The best of the Mad Max films High production values and a compelling story line make this the best of the series. This one doesn't rely on basic car smashes for the duration and instead gives us a moving and more thoughtful adventure. No campy men dressed for the Blue Oyster bar in this one, thank goodness. The Road Warrior (1981) is widely regarded as the best but I have to disagree. That film had a very one note narrative that verged on the bland and an overload of homoerotic imagery. This is a beautiful looking and entertaining film that does not have the shoddy and amateur vibe of the first two. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is the film that the first should have been.

• Charles Dance