The Road Warrior (1984)

The Scene: “THE GATE!”

Why We Love This Scene: Homoeroticism is laid on pretty thick in the first two Mad Max films. Oh, you didn’t notice? Here:

In The Road Warrior, 99% of the marauder gang seems to consist of butch leathermen (there is a woman or two in the group who don’t seem to be there against their will, strangely enough). That’s totally fine if that’s how you’re wired, but it’s just a little curious to see in a major action film like this at that time. There would be a subtle implication sometimes that a male movie villain may prefer the company of gentlemen, but it was very rarely presented outright. Not that it really matters unless you’re from the American South, but it’s interesting to note. One instance I can think of off the top of my head is Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd from Diamonds are Forever, who were very, very close assassination partners who held hands and wore perfume. But they did wear suits instead of assless leather chaps. For more obvious examples, of course, there’s the beloved Velvet Von Ragnar, and our 2015 Villain Madness Champion Dr. Frank N. Furter. But although based on looks alone the marauders seem loud and proud, it’s not explicitly stated that they’re a nomadic band who stealing murderers who just so happen to prefer their sexual dalliances to be with those of their own gender. OR WASN’T IT?? I’ve probably seen this movie at least half a dozen times, and I never paid close attention to the audio in one particular scene, where Max and the Gyro Captain are on top of a hill watching the marauders attack the refinery. In this scene, Lord Humongous is on the bullhorn, shouting orders to his gang, which you can hear, but not really make out. Well, through the technological wonder of closed captioning, we can magically reveal what Lord Humongous was shouting to his troops:

Well there you have it. You don’t call legions of your gang Smegma Crazies and Gayboy Berserkers unless they’re all out of the closet. As Carl Bernstein would say, “That’s a confirmation!” But it’s cool that they all found each other. Too bad they were also villainous; they could have taught the Outback wastelands a lot about acceptance.