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Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road
A full-speed-ahead oral history of the nearly two-decade making of the cultural phenomenon Mad Max: Fury Road—with more than 130 new interviews with key members of the cast and crew, including Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, and director George Miller, from the pop culture reporter for The New York Times, Kyle Buchanan.
It won six Oscars and has been hailed as the greatest action film ever, but it is a miracle Mad Max: Fury Road ever made it to the screen… or that anybody survived the production. The story of this modern classic spanned nearly two decades of wild obstacles as visionary director George Miller tried to mount one of the most difficult shoots in Hollywood history.
Production stalled several times, stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron clashed repeatedly in the brutal Namib Desert, and Miller’s crew engineered death-defying action scenes that were among the most dangerous ever committed to film. Even accomplished Hollywood figures are flummoxed by the accomplishment: As the director Steven Soderbergh has said, “I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film, and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.”
Kyle Buchanan takes readers through every step of that moviemaking experience in vivid detail, from Fury Road’s unexpected origins through its outlandish casting process to the big-studio battles that nearly mutilated a masterpiece. But he takes the deepest dive in reporting the astonishing facts behind a shoot so unconventional that the film’s fantasy world began to bleed into the real lives of its cast and crew. As they fought and endured in a wasteland of their own, the only way forward was to have faith in their director’s mad vision. But how could Miller persevere when almost everything seemed to be stacked against him?
With hundreds of exclusive interviews and details about the making of Fury Road, readers will be left with one undeniable conclusion: There has never been a movie so drenched in sweat, so forged by fire, and so epic in scope.
It won six Oscars and has been hailed as the greatest action film ever, but it is a miracle Mad Max: Fury Road ever made it to the screen… or that anybody survived the production. The story of this modern classic spanned nearly two decades of wild obstacles as visionary director George Miller tried to mount one of the most difficult shoots in Hollywood history.
Production stalled several times, stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron clashed repeatedly in the brutal Namib Desert, and Miller’s crew engineered death-defying action scenes that were among the most dangerous ever committed to film. Even accomplished Hollywood figures are flummoxed by the accomplishment: As the director Steven Soderbergh has said, “I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film, and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.”
Kyle Buchanan takes readers through every step of that moviemaking experience in vivid detail, from Fury Road’s unexpected origins through its outlandish casting process to the big-studio battles that nearly mutilated a masterpiece. But he takes the deepest dive in reporting the astonishing facts behind a shoot so unconventional that the film’s fantasy world began to bleed into the real lives of its cast and crew. As they fought and endured in a wasteland of their own, the only way forward was to have faith in their director’s mad vision. But how could Miller persevere when almost everything seemed to be stacked against him?
With hundreds of exclusive interviews and details about the making of Fury Road, readers will be left with one undeniable conclusion: There has never been a movie so drenched in sweat, so forged by fire, and so epic in scope.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published February 22, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 529 reviews
June 1, 2022
Extremely niche book that fit my interests perfectly. Loved the way this was written; it was like reading a documentary script. The amount of interviews the author conducted and then how he managed to compile this into a very readable, engaging, well-structured book is admirable. I'd love it if he did more books like this about other movies!
If you like behind the scenes style documentaries, the Mad Max franchise, or just learning about filmmaking in general and seeing how a movie, as unique and intense as this one, is made from start to finish, I'd highly recommend this.
If you like behind the scenes style documentaries, the Mad Max franchise, or just learning about filmmaking in general and seeing how a movie, as unique and intense as this one, is made from start to finish, I'd highly recommend this.
May 10, 2022
"The backstory of the movie is something that campaigns usually struggle to make sound interesting and exciting and dramatic, but in the case of Fury Road, you didn't have to stretch very far." - Awards columnist Scott Feinberg
**Content**
Feinberg isn't wrong - the history of this movie, from conception to release, is absolutely batshit insane. When you see quotes from cast and crew going, 'I'm shocked no one died,' they're NOT being dramatic.
So no, you don't have to stretch very far in any direction to find a wild anecdote. But you have to give Buchanan credit for the way he strings together an absolutely masterful narrative.
TO BE CLEAR: I love Fury Road, but I wouldn't consider myself a huge fanatic. It's been a while since my last re-watch! That being said... this book got me excited about the story again. It made me want to go watch the movie with my friends so I could be that annoying person that pauses every ten seconds to point out all the little facts I learned. It's not just the big near-death stunts or character decisions that Buchanan gets you with either - reading about the War Boys' cult-like induction workshops was just as interesting as reading about the camera crew's battle against weather and strange camera angles.
**Format**
After reading the first few pages I thought, "Damn, I want to watch a documentary about this movie." A couple pages later I realized, "Hang on, that's pretty much what Buchanan has done here." You can literally see the interviews playing out.
This book captures one of the best aspects of oral history (imo): the diversity of lived experience and memory. He doesn't shy away from tackling controversies or clashes between the crew, but while the narrative stays objective and offers multiple points of view, I also feel like it doesn't let anyone off the hook for bad behavior (Chapter 24, for example, addresses the tensions between the film's leads, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron.)
This book is a testament to Buchanan's skill as an interviewer/storyteller.
**Accessibility**
Finally, with non-fiction books, I like to comment on accessibility: is this a book anyone could pick up, or would it be more enjoyable for someone with someone with a certain level of interest/understanding in the topic. I can confidently say that you don't need to have seen all the Mad Max movies or have a deep interest in filmmaking for this book to draw you in. It touches on every aspect of production, explaining trade politics, stakes, and background where necessary. Honestly, I think it's possible that people who haven't even seen the movie could enjoy this book (though I do recommend watching the movie. Seriously, go watch it now).
**Rating**
Usually I reserve my five-star reviews for books that absolutely shake my world and change my life. I wouldn't necessarily say that was Blood, Sweat & Chrome. But I've gotta say: When I was reading this book, I couldn't put it down, and when I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about reading it. Do yourself a favor and give it some attention. 5/5
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
**Content**
Feinberg isn't wrong - the history of this movie, from conception to release, is absolutely batshit insane. When you see quotes from cast and crew going, 'I'm shocked no one died,' they're NOT being dramatic.
So no, you don't have to stretch very far in any direction to find a wild anecdote. But you have to give Buchanan credit for the way he strings together an absolutely masterful narrative.
TO BE CLEAR: I love Fury Road, but I wouldn't consider myself a huge fanatic. It's been a while since my last re-watch! That being said... this book got me excited about the story again. It made me want to go watch the movie with my friends so I could be that annoying person that pauses every ten seconds to point out all the little facts I learned. It's not just the big near-death stunts or character decisions that Buchanan gets you with either - reading about the War Boys' cult-like induction workshops was just as interesting as reading about the camera crew's battle against weather and strange camera angles.
**Format**
After reading the first few pages I thought, "Damn, I want to watch a documentary about this movie." A couple pages later I realized, "Hang on, that's pretty much what Buchanan has done here." You can literally see the interviews playing out.
This book captures one of the best aspects of oral history (imo): the diversity of lived experience and memory. He doesn't shy away from tackling controversies or clashes between the crew, but while the narrative stays objective and offers multiple points of view, I also feel like it doesn't let anyone off the hook for bad behavior (Chapter 24, for example, addresses the tensions between the film's leads, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron.)
