The Making of Mad Max 2: Stunts

This is an authorised five-minute making of Mad Max 2 that focuses on the heroic work of the film's stunt performers – including a look at two dangerous stunts that don't go according to plan.

The hyperbolic voice-over, aimed at international audiences, begins with 'Broken Hill, Australia's last frontier town', referring to the location for the production. After a brief on-location interview with producer Byron Kennedy, we get to see the armada of cars that feature in the film.

But the real interest is in seeing the dramatic stunts being performed and the documentary effectively captures the dangers inherent in action films. In fact, it's hard to imagine a promotional making-of documentary today giving such a candid look at stunts that go awry.

First, we see stunt performer Guy Norris's tumbling leap through the air which was so spectacular it remained in the film. As a qualified medical doctor, director George Miller examined Norris – who broke his leg performing the stunt – before he was ferried by ambulance to hospital.

While Norris could not resume work on Mad Max 2, he has had a long career as a stunt performer and coordinator. As supervising stunt coordinator on Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), he drove a 10-tonne, 16-wheel truck at 100 kilometres per hour directly into a wrecked 16-wheeler, without slowing down!

We also see Mad Max 2 stunt coordinator Max Aspin's car clip the top of a pile of wreckage it was supposed to clear. He too is injured and exits the production. He returned to work a few months later and his later credits as stunt coordinator include Razorback (1984) and Crocodile Dundee (1986).