Because I was thinking about the handgun that Furiosa and Max wrestled over, and about the hilarious caption vorobey008 put on that photoset, I noticed something I hadn’t before, though it’s probably obvious to everyone else.

There’s been a lot of (very cool) talk already about how Furiosa full-on tried to kill Max during the fight (first with the sawed-off shotgun, then with the handgun):

But when Max gained the upper hand he made a point of not killing Furiosa, instead firing those three shots into the sand next to her head:

And yeah, that was a luxury Max had in that situation, as a person with significant physical advantages (not to end the fight at the first opportunity by killing his opponent, the way Furiosa tried to). But also, it was a fight, and they were experiencing a certain amount of anger and aggression, and Max was pissed, because that gun going off next to his head hurt. So he didn’t just end the fight by pressing the gun against the back of Furiosa’s head, as he could have. Instead he dished out some tit-for-tat playground retaliation, firing the gun next to her ear the same way she’d done to him, and adding two more shots for good measure.

Which makes me think that later, when Furiosa tells Max, “don’t breathe”:

…there may have been a certain amount of retributive balancing going on. Because Furiosa is no stranger to testosterone-fueled one-upmanship.

It doesn’t undercut all the cool analysis people have already done of these scenes. But it does bring home to me how similar the two characters are.

Also, I think Max was lucky Big Boy was out of ammo. Because Furiosa still owed him one.

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redshoesnblueskies:

gameraboy:

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Max’s expression here though: ‘yup, she’s got it under control.’  He’s observant, but he’s not worried – all that tightly wound terror is gone.  Furiosa can be relied upon.

I think Max relates to what Furiosa is going through. 

She previously caused people to be killed on the war rig, and pushed that carload of war boys into the dust-storm lightning tornado. And she shot a bunch of Rockriders in the canyon, as well as that imperator who shielded Joe with his body. But all that was in the heat of battle. This is the first time she’s killed her former comrades in cold blood.

Max avoids killing when he can. He knows Furiosa had no choice in this case. But it still hurts her to do it. Her expression as she lowers the rifle reminds me of that scene in Saving Private Ryan when Captain Miller lets the German soldier go free, saying, “I just know that every man I kill the farther away from home I feel.”

Max and Furiosa are each trying to get home, in the sense of getting back to a place they dimly remember where they didn’t have to do these kinds of things. In this scene, like in the later scene when Max returns from dealing with the Peacemaker and the roles are reversed, I think each of them recognizes the pain the other is feeling.

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verysharpteeth:

exsequar:

#this turning point is a LOT#he starts from ‘i’m holding you guys at gunpoint’ and she’s just ‘babe if you’re gonna be here i kind of need your help soooo get over that mmkay?’#and he’s like ‘wwhaaaaaat you’re literally trusting me with your lives? me??’#[KICKED PUPPY FACE: ENGAGE]#‘i guess I’d better level up then from rabid animal back to humanoid thing – what do you need? I can be human if you need that.’#and 2 minutes later he’s handing her loaded guns#AND THERE’S NO DIALOGUE TO BRIDGE THAT#it’s just ‘i’m going to trust you so be fucking trustworthy ok?’ and he takes it and runs with it (via harrietvane)

This is why I love Max so much, and Hardy’s portrayal of him. When Furiosa incorporates him into the plan he barely flinches before just rolling with it. The situation might get him killed, but these PEOPLE aren’t a threat to him and Furiosa trusts him because she needs to and he just responds to that by being a bad ass and getting on the same page as her because just because he’s scared up to that point doesn’t mean Max isn’t a fighter or dangerous or heroic. SHe runs across him when he’s flipping out and burned out and hopeless and plagued by the obvious failure he feels in the deaths of his loved ones. He speaks in monosyllables and grunts because he’s been treated like an animal so he acts like one. Yet the minute she starts trusting him he steadies, calms down, and eventually starts talking, showing interest in the group and generally acting like a collected human even with his hallucinations. He has every opportunity to act like an animal after he crosses Furiosa’s path, yet he chooses not to because that’s actually not who he is. 

I just love Max.

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