This book is a testament to Buchanan's skill as an interviewer/storyteller.
**Accessibility**
Finally, with non-fiction books, I like to comment on accessibility: is this a book anyone could pick up, or would it be more enjoyable for someone with someone with a certain level of interest/understanding in the topic. I can confidently say that you don't need to have seen all the Mad Max movies or have a deep interest in filmmaking for this book to draw you in. It touches on every aspect of production, explaining trade politics, stakes, and background where necessary. Honestly, I think it's possible that people who haven't even seen the movie could enjoy this book (though I do recommend watching the movie. Seriously, go watch it now).
**Rating**
Usually I reserve my five-star reviews for books that absolutely shake my world and change my life. I wouldn't necessarily say that was Blood, Sweat & Chrome. But I've gotta say: When I was reading this book, I couldn't put it down, and when I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about reading it. Do yourself a favor and give it some attention. 5/5
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2022
If you like Mad Max: Fury Road, you should read this book. If you are interested in the process of creating art, and filmmaking, you should read this book! If you like a little tea (but not so much that it drowns you) with your behind the scenes info, read this book! It's really good!
Also, it is fairly mind-blowing the amount of work and perseverance that went into the creation of the movie. It's a miracle (or several) that it even got made. It's several miracles and more that people did not die while filming.
This is actually an oral history, a format I love, so you get to hear directly from everyone involved in making Fury Road, from director George Miller and the actors (lots of both Charlize and Tom) to the writers, the people who made all those insane vehicles, the set designers, tons of people. Not a bit of it wasn't interesting.
Something else cool about this book is that because the movie took so long to be made (almost twenty years), we also get a sort of working biography of George Miller and insight into his other films, as well. I loved hearing about Babe the most. It made me feel guilty that I still haven't seen Babe 2: Pig in the City. The man has an incredibly creative and varied filmic output when you stop to think about it.
Which reminds me, did anyone see Three Thousand Years of Longing? It looked so interesting but I so rarely go to the theater anymore, for obvious reasons.
Also, it is fairly mind-blowing the amount of work and perseverance that went into the creation of the movie. It's a miracle (or several) that it even got made. It's several miracles and more that people did not die while filming.
This is actually an oral history, a format I love, so you get to hear directly from everyone involved in making Fury Road, from director George Miller and the actors (lots of both Charlize and Tom) to the writers, the people who made all those insane vehicles, the set designers, tons of people. Not a bit of it wasn't interesting.
Something else cool about this book is that because the movie took so long to be made (almost twenty years), we also get a sort of working biography of George Miller and insight into his other films, as well. I loved hearing about Babe the most. It made me feel guilty that I still haven't seen Babe 2: Pig in the City. The man has an incredibly creative and varied filmic output when you stop to think about it.
Which reminds me, did anyone see Three Thousand Years of Longing? It looked so interesting but I so rarely go to the theater anymore, for obvious reasons.
March 29, 2024
I love Mad Max: Fury Road so much I will force every person who is unfortunate enough to be in my life to watch it with me. But even if you feel completely normal about it/have feelings that run alongside antipathy, I still think reading Blood, Sweat & Chrome is a worthwhile endeavour. It’s a peep behind the wizard’s curtain of a film whose history is eventful and existence a miracle, as told by the people who were there. Like, not to be dramatic (I’m going to be dramatic), but I do feel mildly stricken at the thought that in an alternate universe, Fury Road either doesn’t exist—or it does but Max Rockatansky and Furiosa are played by Jeremy Renner/Armie Hammer/Eminem and Gal Gadot respectively. (Omfg witness me.)
Some (final) quick observations:
• I thought this book was genuinely compelling, and it gave me a deeper love, appreciation, and admiration for the film.
• HOW DOES FURY ROAD EXIST????
• NO BUT SERIOUSLY HOW.
• How is it possible that nobody died during the shooting of it.
• George Miller is a gonzo person (complimentary).
• Margaret Sexel is a genius.
• Charlize Theron: 👑😍
• Tom Hardy: the right choice for Max but he needs to get in the bin.
• The shots fired at the MCU were not only fair (imo) but also extremely funny.
• Fury Road was robbed of best picture and director at the 2016 Oscars. When I get my hands on those Academy voters I swear.
Some (final) quick observations:
• I thought this book was genuinely compelling, and it gave me a deeper love, appreciation, and admiration for the film.
• HOW DOES FURY ROAD EXIST????
• NO BUT SERIOUSLY HOW.
• How is it possible that nobody died during the shooting of it.
• George Miller is a gonzo person (complimentary).
• Margaret Sexel is a genius.
• Charlize Theron: 👑😍
• Tom Hardy: the right choice for Max but he needs to get in the bin.
• The shots fired at the MCU were not only fair (imo) but also extremely funny.
• Fury Road was robbed of best picture and director at the 2016 Oscars. When I get my hands on those Academy voters I swear.
March 30, 2022
Зауважал фильм ещё сильнее: его существование, очевидно, чудо, и книга многократно показывает, насколько это чудо невероятно.
Повествование напичкано не публиковавшейся ранее информацией, единственная претензия — к форме: это на 99% прямая речь, бывает утомительно. Кроме того, по фрагментам, взятым из других открытых источников, становится ясно, что "диалог" между действующими лицами часто набирается из абсолютно разных источников, иногда — несколько искажая смысл сказанного или создавая лёгкий ложный нарратив.
Не самый большой фанат последнего момента, но в целом книга просто-таки обязательный дополнительный материал, если вы смотрели фильм более одного раза.
Повествование напичкано не публиковавшейся ранее информацией, единственная претензия — к форме: это на 99% прямая речь, бывает утомительно. Кроме того, по фрагментам, взятым из других открытых источников, становится ясно, что "диалог" между действующими лицами часто набирается из абсолютно разных источников, иногда — несколько искажая смысл сказанного или создавая лёгкий ложный нарратив.
Не самый большой фанат последнего момента, но в целом книга просто-таки обязательный дополнительный материал, если вы смотрели фильм более одного раза.
April 14, 2023
George Miller: “As Guy Norris says, we'd still be there if we could, except they took away the cameras and we've wrecked all the cars.”
September 9, 2022
4.5 Stars… The hype around this movie from its release was one of those rare cases where you fully expect to be blown away. So as I sat down to watch the movie on opening weekend, I knew it had a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and was being hailed perhaps the greatest action movie of all time. The last time I remember walking into a movie with this level of expectation was The Dark Knight. Suffice to say, I had my jaw on the floor the entire movie. Repeat viewings have done nothing to alleviate that initial awe. Actually, I gain more respect for it over time.
So that leads us to this book. Yes, it’s a great movie, and I remember all the horrible news coming out while filming. Poor test screenings, executives threatening to stop or cancel the movie, stars hating each other’s guts, filming three years before release, way over budget… films with any one of these issues are usually guaranteed to fail, let alone all of them and more. But is there enough story behind this thing to make a full book worth it? The answer is a resounding yes. This movie is an enigma and the story behind it is unbelievable.
