky enough to feel likeMad Max, with it being a ton of fun.
4The Bullet Farm Escape Sequence
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s Bullet Farmescape sequence is one of the longest and most dynamic action scenes in the entire franchise, which is why it is so high up on the list of the bestMad Maxstunts. Seeing Furiosa attempt to escape the Bullet Farm while Dementus and his goons are in hot pursuit leads to one of the film’s most thrilling action sequences, with it taking every opportunity that it has to show off some cool stunts.
The collapsing Bullet Farm and various car stunts show off justhow much biggerFuriosa: A Mad Max Sagais than anything that came before it. The fun scene finally reunited Furiosa with Dementus as well, adding extra stakes to the moment.
3Max Hanging From The War Rig
One of the most famously dangerous stunts in the entireMad Maxfranchise occurs inMad Max: Fury Road, with it being the moment in which Max hangs from the War Rig. During one of the fight scenes, Max nearly falls off the vehicle, with Furiosa catching him at the last minute. Max’s head hangs mere inches above the road as the War Rig continues to speed, with any accident being fatal for the character.
However, this wasn’t just dangerous for Max,as it was also dangerous for Tom Hardy. Tom Hardy was really hanging upside down off of the vehicle, and if the wires had snapped, the actor would have actually fallen and been run over. This stunt shows just how dedicated Tom Hardy was to makingMad Max: Fury Road, with him literally putting his life on the line for this stunt.
2Furiosa’s Citadel Escape Chase Sequence
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s most impressive action scene takes around 15 minutes, with it being the section in which Furiosa and Jack drive the War Rig away from the Citadel. This massive scene contains all kinds of impressive stunts, with one of the most memorable being the Octoboss' flying troops who begin gliding through the air as they attempt to assault the War Rig.
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Mad Max is set in an apocalyptic world destroyed by a nuclear war over oil resources, while Mad Max: Fury Road emphasised the fight over water.
The various moments in which Furiosa is hanging from the War Rig arereminiscent of Max hanging from the same vehicle inMad Max: Fury Road, with their different reactions to these stunts highlighting their different characterizations. Although this is far from the only action scene inFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga, it is by far the prequel’s best.
1The War Boys' Stilts
Of all the stunts in theMad Maxfranchise, the most impressive is still the War Boys' stilts fromMad Max: Fury Road. The film features a scene in which War Boys hang from giant swinging stilts that are attached to the tops of moving vehicles, with them using these stilts to reach from one vehicle to another.
This is one of the most striking visuals in the entireMad Maxfranchise, and the amount of work that had to go into pulling it off makes it all the more impressive.Mad Max: Fury Roadgot actual Cirque du Soleil performers to help act in the scene, showing off just how talented individuals had to be to pull this stunt off.
Mad Max
Mad Max is an Australian post-apocalyptic franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. The first three films star Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a former police officer who seeks revenge after his family is murdered. Tom Hardy took over the role for 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which was followed by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa.
