Mel Gibson only had sixteen lines of dialogue in the entire film, and two of them were: "I only came for the gasoline."

The dog used in the film, named simply "Dog", was obtained from a local dog pound and trained to perform in the film. Because the sound of the engines upset him (and in one incident, caused him to relieve himself in the car), he was fitted with special earplugs. After filming was complete, he was adopted by one of the camera operators.

According to trivia book "Movie Mavericks" by Jon Sandys, one of the more spectacular stunts in the film was actually a serious accident. One of the motorcycle-riding raiders hits a car, flies off the bike, smashes his legs against the car, and cartwheels through the air towards the camera. This was a real, genuine accident: the stuntman was supposed to just fly over the car without hitting it. But the nearly fatal incident looked so dramatic, that it was kept in the movie. The stuntman broke his leg badly, but survived. (If you look at the stuntman's body frame-by-frame through his cartwheels, you can see that one of his legs is bending at a slightly unnatural angle around the knee.

The tanker roll stunt at the end of the chase was deemed so dangerous, that the stunt driver was not allowed to eat any food twelve hours before they shot, in the likely event that he could be rushed into surgery.

One of the factors which led to using the location, was the prediction by rainfall charts, that there would be virtually no rainfall during the shoot. But during the shoot, it did rain, for the first time in over four years. Production was shut down for over a week.

Renamed "The Road Warrior" for North American distribution because at the time, the original Mad Max (1979) had only been released there on a limited basis, so "Mad Max 2" (the title used outside North America) could have confused viewers.

Reasons for Max's strange and mismatched outfit: Right arm of jacket missing - arm was run over by a bike in Mad Max (1979), and medics would have cut the sleeve off, rather than pull it over a damaged limb. Squeaky leg brace - kneecap shot through in the previous movie. Harness with spanners and other objects dangling off it - for running repairs on his Interceptor. First two fingers of each driving glove missing - easier insertion and retrieval of shotgun shells from his sawed-off shotgun.

After Mad Max (1979) was finished, and before that film's release, all of the cars were supposed to be destroyed, including the black Interceptor, but someone thought the Interceptor was too good to lose, so they saved it from the crusher. When the sequel was in its planning stage, someone found out the Interceptor had somehow survived, so they tracked it down, and bought it back.

Max's dog was saved from being euthanized by the filmmakers. One day before he was to be put to sleep, members of the crew visited his shelter looking for a pet to cast for the film. He was picked out from several other dogs, due to him picking up a rock off the ground and playing with it like a toy. The crew members realized the dog could have a real presence on film, and had the potential to be trained. This movie ended up being the only film, in which he appeared.

Because he was relatively unknown in the U.S., the trailers did not feature Mel Gibson, but instead focused on the chases and action scenes.

According to Cinematographer Dean Semler, the camera rig used to get medium close-ups of Max driving, required him and an assistant cameraman to stand on a small platform mounted to the driver's side of the car. They found out during one sequence that they miscalculated the lift, because whenever they went up or down a hill, the platform would actually scrape the ground, sending out a shower of sparks. (Initially alarming all involved, they just shrugged and kept shooting without cutting.)

Although it might not look it, the location was actually extremely cold. Mel Gibson would spend his time in between takes huddled under blankets, despite being dressed in a leather outfit, while the marauders suffered in particular with their costumes, which deliberately exposed their buttocks.

The costume department assembled the costumes by raiding - amongst others - junk shops, second hand clothing stores, sporting outlets, and S&M shops.

James Cameron cited this as one of his influences behind The Terminator (1984).

The opening credits and narrated prologue are in mono - the Dolby Stereo sound kicks in on the "whoosh" sound, as the film fast-forwards to the present.

Unusual for an action film, this was shot in sequence.

A piece of narration opens the film over a montage of images summarizing what happened to the planet. This was not used for the Australian version.

Mel Gibson's favorite Mad Max film.

The budget for the film was approximately ten times larger than the one for its predecessor.

Director and Co-Screenwriter George Miller was given the rights to this and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), to get him to step aside as the director of Contact (1997).

George Miller also met with John Seale, as a potential Cinematographer, before giving the job to Dean Semler. Seale would come to the franchise for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

Humungus' pistol case contains an ornamental skull and crossbones. It appears to be a Totenkopf, or "Death's Head" design, an infamous emblem of the Nazi S.S.

According to George Miller, it was Mel Gibson's idea to make Max look as rough and ragged as he did. Before filming began, he cut his own hair and eyebrows, cut the sleeve off his leather jacket, and tore up his gloves.