It took 20 years to make and was cancelled multiple times for every reason imaginable. It was shot in sequence despite this type of movie being the last type of movie you’d want to do that for. Executives at WB halted production on the movie before the opening and ending were filmed. Executives cut their own version of the movie and there was a test screening to determine whose version would get released. There was no script, only thousands of storyboards. George Miller filmed the movie in 3-10 second increments before calling ‘Cut’ (much to the chagrin of actors). Despite 12 hour days, they produced about 24-30 seconds of the final film per day. No one working on the film, maybe besides George Miller, had any idea if the film would be great or horrible.
Additionally, there is much more learned here than was ever previously revealed to the public. Hardy and Theron relationship is covered in detail. People who don’t normally receive their proper credit are given their due. Add it all up, this is a must read for fans of the movie or of film in general!
So that leads us to this book. Yes, it’s a great movie, and I remember all the horrible news coming out while filming. Poor test screenings, executives threatening to stop or cancel the movie, stars hating each other’s guts, filming three years before release, way over budget… films with any one of these issues are usually guaranteed to fail, let alone all of them and more. But is there enough story behind this thing to make a full book worth it? The answer is a resounding yes. This movie is an enigma and the story behind it is unbelievable.
It took 20 years to make and was cancelled multiple times for every reason imaginable. It was shot in sequence despite this type of movie being the last type of movie you’d want to do that for. Executives at WB halted production on the movie before the opening and ending were filmed. Executives cut their own version of the movie and there was a test screening to determine whose version would get released. There was no script, only thousands of storyboards. George Miller filmed the movie in 3-10 second increments before calling ‘Cut’ (much to the chagrin of actors). Despite 12 hour days, they produced about 24-30 seconds of the final film per day. No one working on the film, maybe besides George Miller, had any idea if the film would be great or horrible.
Additionally, there is much more learned here than was ever previously revealed to the public. Hardy and Theron relationship is covered in detail. People who don’t normally receive their proper credit are given their due. Add it all up, this is a must read for fans of the movie or of film in general!
September 7, 2022
Se trata de un documento sobre la tremenda aventura que supuso la producción, rodaje y edición de Fury Road, la capilla sixtina del cine de acción, y la voluntad inquebrantable de Miller para llevar a cabo su proyecto tal y como él quería, una ordalía de la que sorprende que saliera vivo, lo cual da al libro un carácter de entusiasta hagiografía épica, de artista sosteniendo su visión contra viento y marea, a punto de hundirse en numerosas ocasiones, pero que acaba emergiendo triunfante.
Hay en este libro dos ideas acerca de la razón por la que esta película lo mola todo que resultan muy interesantes. Una, la necesaria, imprescindible, cuota de locura que tanto se echa en falta en el cine y las series de género, aportada en este caso por alguien que venía del mundo de los tebeos (un arte muy superior al cine), Brendan McCarthy, un artista británico de la cantera de 2000 A.D. con un universo muy particular. Y dos, la idea de imbuir a la película de un apabullante aspecto visual construyendo una historia de baja complejidad/alta densidad que tan bien funciona en lo cinematográfico (la película se rodó sin guión escrito, el guión eran las paredes de una habitación cubiertas de storyboards y lo que Miller tenía en su cabeza). Porque el argumento de "Fury Road" es básicamente A va hasta B y desde allí vuelve a A, pero con un subtexto y construcción del mundo muy trabajados a los que la película te arroja sin compasión, sin facilitarte explicaciones extemporáneas, ni atascarse con los interminables diálogos explicativos que tanto lastran la mayor parte de la producción audiovisual mainstream.
También resulta muy atractivo todo lo que se explica acerca de la construcción de los vehículos y la planificación y ejecución de las loquísimas escenas de acción, una jodienda durísima pero que se lo pasaron de puta madre sacando adelante, tanto que Miller llega a afirmar que si llega a ser por ellos todavía andarían por el desierto de Namibia estrellando coches. Por otro lado, lo que menos me ha interesado son las cuitas del duo protagonista porque en lo que a estrellas de Hollywood respecta soy de la cuerda de Alfred Hitchcock ("traigan a los maniquíes", decía cuando quería que entraran los actores al set). Solamente señalar que resulta admirable la paciencia de Miller con los dos actores y que no acabara sustituyéndolos por los pingüinos CGI de "Happy Feet".
Finalmente, como público, me he identificado a tope con el señor que el día del estreno soltó un "¡la hostia!" en medio del silencio que se generó en la sala tras finalizar la primera secuencia de persecución y, finalmente, con Hugh Keays-Byrne (Immortan Joe) que, en casa de un amigo años más tarde, pillaron la película empezada en la televisión y se la acabaron tragando entera en plan "joder, es que es buenísima". Y es que sí, nada más terminar el libro la he vuelto a ver y he pensado lo mismo, más aún; esta película no es solo la hostia, es que te proporciona tal subidón, es tan loca y tan increíble, que resulta imposible de olvidar.
Hay en este libro dos ideas acerca de la razón por la que esta película lo mola todo que resultan muy interesantes. Una, la necesaria, imprescindible, cuota de locura que tanto se echa en falta en el cine y las series de género, aportada en este caso por alguien que venía del mundo de los tebeos (un arte muy superior al cine), Brendan McCarthy, un artista británico de la cantera de 2000 A.D. con un universo muy particular. Y dos, la idea de imbuir a la película de un apabullante aspecto visual construyendo una historia de baja complejidad/alta densidad que tan bien funciona en lo cinematográfico (la película se rodó sin guión escrito, el guión eran las paredes de una habitación cubiertas de storyboards y lo que Miller tenía en su cabeza). Porque el argumento de "Fury Road" es básicamente A va hasta B y desde allí vuelve a A, pero con un subtexto y construcción del mundo muy trabajados a los que la película te arroja sin compasión, sin facilitarte explicaciones extemporáneas, ni atascarse con los interminables diálogos explicativos que tanto lastran la mayor parte de la producción audiovisual mainstream.
También resulta muy atractivo todo lo que se explica acerca de la construcción de los vehículos y la planificación y ejecución de las loquísimas escenas de acción, una jodienda durísima pero que se lo pasaron de puta madre sacando adelante, tanto que Miller llega a afirmar que si llega a ser por ellos todavía andarían por el desierto de Namibia estrellando coches. Por otro lado, lo que menos me ha interesado son las cuitas del duo protagonista porque en lo que a estrellas de Hollywood respecta soy de la cuerda de Alfred Hitchcock ("traigan a los maniquíes", decía cuando quería que entraran los actores al set). Solamente señalar que resulta admirable la paciencia de Miller con los dos actores y que no acabara sustituyéndolos por los pingüinos CGI de "Happy Feet".
Finalmente, como público, me he identificado a tope con el señor que el día del estreno soltó un "¡la hostia!" en medio del silencio que se generó en la sala tras finalizar la primera secuencia de persecución y, finalmente, con Hugh Keays-Byrne (Immortan Joe) que, en casa de un amigo años más tarde, pillaron la película empezada en la televisión y se la acabaron tragando entera en plan "joder, es que es buenísima". Y es que sí, nada más terminar el libro la he vuelto a ver y he pensado lo mismo, más aún; esta película no es solo la hostia, es que te proporciona tal subidón, es tan loca y tan increíble, que resulta imposible de olvidar.
