Mad Max 2 followed by "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" in 1985 and "" in 2015. Traumatised by the death of his family, Max Rockatansky roams the desert wilderness of a post-apocalyptic Australia in a scarred, black supercharged V-8 Pursuit Special. Scavenging for food and petrol, Max's only companions are an Australian Cattle Dog and a sawed-off shotgun with scarce ammunition. After driving off a gang led by the unhinged biker warrior Wez, and taking petrol from one of their wrecked vehicles, Max finds a nearby gyrocopter and decides to collect its fuel. The gyrocopter is boobytrapped, but Max overpowers the pilot hiding nearby,
Mad Max the meager, terse dialogue too unappealing. Casting director Mitch Mathews invited for "Mad Max" a class of recent National Institute of Dramatic Art graduates, specifically asking a NIDA teacher for "spunky young guys". Among these actors was Mel Gibson, whose audition impressed Miller and Matthews and earned him the role of Max. An apocryphal tale stated that Gibson went to auditions in poor shape following a fight, but this has been denied by both Matthews and Miller. Gibson's friend and classmate Steve Bisley, who worked with him in his only screen role, 1976's "Summer City", became Max's partner Jim Goose.