How do you deal with a terminal psychotic? Call in someone who is mad.

There are many ways for a director and an editor to compose a suit-up scene. The more popular examples though usually involve a character, on their own somewhere, prepping to go do something big. Whether it's someone going on a date, or Arnold Schwarzenegger going to take down an entire compound, this particular type seems to fit the mold of the majority of suit-up scenes we see in cinema.

But there exists another type. And "Mad Max" could be one of its best examples. Its... prototype.

In this example, the suit-up scene is cross-cut with ongoing action. Two forces. Ready to intersect with each other.

The one force, is the situation we see getting out of hand. We see hopeless odds. Tragedy on the brink. Chaos.

The other force is mysterious. Controlled. A character preparing to collide with that chaos. A hero. Suiting up. And upon seeing this, we know that everything is going to be okay. Because this person is going kick ass.

"Mad Max" shows us a world in the near future, where skyrocketing gasoline prices have made the highways of Australia a deserted war zone. The only road left patrolled is Transcon One, a deadly stretch of pavement where roving gangs maraud like terrorists, attacking civilians to steal their gas. Sometimes more.

The last vestige of hope is an elite squad of drivers. Main Force Patrol. They protect the roads against the gangs. Only today, an entirely different breed of crazy is on the loose. And the police have their hands full.

A psychopath who goes by the name 'The Nightrider', has killed two cops, stolen a V8 pursuit specialist vehicle from them, and is on the run with his floozy sitting shotgun. The Main Force Patrol has two patrols on him: Big Bopper and March Hare. But it's not looking good. The V8 Interceptor is just too fast. And the closer The Nightrider gets to civilization, the more dangerous the situation will get.

It's time to call in 'Mad' Max Rockatansky. He's the best the MFP has. Because as crazy as The Nightrider thinks he is... Max is crazier.

The reason why I count this suit-up scene as possibly the best example among its kind, is because the controlled editing and shots that reveal Max suiting up, are cross-cut with what is regarded as one of the best opening car chases in film history. Director George Miller was definitely setting the bar with this one. And remember, this was 1979. And few films have come close to the intensity of this opening sequence since.

While this wasn't his first film, Mel Gibson easily gets one of the best introductions in a movie I think I've ever seen here. We reveal him slowly. It's a tease. We see him from a distance, across the road, adjusting his super-charger below an open car hood. Then we see black leather boots, walking across a gravel road. Greasy hands, washing up. Then the black leather jacket goes on. Zips up. The gun holster next. Max gets into his car.

But the suit-up doesn't stop there.

Next, we see Max putting on his highway shades. And then, my favorite bit, the camera pans past his driver's window, only catching a brief glimpse of his profile. Keeping it mysterious. And we see his hand reach for his leather racing gloves. But he doesn't just reach for them. No. His fingers literally seem to crawl toward them. Like a spider. Max is MFP's secret weapon. When the shit hits the fans, he steps in to smash the fan off the fucking road.

Somehow, George Miller is able to prolong and hide Max's visage from us for the entirety of the driving showdown that happens right after the suit-up. He is only revealed in full, once he has vanquished his enemy. It's the ultimate 'hero shot,' and does total justice to the suit-up scene that preceded it.

For me, this scene will forever be at the back of mind when I'm about to embark on a road trip somewhere. It's a male fantasy to be as cool as Mad Max is. But hell, if the price of gasoline keeps rising... maybe that fantasy will become reality. Anyone wanna race?