April 6, 2024
"Of all the films that Miller has ever made, this is the one where it feels like he bled for it to exist. For him to have been the age he was, for him to have come back into the studio system the way it is now, and to have navigated that system and come through it with this movie, it’s pure win. You’re going to see young filmmakers who are doing press and when people ask, “What got you interested in directing?” They’ll say, “I was nine, and my dad took me to see Fury Road.”
This book is incredible for the sheer fact that this movie is an impossibility that somehow was made possible and this book chronicles that. I admit I was skeptical when I saw there was an oral history for Fury Road. I saw the film in theaters and liked it, but didn't really think about it again. The trailers for Furiousa got me curious to rewatch it since people rave about it. Rewatching it and also reading this book makes me understand that Fury Road is a masterpiece. There is truly nothing else like it and the story of how this film went from George Miller's brain to your theater screen is nothing short of miraculous.
This book is incredible for the sheer fact that this movie is an impossibility that somehow was made possible and this book chronicles that. I admit I was skeptical when I saw there was an oral history for Fury Road. I saw the film in theaters and liked it, but didn't really think about it again. The trailers for Furiousa got me curious to rewatch it since people rave about it. Rewatching it and also reading this book makes me understand that Fury Road is a masterpiece. There is truly nothing else like it and the story of how this film went from George Miller's brain to your theater screen is nothing short of miraculous.
March 1, 2022
My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in 2015 with dinner out and a double-feature. We each picked one movie. She picked PITCH PERFECT 2, and I picked MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. We saw my film first, and while PP2 was a cute, enjoyable film, the experience was dampened a little by my inability to stop thinking about what I had just witnessed a few hours ago. Very rarely do you walk out of a film thinking that you just saw one of the greatest motion pictures ever made....but that was exactly how I felt. Certainly the best ACTION film of all time, but also a gorgeous, well thought out, perfectly made cinematic experience. Did other people feel the same way...?
The intervening years have shown me that, yes, a great many filmgoers and critics did feel the same way. The movie, and the stories about the making of the movie, have become legendary. And Kyle Buchanan's new book, BLOOD, SWEAT & CHROME: THE WILD AND TRUE STORY OF MAD MAX: FURY ROAD has come along to set the record straight.
First off, I'm a HUGE fan of Mel Gibson, both as an actor and a filmmaker, and I was really devastated when I found out he would not be playing Max again. I was happy to finally get the straight scoop about why he wasn't in the film, as well as how he reacted to the finished product. (On the other hand, this book does confirm that Gibson is nuts.)
The two-decade gestation of the film lends to some fascinating stories, and Buchanan's 130+ interviews with cast, crew, and interested parties shed a lot of light on what was a torturous production. The gossip about stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron is cleared up and proven to be mostly inaccurate. By all accounts, they are both very difficult people, and their acting and preparation styles were not a good fit, but the clashes, aside from one blow-up, were nowhere near as bad as initially reported. (I found it very disappointing that Theron, after publicly shaming Hardy and getting in his face in front of the cast and crew, saw fit to play the "I'm physically afraid of this mean, violent man!" card....if you're going to go nose-to-nose with a co-worker and scream in his face, don't be surprised if he screams back.)
With mastermind George Miller pushing 80, and working on a Furiosa prequel, it makes me sad to think that we'll probably never see Max have another adventure, but, thanks to Kyle Buchanan, we'll always have this incredible document of the making of one of the most exciting films of all time.
The intervening years have shown me that, yes, a great many filmgoers and critics did feel the same way. The movie, and the stories about the making of the movie, have become legendary. And Kyle Buchanan's new book, BLOOD, SWEAT & CHROME: THE WILD AND TRUE STORY OF MAD MAX: FURY ROAD has come along to set the record straight.
First off, I'm a HUGE fan of Mel Gibson, both as an actor and a filmmaker, and I was really devastated when I found out he would not be playing Max again. I was happy to finally get the straight scoop about why he wasn't in the film, as well as how he reacted to the finished product. (On the other hand, this book does confirm that Gibson is nuts.)
The two-decade gestation of the film lends to some fascinating stories, and Buchanan's 130+ interviews with cast, crew, and interested parties shed a lot of light on what was a torturous production. The gossip about stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron is cleared up and proven to be mostly inaccurate. By all accounts, they are both very difficult people, and their acting and preparation styles were not a good fit, but the clashes, aside from one blow-up, were nowhere near as bad as initially reported. (I found it very disappointing that Theron, after publicly shaming Hardy and getting in his face in front of the cast and crew, saw fit to play the "I'm physically afraid of this mean, violent man!" card....if you're going to go nose-to-nose with a co-worker and scream in his face, don't be surprised if he screams back.)
With mastermind George Miller pushing 80, and working on a Furiosa prequel, it makes me sad to think that we'll probably never see Max have another adventure, but, thanks to Kyle Buchanan, we'll always have this incredible document of the making of one of the most exciting films of all time.
April 7, 2022
Right off the top: I was a pretty big fan of Fury Road.
That being said, I'm an even bigger fan of books that tell the stories of how movies like this were made, and the hundreds of interviews with everyone from Charlize to Tom Hardy and George Miller are compelling, insightful, engaging and surprising. This book does an amazing job telling the oral history of how George Miller worked for twenty years to make the movie he always had in his head, and I was engaged from page one to the end of the book.
There are great stories throughout, fascinating anecdotes, and ultimately it made me realize how much of a genius George Miller truly was/is. If you love movies at all and are fascinated with how a movie gets made, read this. If you are a George Miller or Fury Road fan, definitely read this.
That being said, I'm an even bigger fan of books that tell the stories of how movies like this were made, and the hundreds of interviews with everyone from Charlize to Tom Hardy and George Miller are compelling, insightful, engaging and surprising. This book does an amazing job telling the oral history of how George Miller worked for twenty years to make the movie he always had in his head, and I was engaged from page one to the end of the book.
There are great stories throughout, fascinating anecdotes, and ultimately it made me realize how much of a genius George Miller truly was/is. If you love movies at all and are fascinated with how a movie gets made, read this. If you are a George Miller or Fury Road fan, definitely read this.
August 5, 2022
A very fun read, and I haven’t even seen Mad Max!! Really it’s a story about art and perseverance, and the perspective of a storyteller’s singular vision. I found it very inspiring. It holds lessons for anyone whose desires, dreams, and purpose have ever been questioned.
February 10, 2022
Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan does what it says on the tin. This oral history of the years and years it took to make Mad Max: Fury Road is interesting, comprehensive, and a great read for fans of Mad Max, an movie making in general.
I knew that it had taken George Miller a very long time to get Mad Max: Fury Road made, and I knew that the movie had been storyboarded rather than scripted. I hadn’t realized how many years before shooting ever began that the story was fully formed, nor did I realize how true Miller stayed to the images in the storyboards. Even while he was making Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two, he and a team were working on Fury Road.