On the Blu-ray release, the credits refer to the film by it's original title, "Mad Max 2", rather than the American title "The Road Warrior", which had been used on most DVD releases.

The most expensive Australian film produced up to that time (1981).

In one scene, Max eats a can of "Dinki-Di" dog food. "Dinki-Di" is Australian slang for "genuine, real."

The film that convinced Steven Spielberg that George Miller would be a great choice to direct Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, the fourth (and arguably the best) story in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).

Because it was filmed out in a remote region of the Australian Outback, the production team would have to wait two or three days before they could get to see the dailies.

Max's dog, "Dog", helps Max at least six times during the film, including saving his life.

The yellow graffiti on the tractor trailer at the Mundi Mundi lookout reads "The Vermin Have Inherited the Earth."

According to Vernon Wells, Wez's partner (Golden Boy) wasn't actually a sexual partner. Wells says there was a deleted scene, which explained that Wez rescued Golden Boy as a child, and became a sort of surrogate father to him. However, there is no evidence of this, aside from this statement.

Was voted the 93rd greatest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

The year the film takes place in is unknown. In an interview in 1984, George Miller stated that the events of the two movies took place in the mid to late 90s.

The opening scene was originally shot with Max driving past a farm that Wez and others were ransacking, while the bodies of the owners that they killed were hanging dead from a tree. During the massacre, the sound of a high-powered V8 approaching is heard by Wez. In the distance, he sees the Interceptor with its large fuel tanks drive past. Wez jumps on his bike, and he and the others make chase. The camera then pans out of the car's charger to signify a short passage of time, and then the scene is as we know it, with just Wez and two cars still in pursuit, due to the Interceptor's power.

Only two original Interceptors were used in the Mad Max movies. The one that was used in Mad Max (1979), was modified and re-used in all of the interior and close-up car shots in this movie. After filming was over, this Interceptor was bought and restored by Bob Forsenko, and is currently on display in the "Cars of the Stars Motor Museum" in England. Another car was built for the chase scenes in the second movie, but that one was destroyed, when the script required it to be pushed off the road and blown up. The wreckage used to be viewable at Broken Hill, Australia, but due to thefts it can't be found there any longer. The Planet Hollywood Interceptor is a replica, and was never used in any of the films.

The logo on the tank truck is "7 Sisters Oil", a reference to a conspiracy theory, popular before OPEC-conspiracy theories took over, that Standard Oil, and six other companies controlled the world oil market, and bought up, and suppressed, a one hundred mile-per-gallon carburetor and so on, to keep oil prices up.

Max's friendship with The Feral Kid was inspired by Shane (1953), a nod to the friendship between Shane and Joey Starrett.

The picture of the nude woman on the vertical stabilizer of the gyro is Karen Price, Playboy's January 1981 centerfold (she is most noticeable when Max first approaches the machine, while the Gyro Captain is hiding under the sand).

When the gyrocopter flies off carrying two people, one of them is a dummy, as two real people would have been too heavy for the machine to carry.

Like George Lucas with Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Screenwriters Terry Hayes, George Miller, and Brian Hannant were inspired by Akira Kurosawa's samurai films, and Joseph Campbell's book "The Hero With a Thousand Faces."

Not counting the narration, Max is only called by name twice during the course of the movie. Both times it Is from Pappagallo (Michael Preston).

This movie, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), contain quotes from former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (1972 - 1975). These are the lines "We"re going to either crash, or crash through." from this movie, and "One day cock of the walk, next a feather duster." from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

When Max comes back to the tractor to retrieve it, a squealing sound is heard as the engine is turning over. This sound is caused by the AIR starter, as opposed to an electrical starter. Max attempts to start the Mack tractor three times, each time you can hear the air starter go from fast to slow, as the air pressure drops. It would not be possible to repressurize the starter's compressed air tank that quickly. On the third attempt, the truck starts, accompanied with a cloud of dust from the starter and smoke from the exhaust stacks. The first two starts are sound effects, only the third is actually starting the engine.

The first Australian film mixed with a Dolby soundtrack.

George Miller's personal favorite Mad Max movie.

More than eighty vehicles were involved in the production.

