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TheMad Maxfranchise is unarguably one of the most popular action franchises of all time, created by mastermind George Miller. While the star power connected to it — which includes notable names like Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, and Mel Gibson — is one factor behind its epic success, its breathtaking action sequences and stunt scenes further set the saga apart from every other.
That being said, in the highest-rated critically commended movie from Gibson’s original trilogy, i.e.Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, there is a very brutal yet one of the most memorable stunt scenes that could have even resulted in the actor being taken down to surgery. In fact, that scene was brutal enough to rival even Tom Cruise’s ankle-breaking scene inMission: Impossible – Fallout!
Harrowing Stunt inMad Max 2Could Have Resulted in a Deadly Accident
InMad Max 2: The Road Warrior, the second and highest-rated movie (as perRotten Tomatoes) starring Gibson in the lead as Max Rockatansky, the final chase scene involving the tanker crash is considered one of the most memorable scenes in the entire movie.
But as iconic as it was, it was also an incredibly dangerous stunt scene to shoot.
For those who may be unversed, this scene sees a mohawk rider coming down to the road in his buggy and brutally crashing right into the tanker roll in whichMel Gibson‘s Rockatansky was coming from the opposite direction.
And, for the record, this scene wasactuallyshot for real, with stuntman Guy Norris being the one driving the buggy. But it wasn’t without proper precautions.
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According toHollywood, just for the preparation of this scene, the stunt guy was not allowed to eat anything for at least 12 hours before shooting. This was because the production crew feared that the scene could turn fatal and result in the stuntman being rushed to the ER for surgery.
Thankfully though, no harrowing fatal accident occurred that could have included Norris being actually taken for surgery. But that’s not all, because Norris did, in fact,end up getting hurtas he broke his femur while crashing his vehicle into Gibson’s.
As can be closely noticed in the nearly-deadly accidental scene in the movie too, the stuntman’s left leg came in contact with the vehicle, leading to his knee getting bent at an unnatural angle and eventually breaking his femur in this duration.
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Needless to say, this one moment, which does seem like it was all planned but was actually a botched accidental stunt scene, could pretty easily rival eventhe stunt scene inMission: Impossible – Fallout, which resulted inTom Cruisebreaking his ankle while jumping across buildings.
George Miller Proved Helpful in the Botched Stunt FromThe Road Warrior
As already mentioned above, everyone was super precautions about shooting this scene, especiallyGeorge Miller, the mastermind behind the entire saga. And yet, the stunt still ended up botched, considering how Norris broke his femur.
But in that accident too, Miller had a solution.
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Since Miller used to be a practicing qualified doctor before he dived full-time into filmmaking, this skill of his ended up to his use as it enabled him to tend to Norris’ injury before taking him to the hospital. (This skill even helpedMad Maxoriginate, but that’s a different matter.)
However, what’s even more interesting than all of this is the fact that this botched deathly stunt didn’t stop Guy Norris from continuing to work with Miller. In fact, if anything, the stunt guy has been working as a stunt coordinator with the mastermind ever since.
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According toScreen Rant, he was even tapped to work with Miller on his recently releasedFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga— proving, just like Cruise, that even death-defying stunts couldn’t keep him away from experiencing the thrills of it all.
You can watchMad Max 2: The Road Warrioron Max.
Mahin Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2478
Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.