I was struck over and over that it took the singlemindedness of so many people to get this movie made. Nothing about it was easy. It was in some form of preproduction for over a decade, the shoot was long, dangerous, and grueling. Even while filming was underway, there was no guarantee the funding wouldn’t be pulled. The studio did pull the plug, leaving the film without a beginning or end. Though I have watched the final product mane times, it was stressful reading about the pressure and uncertainty. The fights with the studio lasted until a few months before the film opened.
Sometimes reading the accounts of so many people made it hard to follow the events and the short bursts of text from so many people challenged my ability to keep who did what straight. Where the oral history format really worked was in talking about the relationships between people. The War Boys built a cult. The Wives built a Sisterhood, and Theron and Hardy were sort of on the periphery of those groups without a lot of support.
There are a lot of reasons Mad Max: Fury Road is important to me. Purely as a movie, it is a visceral theater experience that I shared several times with friends. Charlize Theron’s Furiosa was the character I’d been waiting for since Sigorney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986). My dad’s reaction to the movie (“too many girls”), made me realize he wasn’t capable of having the relationship I would have liked us to have.
If you are looking for deep philosophical thoughts about Mad Max, this isn’t that book. I’d actually like to read that book someday, or listen to the podcast. I watched Fury Road right before I started reading Blood, Sweat & Chrome and again while I was writing the review. That’s the most movie watching I’ve done since February 2020. It isn’t a perfect movie, but it is amazing. I don’t know that any other director would have gotten this movie made, and it took the committed insanity of hundreds of people to get it done.
I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
I knew that it had taken George Miller a very long time to get Mad Max: Fury Road made, and I knew that the movie had been storyboarded rather than scripted. I hadn’t realized how many years before shooting ever began that the story was fully formed, nor did I realize how true Miller stayed to the images in the storyboards. Even while he was making Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two, he and a team were working on Fury Road.
I was struck over and over that it took the singlemindedness of so many people to get this movie made. Nothing about it was easy. It was in some form of preproduction for over a decade, the shoot was long, dangerous, and grueling. Even while filming was underway, there was no guarantee the funding wouldn’t be pulled. The studio did pull the plug, leaving the film without a beginning or end. Though I have watched the final product mane times, it was stressful reading about the pressure and uncertainty. The fights with the studio lasted until a few months before the film opened.
Sometimes reading the accounts of so many people made it hard to follow the events and the short bursts of text from so many people challenged my ability to keep who did what straight. Where the oral history format really worked was in talking about the relationships between people. The War Boys built a cult. The Wives built a Sisterhood, and Theron and Hardy were sort of on the periphery of those groups without a lot of support.
There are a lot of reasons Mad Max: Fury Road is important to me. Purely as a movie, it is a visceral theater experience that I shared several times with friends. Charlize Theron’s Furiosa was the character I’d been waiting for since Sigorney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986). My dad’s reaction to the movie (“too many girls”), made me realize he wasn’t capable of having the relationship I would have liked us to have.
If you are looking for deep philosophical thoughts about Mad Max, this isn’t that book. I’d actually like to read that book someday, or listen to the podcast. I watched Fury Road right before I started reading Blood, Sweat & Chrome and again while I was writing the review. That’s the most movie watching I’ve done since February 2020. It isn’t a perfect movie, but it is amazing. I don’t know that any other director would have gotten this movie made, and it took the committed insanity of hundreds of people to get it done.
I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.
February 27, 2022
this was so amazing, made me love Fury Road even more
December 28, 2022
Outstanding. Just insanely fascinating and entertaining.
For a dozen-plus years, I worked in Taipei as a graphic designer and copywriter; and since Taiwan was then such a manufacturing powerhouse (before everything moved to China), I spent a lot of my time writing brochures and doing photo shoots for a variety of production facilities - electronics factories, steel mills, boatyards, chip foundries, furniture, toys...you name it. Anyway, I quickly became absolutely fascinated with learning - and SEEING - just how things were made.
Well, that's exactly what this book is - the step-by-step story of how not just any movie, but what has repeatedly been called the "last real action movie" was made, from inception way back in 1987 to its final, extremely painful birth nearly 20 years later. PLUS, it's an oral history - and I love those things, as they have probably the most authentic voices of any non-fiction form. Only negative - and it's a LARGE one - is...no photos? What the heck is up with that??*
Anyway...I now not only want to go back and watch "Fury Road" a good 3-4 more times to catch all the details I missed the first go-round, but I also want to go back and watch the earlier Mad Max films again - including the first, which I've somehow never seen. (QUICK UPDATE: Okay, so did just watch the original "Mad Max," and it is seriously NOT GOOD - I've seen better production values and acting on Mystery Science Theatre. But...if George Miller can progress from that to "Fury Road," well, there's hope for all of us!)
* You can largely solve that problem, however, by renting or buying the Blu-ray version of "Fury Road," which comes with a bunch of excellent "making of" extras that focus on the visuals missing in the book.
AWESOMELY COOL FOOTNOTE: In 2020, guitarist Steve Vai commissioned Ibanez to build him a one-of-a-kind guitar - the Hydra - after seeing "Fury Road" and being blown away by the Doof Warrior's flame shooting double-neck. Here's the result:
I mean, just look at that thing. Look at the unique fretting on both the top 12-string and the bottom bass necks; and check out the additional set of vertical harp strings on the far left of the body. This thing is a monster, and so far only one song has been written for it - but you can…no, you really HAVE to…watch the video here, which is certainly one of - if not THE - most impressive displays of WTF?? guitar virtuosity I've ever seen. No flames, though...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46qjD...
For a dozen-plus years, I worked in Taipei as a graphic designer and copywriter; and since Taiwan was then such a manufacturing powerhouse (before everything moved to China), I spent a lot of my time writing brochures and doing photo shoots for a variety of production facilities - electronics factories, steel mills, boatyards, chip foundries, furniture, toys...you name it. Anyway, I quickly became absolutely fascinated with learning - and SEEING - just how things were made.
Well, that's exactly what this book is - the step-by-step story of how not just any movie, but what has repeatedly been called the "last real action movie" was made, from inception way back in 1987 to its final, extremely painful birth nearly 20 years later. PLUS, it's an oral history - and I love those things, as they have probably the most authentic voices of any non-fiction form. Only negative - and it's a LARGE one - is...no photos? What the heck is up with that??*
Anyway...I now not only want to go back and watch "Fury Road" a good 3-4 more times to catch all the details I missed the first go-round, but I also want to go back and watch the earlier Mad Max films again - including the first, which I've somehow never seen. (QUICK UPDATE: Okay, so did just watch the original "Mad Max," and it is seriously NOT GOOD - I've seen better production values and acting on Mystery Science Theatre. But...if George Miller can progress from that to "Fury Road," well, there's hope for all of us!)
* You can largely solve that problem, however, by renting or buying the Blu-ray version of "Fury Road," which comes with a bunch of excellent "making of" extras that focus on the visuals missing in the book.
AWESOMELY COOL FOOTNOTE: In 2020, guitarist Steve Vai commissioned Ibanez to build him a one-of-a-kind guitar - the Hydra - after seeing "Fury Road" and being blown away by the Doof Warrior's flame shooting double-neck. Here's the result:
I mean, just look at that thing. Look at the unique fretting on both the top 12-string and the bottom bass necks; and check out the additional set of vertical harp strings on the far left of the body. This thing is a monster, and so far only one song has been written for it - but you can…no, you really HAVE to…watch the video here, which is certainly one of - if not THE - most impressive displays of WTF?? guitar virtuosity I've ever seen. No flames, though...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46qjD...