The black Interceptor, driven by Mel Gibson, is a 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe, a car exclusive to Australia. A limited number of these cars were exported by Ford to New Zealand, South Africa (badged as a Fairmont, which was the upscale model of the Falcon since 1965 in Australia - which has no relation to the 1978-83 U.S. model, which was the first Ford FOX platform automobile (which yielded the third and fourth generation Mustangs), Thailand, and the United Kingdom, but never to North America (Australian Ford vehicles were not marketed in the U.S., since they were right hand drive). The Falcon XB (and previous XA model introduced in March 1972) had styling cues similar to the U.S. market 1971-73 Mustang and 1970-71 Torino, which was a clean sheet design unique to Australia, since the Falcon nameplate was phased out in the U.S. in 1970 (last used as part of the Fairlane 500 and Torino series, right after the final U.S. Falcons were phased out). Since only 949 of that particular model Falcon were ever produced, they have become highly sought after by car collectors on six continents. There are over one hundred of them that have been brought over to the United States, so far, since 1998 (the U.S. Department of Transportation amended its importation policy, where import automobiles 25 model years old, or older, are eligible for import into the U.S. regardless of compliance with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards), primarily by importing and replica car companies like www.madmaxcars.com (The largest importer and builder of mad max replicas in the U.S.) along with several Interceptor replicas assembled from "non-GT" and "GT" Falcon coupes.

The production shoot was twelve weeks long.

For one of the explosions, airlines were notified, and all the mines in the area were closed. George Miller recalled, "I remember the shockwaves. They were huge."

The set for the refinery compound was blown up on July 22, 1981. The shot of marauders in the compound, just before the explosion, was filmed soon after dawn, with a waning gibbous moon visible in one shot.

George Miller edited this movie with the sound off, so he could just focus on the images.

In the opening scene, Max stands near a roadside sign that says "Mundi Mundi Look Out", where the movie was shot. The other locations on the sign are One Tree Hill 50, Los Angeles 3500, Casablanca 3500, London 4500.

During the scene after Max has been forced off the road and left for dead by Wez, Max is seen dragging himself along the ground due to his injuries as Brian May's music is heard. This scene reflects another scene from Mad Max (1979), after Max has been ambushed by The Toecutter and Bubba Zanetti, and left for dead as he drags himself to his car to give pursuit. For the sequel, Composer Brian May re-uses the same score of the scene mentioned in the original film. Only now, it is composed with a much slower tempo, and with a more melancholy feel to it.

During production, co-Screenwriter Brian Hannant was drawn to a rock formation at Wilpena in South Australia, which inspired him to write a screenplay for a science fiction film about a soldier from a dark post apocalyptic future, who arrives in twentieth century Australia to prepare for the arrival of a city, that has the ability to travel across time and space, that is pursued by evil robots. That film was The Time Guardian (1987).

According to Emil Minty, Mel Gibson taught him how to throw a boomerang, and to headbutt people without hurting them.

The Warrior Woman had not been considered by George Miller to be a potential love interest of Max.

This film is considered an "Ozploitation" (Australian exploitation) picture.

Mel Gibson described the filming location, "We filmed in the only place nobody would go. It wasn't glamorous at all."

According to George Miller, some of the film's violence was inspired by A Clockwork Orange (1971).

The film was voted the best film in the first three films of the Mad Max franchise.

George Miller believes that the Gyro Captain serves the most important function in the movie. He provides humor, and brings Max back toward his humanity.

The Warrior Woman was also designed to be attractive to Max in a specific way. Byron Kennedy had especially put emphasis on Warrior Woman's large scar across her cheek as a kind of physical paradox that would render her attractive to Max. "Otherwise Max would be too shy and too ethical to get involved with her".

Dean Semler returned to the same locations in Broken Hill, New South Wales, to shoot Russell Mulcahy's Razorback (1984).

This film and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) have been spoofed, payed homage to, and influenced many films and cartoons with their action and set pieces, such as: South Park (1997), Fist of the North Star (1995), Cyborg (1989), and Waterworld (1995).

The Japanese manga and animé series Fist of the North Star (1984), was heavily influenced by this movie. You can see the same setting, and the same aesthetics, dresses, and looks for the characters. The similarities don't end there, in the first episode of Fist of the North Star (1984), the main character Kenshiro stumbles upon a fortified village inhabited by good people hassled by outlaws. Furthermore, the first main villain in Fist of the North Star (1984), resembles the Mad Max 2 character Zetta, and is even called "Zeta".

George Miller based the Feral Kid on Vietnamese orphans from the streets of Saigon.

The film takes place five years after Mad Max (1979), and fifteen years before Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

According to George Miller, the rabbit that Wez shoots wasn't actually killed.

The breed of Max's dog is an Australian Cattle Dog or "Blue Heeler".

The climatic highway battle is thirteen minutes long.

According to George Miller, Max never smiles. He only gives a few "Mona Lisa" grins.

The tanker was travelling at 65 miles per hour when it rolled over.

Picked by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the "50 Greatest Independent Films" in a special supplement devoted to independent films that was only distributed to subscribers in November 1997.

