The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Part of Kicking the Canon – The Film Canon. Next time you watch The Road Warrior, with its majestic, almost Homeric story of the last hard man, remember who stood behind him, who was the real hero. In real life, at the end of his role, Dog was adopted by a production stuntman, and spent the rest of his life corralling sheep and eating chickens. ![]() But his sacrifice motivates Max to regain what’s left of his sense of honor, to hang on to the last shreds of his humanity, and return to help the gas-hoarding refugees escape the desert with their load of the precious juice. Fiercely defending Max when his best friend has been grievously injured, Dog takes a crossbow bolt from one of Lord Humungus’ flunkies. Not only is Dog the greatest movie dog in history, he also receives the most tragic death of possibly any film character ever. This little guy’s tangerine-sized brain was still big enough to go method. The real Dog might not have weathered the post-apocalypse, but the Australian dog pound is traumatic enough. ![]() Like his human keeper, Dog has seen some shit, and every one of those experiences has formed his personality and character. When he outwits Max’s enemies, you can see the wheels turning inside his mind, the perfect engine of cleverness. When he lounges in the sun with Max, belly up, tongue out, you see genuine happiness. It’s impossible for a dog to be anything but themself there is absolutely no guile, but Dog is so meticulous and expressive that it’s hard to believe there isn’t an actual performance happening here. He was too scared of the noise of production, apparently losing his bowels whenever the cars’ engines revved, so cotton was put in his little dog ears. (Only later was it learned that he did this with everyone.) In order to be discharged from the pound, he would have to be neutered, but Miller argued that nobody would neuter a dog in the post-apocalypse, so Dog was instead given a vasectomy. Dog picked up a rock and dropped it at Miller’s feet, and was thus cast on the spot. I could find no listing for Dog’s real name, but he was an Australian Blue Heeler who, according to legend, was discovered by Miller after a lengthy casting process, rescued from the pound on the day before his scheduled euthanasia. None can compare to Dog from The Road Warrior. Quite simply, he’s undeniably the greatest movie dog of all time: Lassie, Benji, the dog from Independence Day, whichever one of Milo and Otis was the dog… take the L and go home. ![]() His stalwart companion, the last link to his remaining humanity. Max Rockatansky’s dog, that is, named Dog. Just think of all the insane stunts, the impeccable production design, the memorable characters with menacingly goofy names like “Toecutter” or “Master Blaster.” And the cars! But instead, we’re here going to talk about the one element, specifically in Miller’s 1981 Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough: a character that might just be Miller’s greatest creation, featuring one of the very best performances of its kind in the history of cinema. From the backwaters of Australia to the barren deserts of Namibia from a tale of simple revenge to an all-encompassing modern myth of redemption and rebirth. They’ve gone from the first entry’s scrappy DIY exploitation to Fury Road‘s multimillion-dollar, 20-years-in-the-making masterpiece. There isn’t much left to say about George Miller’s Mad Max films.
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