July 17, 2022
“It may seem ludicrous that the reaction to the end of days is to build a V-8 and fill a tin can with shrapnel, but at the moment, it doesn’t seem any stupider than the other options we appear to be coming up with.”
Fury Road might be one of the only movies where it almost feels like cheating to claim it’s among your personal best of the past decade. Of course the fuck it is.
In what’s perhaps a testament to whatever person I’d later become, “The Road Warrior” aka Mad Max 2 was kept on near-constant repeat in my house throughout my childhood and adolescence, and when my family eagerly gathered to see Fury Road opening weekend, I’ll always remember my dad, —the most through-and-through “no remakes”/“they don’t make ‘em like they used to”-ass motherfucker on earth—, saying as he walked out of the theater: “that might’ve been the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen”.
So, how did this “thing” come to exist?
Well, it spent two full decades living entirely in its creator’s head.
Most of that time was spent just trying to get the studio to let them shoot.
Thousands of storyboards were drawn in lieu of any script whatsoever.
A team of Aussie mechanics and “found art” designers were told to make literally anything they wanted.
70 makeshift cars and every piece of film equipment was put on a freighter to Namibia without studio permission.
The cast and crew lived in the desert for nine months, effectively consuming an entire small African town whole.
150 stunt people attended rigorous “group therapy” to be conditioned as a War Boy cult.
Tom Hardy drove director George Miller into a depression, he and Charlize Theron openly despising one another.
Almost everyone involved thought they were making something totally incomprehensible.
Warner Brothers attempted to stop the whole shoot midway, only failing to do so because of a coincidental leadership change.
The only reason WB failed to completely hijack the edit with their “best” team of in-house editors is because George Miller arranged one final head-to-head test audience battle with the edit his wife spent three years making.
Won six Oscars, somehow no one died, and I’m barely scratching the surface.
There will never be a movie like this ever again.
Fury Road might be one of the only movies where it almost feels like cheating to claim it’s among your personal best of the past decade. Of course the fuck it is.
In what’s perhaps a testament to whatever person I’d later become, “The Road Warrior” aka Mad Max 2 was kept on near-constant repeat in my house throughout my childhood and adolescence, and when my family eagerly gathered to see Fury Road opening weekend, I’ll always remember my dad, —the most through-and-through “no remakes”/“they don’t make ‘em like they used to”-ass motherfucker on earth—, saying as he walked out of the theater: “that might’ve been the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen”.
So, how did this “thing” come to exist?
Well, it spent two full decades living entirely in its creator’s head.
Most of that time was spent just trying to get the studio to let them shoot.
Thousands of storyboards were drawn in lieu of any script whatsoever.
A team of Aussie mechanics and “found art” designers were told to make literally anything they wanted.
70 makeshift cars and every piece of film equipment was put on a freighter to Namibia without studio permission.
The cast and crew lived in the desert for nine months, effectively consuming an entire small African town whole.
150 stunt people attended rigorous “group therapy” to be conditioned as a War Boy cult.
Tom Hardy drove director George Miller into a depression, he and Charlize Theron openly despising one another.
Almost everyone involved thought they were making something totally incomprehensible.
Warner Brothers attempted to stop the whole shoot midway, only failing to do so because of a coincidental leadership change.
The only reason WB failed to completely hijack the edit with their “best” team of in-house editors is because George Miller arranged one final head-to-head test audience battle with the edit his wife spent three years making.
Won six Oscars, somehow no one died, and I’m barely scratching the surface.
There will never be a movie like this ever again.
November 14, 2021
If you're a die-hard Mad Max fan, curious about the aura surrounding Mad Max: Fury Road, or want a peek behind the Hollywood curtain, I highly recommend you check this out.
It's a linear history about the Mad Max franchise and the kindhearted genius who created it told through interview snippets from the crew, cast, journalists, and major Hollywood players who are die-hard fans. As a Fury Road lover who admittedly hasn't seen the previous four films, it was a fascinating, educational read.
It clears up some misconceptions (the notorious bad blood between Theron and Hardy was largely because Hardy's deep commitment to method acting strained his relationship with the entire cast and crew. not because Theron was difficult to work with - she was the opposite, actually), intriguing trivia (Eminem was briefly considered to play Max, and the short list also included Jeremy Renner and Armie Hammer!), and insight into the 10+ years that went into pre-production alone.
It's a wild ride of a book and a smooth, well organized and enjoyable read.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Publication date: February 22, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5
It's a linear history about the Mad Max franchise and the kindhearted genius who created it told through interview snippets from the crew, cast, journalists, and major Hollywood players who are die-hard fans. As a Fury Road lover who admittedly hasn't seen the previous four films, it was a fascinating, educational read.
It clears up some misconceptions (the notorious bad blood between Theron and Hardy was largely because Hardy's deep commitment to method acting strained his relationship with the entire cast and crew. not because Theron was difficult to work with - she was the opposite, actually), intriguing trivia (Eminem was briefly considered to play Max, and the short list also included Jeremy Renner and Armie Hammer!), and insight into the 10+ years that went into pre-production alone.
It's a wild ride of a book and a smooth, well organized and enjoyable read.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Publication date: February 22, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5
March 8, 2024
I actually can't remember how many times I saw Mad Max: Fury Road in theaters. It's somewhere in between 8 and a dozen, including a road trip up to Seattle to see the Black & Chrome version, (which I got to see again when it came to the Hollywood Theater later that same year!).
Anyhow this books is 300 pages of fun facts and interesting stories about the wild history and making of this fucking amazing and glorious movie. If you love this movie, you will enjoy this book. And very possibly pester everyone you love with a litany of "did you know"s for several days, be warned.
Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland, in search of our better selves
Anyhow this books is 300 pages of fun facts and interesting stories about the wild history and making of this fucking amazing and glorious movie. If you love this movie, you will enjoy this book. And very possibly pester everyone you love with a litany of "did you know"s for several days, be warned.
Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland, in search of our better selves
November 14, 2023
4.25 ⭐️ enjoyed this so much - highly recommend if you are a mad max fan or are into how movies are made. Gonna go watch mad max 10 more times now
June 24, 2022
As a huge fan of the Mad Max movies, I followed every step of the 15 years of development of this movie hoping it would happen. I admit there were times I never thought we would see it as I am sure most of the people making it felt the same. As someone who reads making of books listens to commentary tracks and understands what goes into making movies I understood how crazy Fury Road is. As a movie, it is an insane updating of Road Warrior. A movie without a script, written in storyboards, and almost all action is not what you think of when you think of a feminist masterpiece but that is part of the magic of Fury Road.
Told through quotes Kyle Buchanan didn’t have to do a ton of writing but did a wonderful job of piecing together TONS of interviews with nearly everyone involved with the movie, critics, other directors, and more. That was the hard work. Plus organizing the statements and putting them together. It is an amazing book don’t get me wrong. This is a really impressive book.