Voted Greatest Action Movie of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone Magazine in 2015.

There were over eighty custom vehicles made for this movie. More than half got demolished.

Max Fairchild played Benno Swaisey in Mad Max (1979), then played the "Broken Victim" in this film. He is the bigger of the two individuals tied to the front of the vehicle driven by Humongous.

Bruce Spence (The Gyrocaptain) was once a one time advisor to Shell Oil Company.

Wez was ranked #1 on Empire Magazine's 10 Greatest Movie Henchmen Of All Time.

Brian May, who composed the soundtrack for Mad Max (1979), returned to compose the soundtrack for this movie. But, he didn't compose the soundtrack for Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and was replaced by Maurice Jarre.

Max's car was modified from the first movie. The most obvious change is the large gas tanks in the back.

Although the gang's name is never mentioned in the movie, the script calls them the Marauders.

There were over two hundred stunts performed in this movie.

Mel Gibson called Vernon Wells "Barometer Bum" because of the outfit he was wearing for the role of Wez. When Wells butt cheeks went purple on set, they'd sent everyone into the bus so they could warm up.

In the night torture sequence, Humungus is seen giving a passionate yet incomprehensible speech. He is actually reciting a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe entitled "Der Erlkönig"[5]. It depicts the death of a child assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlking or "Erlkönig", king of the elves.

The story was influenced by Shane (1953). That movie is about a lone stranger who saves a town from a problem that had nothing to do with him. Max's bonding with The Feral Kid is a nod to that film.

George Miller stated in an interview that A Boy and His Dog (1975) was his inspiration behind the film.

Film critic Leonard Maltin filmed a five minute introduction to the film, for the Blu-ray release.

Lord Humungus uses a Smith and Wesson Model 29, with an optical scope.

Costume Designer Norma Moriceau was inspired by an S&M leather shop near her house in Sydney.

Originally The Golden Youth was supposed to be female. The writers decided to change the sex of the character (much like The Warrior Woman whom was originally written as a male) to show how gender roles became interchangeable in Mad Max universe.

Two years later, Michael Preston went on to star as Jared-Syn, the title antagonist of Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983). The film's protagonist, Dogen the Space Ranger (Jeffrey Byron), resembled Max Rockatansky, and the film was described by a critic as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) meets Mad Max (1979).

Cinematographer Dean Semler also worked on We Were Soldiers (2002) and Apocalypto (2006), featuring Mel Gibson as star, and Director, respectively.

Lord Humungus wears a Cooper HM6 hockey mask,The mask was originally white plastic but was painted silver and detailed with black paint to look like steel with dingy patina. Wire mesh was attached underneath the holes in the mask. The original straps were replaced with what appear to be leather straps fastened together with copper rivets.

The V8 Interceptor received numerous changes between films although only one occurs on screen the smashing of the front during the opening chase, other modifications include, the removal of the front bumper, the removal and subsequent installation of the two Large Barrels in the boot, the passenger seat has been removed and a new seat installed to the door for Max's Dog, a new Gas Metre and flashing light have been added to the dashboard, the scoop has been changed from the Weiand model from the first film to the one scene in this film.

Original UK video release in mono from Warner Home Video in 1983 had the original on-screen title of Mad Max 2 as intended. However, when a hi-fi stereo release was brought out on VHS in the 80s, the American print with The Road Warrior title was used. This was possibly due to a stereo master not being available of the Mad Max 2 print as Warner Home VIdeo had chosen not to make this a stereo release in the linear era (despite it being recorded as such). DVD and Blu ray has since reverted back to the original intended title of Mad Max 2.

Max, Papagallo, Zetta, Humungus, Wez, Big Rebecca, Nathan and a few uncredited compound members (including when Papagallo calls for Timbo and Derek) are the only people referred to by name in the film. Everyone else is credited by their role. While the other films in the series do this for some characters, it is most prominent in this film.

Emil Minty was eight years old when he beat out hundreds of other kids for the role of The Feral Kid.

Mel Gibson had to wear a sticky bruise and blood make-up for several weeks.

Humungus is also an inspiration for the character Jagi in "Fist of the North Star", who committed violent criminal acts for similar reasons to Humungus.

In real-life, the women's clothing store chain, "Pappagallo", was named after the Italian translation for parrot, not the Mad Max character.

In 2004, a group called Roadwar USA started staging re-enactments of this chase scene. Vernon Wells has shown up for two of the events.

James Cameron had cited the film as one of his influences behind The Terminator (1984).

The film takes place 5 years after Mad Max (1979).