Fury Road is a movie I already loved deeply, but this makes clear the insane amount of work that went into it, and how unlikely it was. In each stage, development, filming, post-production to the surprise award season. I know this is a short review but non-fiction is not my bread and butter.
Blood, Sweat, and Chrome is a must-read for film nerds, those interested in the history of film, the filmmaking process, or just fans of the movie.
Told through quotes Kyle Buchanan didn’t have to do a ton of writing but did a wonderful job of piecing together TONS of interviews with nearly everyone involved with the movie, critics, other directors, and more. That was the hard work. Plus organizing the statements and putting them together. It is an amazing book don’t get me wrong. This is a really impressive book.
Fury Road is a movie I already loved deeply, but this makes clear the insane amount of work that went into it, and how unlikely it was. In each stage, development, filming, post-production to the surprise award season. I know this is a short review but non-fiction is not my bread and butter.
Blood, Sweat, and Chrome is a must-read for film nerds, those interested in the history of film, the filmmaking process, or just fans of the movie.
August 31, 2022
I have my doubts about entertainment journalism as a whole, but when it allows this kind of access to a generational work of art, with people willing to share some of the messiest parts of the creative process, it kind of redeems the whole idea. I firmly believe MAD MAX FURY ROAD is one of the greatest films of the last twenty years, and Buchanan does an excellent job in diving into almost every aspect of what made this so exceptional. The details of the Tom Hardy - Charlize Theron feud grabbed most of the headlines (and deservedly so, it’s like watching one of the horrific car crashes in the film unfold), but you’ll also get stories of gearheads, marketing executives, and an army of unhinged creatives chiming in on their myriad contributions to the film. It’s brilliant stuff, and if you occasionally feel like some participants are understandingly holding back in order to still work in the industry, it only serves to contrast how much is revealed elsewhere. I can already tell that I will re-read this book dozens of times, to the point where I will be able to quote passages by memory. If you have a passion for film, you simply must pick this up.
April 6, 2022
Wow. I couldn’t put this down. I can’t put together coherent thoughts on this one, just read it.
July 30, 2022
would've loved a bit more craft talk and a little less pontification but holy hell do i need to rewatch the film like asap as possible
January 3, 2024
Como fan de la película, Blood, Sweat&Chrome es un regalo. Un todo lo que quiso saber sobre Fury Road, desde su concepción hasta su estreno, construido a partir de un relato oral de todos los que estuvieron involucrados en ella. Una polifonía de recuerdos hábilmente entretejidos por Buchanan para dar forma a las diferentes fases del proyecto hasta construir una absorbente radiografía de la parte sumergida del asombroso iceberg que pudimos ver en la gran pantalla.
Aquí hay historias fascinantes, como lo cerca que estuvo de rodarse hace veinte años una película con Mel Gibson como estrella, con coches ya construidos y mandados destruir porque la Fox cerró el grifo de la pasta; la construcción de la narración a partir de un storyboard apabullante que privó a la película de un guión propiamente dicho; la elaboración de toda la parafernalia (vehículos, ropajes); el proceso de construcción de cada personaje y las interpretaciones alrededor de ellos; el día a día de la vida en Namibia... Y, cómo no, todos los problemas surgidos allí, centrados en la estancia durante seis meses en un lugar precioso y, a la vez, inhóspito; la dificultad de algunos actores para introducirse en sus papeles; cómo ambas cuestiones afectaron a las dos estrellas sobre las cuales descansaba el peso de la producción; los torpedos lanzados desde la propia productora para salvar/hundir la película... Un dulce irresistible para quien sienta devoción por la película.
A medida que pasan las páginas, el hecho de que todo sea a posteriori y la noción de haber logrado un hito irrepetible en la historia del cine, lleva a pensar que falta una línea crítica más clara sobre la responsabilidad de George Miller y sus tres productores en muchos de los problemas surgidos durante el rodaje. Al final consiguieron una obra excepcional, pero parte del coste físico y emocional que se dejaron por el camino es posible que se hubiera evitado con una aproximación más convencional a ciertos elementos (un guión; gestión de egos de las grandes estrellas...) En todo caso, parte de las heridas están a la vista y, a pesar de la redención, no han quedado ocultas por la arena y la incompetencia de unos productores que más que velar por una inversión parezcan anhelar que esta se vaya sí o sí por el desagüe.
Aquí hay historias fascinantes, como lo cerca que estuvo de rodarse hace veinte años una película con Mel Gibson como estrella, con coches ya construidos y mandados destruir porque la Fox cerró el grifo de la pasta; la construcción de la narración a partir de un storyboard apabullante que privó a la película de un guión propiamente dicho; la elaboración de toda la parafernalia (vehículos, ropajes); el proceso de construcción de cada personaje y las interpretaciones alrededor de ellos; el día a día de la vida en Namibia... Y, cómo no, todos los problemas surgidos allí, centrados en la estancia durante seis meses en un lugar precioso y, a la vez, inhóspito; la dificultad de algunos actores para introducirse en sus papeles; cómo ambas cuestiones afectaron a las dos estrellas sobre las cuales descansaba el peso de la producción; los torpedos lanzados desde la propia productora para salvar/hundir la película... Un dulce irresistible para quien sienta devoción por la película.
A medida que pasan las páginas, el hecho de que todo sea a posteriori y la noción de haber logrado un hito irrepetible en la historia del cine, lleva a pensar que falta una línea crítica más clara sobre la responsabilidad de George Miller y sus tres productores en muchos de los problemas surgidos durante el rodaje. Al final consiguieron una obra excepcional, pero parte del coste físico y emocional que se dejaron por el camino es posible que se hubiera evitado con una aproximación más convencional a ciertos elementos (un guión; gestión de egos de las grandes estrellas...) En todo caso, parte de las heridas están a la vista y, a pesar de la redención, no han quedado ocultas por la arena y la incompetencia de unos productores que más que velar por una inversión parezcan anhelar que esta se vaya sí o sí por el desagüe.
July 18, 2023
As someone who likes, but doesn’t love, George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road,” I went into Kyle Buchanan's “Blood, Sweat & Chrome” – a comprehensive deep-dive into the hellish production of the film – a tad skeptical: would I, a decided “non-devotee” of Miller’s film, be interested in the story behind a movie that I appreciate, but don’t fully adore?
The answer, it turns out, is “yes” – in fact, “Blood, Sweat & Chrome” is so good, and does such a compelling job at laying out the litany of challenges behind the film’s creation (including, amongst other things, meddling studio executives, skyrocketing budgets, and insane weather conditions), that I’m actually now itching to rewatch “Fury Road” to see if I get more out of it – which, if you think about it, is about as strong a compliment as a book of this sort can receive.
So yeah: this book rocks. “Fury Road” fans (and film fans, too), take note: this is pretty much the definition of a “must-read.”
The answer, it turns out, is “yes” – in fact, “Blood, Sweat & Chrome” is so good, and does such a compelling job at laying out the litany of challenges behind the film’s creation (including, amongst other things, meddling studio executives, skyrocketing budgets, and insane weather conditions), that I’m actually now itching to rewatch “Fury Road” to see if I get more out of it – which, if you think about it, is about as strong a compliment as a book of this sort can receive.
So yeah: this book rocks. “Fury Road” fans (and film fans, too), take note: this is pretty much the definition of a “must-read.”
August 5, 2023
Good! Oral histories are more difficult to organize and edit than they first seem, and this one is better than almost any others I've read. I still wish Buchanan had gotten rid of the quotes from like, Patton Oswold saying that this was his favorite movie: those quotes don't add anything to the insane story of actually making this movie, which will almost certainly never be able to be made again in the way it was made. Blank checks rarely work, but Miller absolutely cashed his.
February 25, 2024
I normally do not read books like this but this was very solid read
May 27, 2022
I was very worried, going into this book. Mad Max: Fury Road is one of my favourite movies of all time (which is entirely baffling because I'm not a fan of car chases or gratuitous violence, but that just goes to show how spectacular that movie really is) and based on the pull quotes on the back cover, I was definitely fearing to find out that making it was a nightmare and that everyone involved sucked, and it would tarnish the movie for me forever. Happily that was not the case!
I have absolutely no patience for asshole auteurs or shitty method acting men, so going in to this book Miller and Hardy were on thin ice with me, but at least based on the interviews as they are presented in the book I still came away with some respect (or in Miller's case quite a bit of respect) for both of them. I don't really believe in great art justifying great suffering for the people involved, and I feel especially bad for Charlize Theron, who seems to have had the shittiest time with it while giving hands down the best performance, but I do really hope that they found the experience more rewarding than punishing - as punishing as it clearly was. I definitely respect Miller for the care he had for everyone's health and safety, even though due to his vision and method he doesn't seem to have been the easiest director to get along with, from an actor's point of view.
The passion and love of everyone involved definitely came through and really swept me along as a reader. It's awe-inspiring how rocky the road to making this movie was, and in light of that the end result is even more humbling in its perfection. It was completely wild reading about the early stages of this project in the 90s and early 2000s and trying to imagine what this movie would've looked like back then. In the grand scheme of things I think we should thank the universe for the initial delays because whatever they would've put together back then couldn't have been as brilliant as what we got in this timeline.
As a reading experience this was much like the movie; fast-paced and entertaining. At first I found the scattered interview quote structure a bit annoying and incoherent, but once I got used to it, the structure worked just fine. I had watched all the behind the scenes material from when the movie came out so I already knew a bit about the stunts and shit, but it was fun to hear new anecdotes and find out how everyone got involved. I started reading this last night, read way too late into the night and then finished up this morning, so it was a fast and fun time, as a book about Fury Road should be.
It was definitely a bit of a puff-piece, and almost certainly at least somewhat of a conscious move to build hype for the Furiosa prequel they've got in the works, but as a fan of the movie it was still an entertaining, informative read. And I think I can still enjoy the movie after it, even though I definitely now think Tom Hardy seems like a weird, troubled man, and will take a bit more pleasure from every time Charlize Theron knocks him down a peg or two.
I have absolutely no patience for asshole auteurs or shitty method acting men, so going in to this book Miller and Hardy were on thin ice with me, but at least based on the interviews as they are presented in the book I still came away with some respect (or in Miller's case quite a bit of respect) for both of them. I don't really believe in great art justifying great suffering for the people involved, and I feel especially bad for Charlize Theron, who seems to have had the shittiest time with it while giving hands down the best performance, but I do really hope that they found the experience more rewarding than punishing - as punishing as it clearly was. I definitely respect Miller for the care he had for everyone's health and safety, even though due to his vision and method he doesn't seem to have been the easiest director to get along with, from an actor's point of view.
The passion and love of everyone involved definitely came through and really swept me along as a reader. It's awe-inspiring how rocky the road to making this movie was, and in light of that the end result is even more humbling in its perfection. It was completely wild reading about the early stages of this project in the 90s and early 2000s and trying to imagine what this movie would've looked like back then. In the grand scheme of things I think we should thank the universe for the initial delays because whatever they would've put together back then couldn't have been as brilliant as what we got in this timeline.
As a reading experience this was much like the movie; fast-paced and entertaining. At first I found the scattered interview quote structure a bit annoying and incoherent, but once I got used to it, the structure worked just fine. I had watched all the behind the scenes material from when the movie came out so I already knew a bit about the stunts and shit, but it was fun to hear new anecdotes and find out how everyone got involved. I started reading this last night, read way too late into the night and then finished up this morning, so it was a fast and fun time, as a book about Fury Road should be.
It was definitely a bit of a puff-piece, and almost certainly at least somewhat of a conscious move to build hype for the Furiosa prequel they've got in the works, but as a fan of the movie it was still an entertaining, informative read. And I think I can still enjoy the movie after it, even though I definitely now think Tom Hardy seems like a weird, troubled man, and will take a bit more pleasure from every time Charlize Theron knocks him down a peg or two.
February 8, 2023
I. Love. This. Movie. And reading this book only made me love it more. I already knew that the props were real and there was very limited CGI involved with the making of this movie. I also knew that it went through “production hell,” whatever that meant to me at the time. But this book takes a deeper dive into everything, where it tells all about the cast’s experience, the making of the movie, and the genius that is George Miller.
The book reads like a documentary, where each of the three sections are dedicated to pre, during, and post production. Each of the chapters in the production section are dedicated to different actors experiences and the characters they play. It was super super engaging and I couldn’t read it fast enough.
This is for movie buffs and mad max fans alike. But it’ll definitely make you want to rewatch fury road, and it does well to convince you of it’s claim: there had never been another movie like this, and there probably never will be.
The book reads like a documentary, where each of the three sections are dedicated to pre, during, and post production. Each of the chapters in the production section are dedicated to different actors experiences and the characters they play. It was super super engaging and I couldn’t read it fast enough.
This is for movie buffs and mad max fans alike. But it’ll definitely make you want to rewatch fury road, and it does well to convince you of it’s claim: there had never been another movie like this, and there probably never will be.
March 25, 2022
Shiny! Shiny and chrome!
I mean, either you are already way on board with this book, or there is no convincing you. But, if you need convincing, this has interviews with a hundred-odd people who worked on the movie. It reads like a war story, a polemic, a hallucinogenic music festival, and a really wild exit interview. Many fine stories. And it works hard to get to “Why did this work? How did they do it?” The author does a good job, I think, but I also would have read another 300 pages without flinching.
On the down side? Maaaybe a little too much canonization of George Miller. It might have been a better book if we saw him more on the edge of failure. Every time it gets close, someone says, “Well George knew what he was doing.” And he did, clearly, but: it might have been a sharper story if we let the in-the-moment doubts hold center a little longer.
I mean, either you are already way on board with this book, or there is no convincing you. But, if you need convincing, this has interviews with a hundred-odd people who worked on the movie. It reads like a war story, a polemic, a hallucinogenic music festival, and a really wild exit interview. Many fine stories. And it works hard to get to “Why did this work? How did they do it?” The author does a good job, I think, but I also would have read another 300 pages without flinching.
On the down side? Maaaybe a little too much canonization of George Miller. It might have been a better book if we saw him more on the edge of failure. Every time it gets close, someone says, “Well George knew what he was doing.” And he did, clearly, but: it might have been a sharper story if we let the in-the-moment doubts hold center a little longer.
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