Vernon Wells (Wez) would later go on to play the evil mutant crime boss Ransik in Power Rangers Time Force (2001) which he returned in the role in Power Rangers Wild Force (2002). Unlike Wez, Ransik would be reformed.

Humungus was originally supposed to be Max's partner Jim Goose. The production decided against this, but left a few hints, such as horrible burns behind Humungus' goalie mask, his raider's use of police vehicles, and his own use of a similar weapon to the MFP's standard sidearm.

Contributing to the cost of production, was the most expensive set ever constructed for an Australian film: the desert compound built in the desert of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia. The production also boasted the largest explosion ever created for an Australian film, which destroyed the above set.

Originally, this was the conclusion of the "Mad Max" story, which Max's fate would never had been revealed, and George Miller, Terry Hayes, and Byron Kennedy had no intentions of making a third installment. However, George Miller had planned to make a post-apocalyptic "Lord of the Flies" film, about a tribe of children living in the wild, who are found by an adult. When Miller was suggested that Mad Max is the adult who finds the children, it became Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

The original cut of the movie was lot bloodier and more violent, but it was cut down heavily by Australian censors. When it was submitted to the MPAA, two additional scenes (Wez graphically pulling an arrow out of his arm, and a close-up shot of him pulling the boomerang out of his dead boyfriend's head) were cut down. Although there is a version that includes MPAA cuts, there never was any fully uncut version with pre-MPAA cuts included.

The Feral Kid (Emil Minty) never says a word. He just growls. It is not revealed until the end, that the film's narrator is actually the Feral Kid all grown up.

The purpose of the narration and footage from Mad Max (1979) at the beginning of the film, was to reintroduce the character of Max and to connect the world of this film with Mad Max (1979), and to explain the backstory of why gasoline supplies were low, why crime was out of control, and why the nuclear war, which happened a couple of weeks after Mad Max (1979) happened, and the story was told from The Feral Kid's point of view, which is why he is the narrator.

Originally, Humungus was going to be revealed to be Jim Goose, Max's partner from Mad Max (1979). Goose had suffered psychological distress from his burns, and due to poor treatment, he suffered memory loss, had gone psychotic, and had no memories of his past. But, George Miller had decided to drop this concept. Some visual elements connected to the idea remain, such as horrible burns behind Humungus' goalie mask, his raiders' use of police vehicles and equipment, and his own use of a similar weapon to the MFP's standard sidearm.

Most of the final action sequences (including Pappagallo's death by trident machete, Wez's final attempt to kill the Feral Kid, then the collision between Max's truck and Humungus' hot rod) were filmed on July 24, 1981. The collision caused more damage to the truck than expected, so the truck's turnover (scheduled for the same day) had to be postponed. The truck was repaired, then crashed the following day.

Bruce Spence was unwell during production. He had just came out of the hospital, and struggled to come out of the ground, when filming his first scene in the film.

It was rumored and speculated that the Tom Hardy incarnation of Mad Max in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) is The Feral Kid. However, a four-issue Vertigo comic series, co-written by George Miller, establishes that Hardy's Max is the same character as Mel Gibson's Max.

Max befriending The Feral Kid foreshadowed the following film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), in which Max is rescued by a tribe of children.

Although set in the post-apocalyptic Australian Outback, this film is generally considered by film scholars to fit the "western" (that is, American Old West) archetype. The film's tale of a community of settlers moved to defend themselves against a roving band of marauders, follows a western frontier movie motif, as does Max's role as a hardened man, who rediscovers his humanity when he decides to help the settlers. The costuming is even similar to a traditional western, as the "good guys" wear conservative, mostly white clothing, while the "bad guys" wear more aggressive black costumes; the main exceptions to this are Max (the anti-hero, who wears most of his black police leathers from the first film), the gyro-pilot (who wears mostly yellow, to indicate his status as a cowardly character through most of the film), and the Feral Kid (who wears skins and furs, indicating his feral nature).

In the narrative behind the narration that The Narrator (who is revealed, at the end of the movie, to be The Feral Kid) provides, The Feral Kid is now, obviously, a dying old man, and he is telling his story about Mad Max as he is lying in bed, and is dying of old age. Hence his opening statement, which begins, "My life fades. A vision dims. All that remains are memories," and his closing statement, "He lives now...only in my memories." He apparently dies after he finishes telling the story.

The name of Toadie (Max Phipps, the man who gets his fingers cut off by Feral Kid's boomerang) is only spoken once: Wez says "Toadie get the gas."

Two stunt performers were inured during the filming of the climatic highway battle. Stunts didn't go according to plan, went wrong, and George Miller, an experienced doctor, examined the injured stunt performers.