Things I noticed on the 195th time viewing Fury Road:
When Max is collecting hidden guns inside the rig and he points and snaps to the one behind Furiosa, Cheedo is the one who obeys Max and retrieves the gun. She is so used to obeying the commands of men that she doesn’t question it like others do.
When Cheedo runs to go back to Joe after Angharad’s death, her anger is so pure and audible, such a 180 from how we’ve seen her til this point. When the other girls tell remind her of Angharad’s words “We are not things”, she lowers her voice and screams, almost growling back at them “And now she’s dead!”.
Max has a flashback of Glory being run down just before Furiosa pins him to the Rig and tries to make him shoot himself in the face with his own gun. He is shaking his head, twitching it quite a bit during the first part of the film, trying to get that image out of his head while trying to defend himself and escape.
Max never does join the Vuvalini at their camp site. He stays inside the rig during Furiosa’s emotional reunion with them, and he remains near the rig when she speaks to him later. He still feels apart from them. Unaccepted by anyone but Furiosa.
Max’s personality and body language shift so noticeably after he rides out to catch the women on the salt. It’s incredibly, incredibly obvious he’s had a major change happen in his mind. From here on he is one of the group, interacting seamlessly with each member of the crew, even the Vuvalini women, who have given them their trust.
It is one of the Vuvalini who calls out to Max “Stay with me” when he’s momentarily stunned while fighting on the rig. This transitions into a vision of Glory asking him to stay with her. We’ve seen a repeating theme of women asking Max to stay with them through this film. This can be viewed as them welcoming him, caring for him, or it can be viewed as torturous for Max, because he can never stay by their side.
Nux is revealed to be on the Rig, and the women still do not trust him, but Max does. He goes to destroy the Bullet Farmer, and he brings back the wheel and boot for Nux. At this point Max knows fully that Nux is like he is…swept up in a situation, where it’s best they all work together to survive.
Nux is the only other person Max touches, skin to skin, besides Furiosa. He touches his head and gives him this affectionate pat to urge him back into the Rig during the speed battle with Slit.
Furiosa’s pain from her stab wound is made clear quickly/ As she shifts gears to ram Joe’s Gigahorse, you can her the raspy, airy sound in her voice lets you know what is happening to her, even though her wound is fresh. A++++ for Charlize’s acting, again.
Slit points at Furiosa when he is aiming to kill her while driving the Razor Cola. Nux points at Capable and the Vuvalini when he is about to destroy himself for them.
Max speaks in a very mannerful way during the blood transfusion. He even says “thank you” while asking one of the girls to hold something for him. He says “sorry” numerous times. Important because it’s completely extraneous, he has no reason to speak with such manners, yet ye does. He is communicating with gratitude, which in such a world, is almost completely forgotten, yet he does it here. He could bark orders, but he chooses to speak orderly and kindly to everyone in this scene. He cares for and respects them all enough to treat them properly, as mankind once treated people before they devolved into insanity.
Max continues to hold Furiosa’s head until the fade. (pardon me for my sobbs)
Another auditory detail that I noticed on my…somethingorotherth viewing: The Vuvalini woman is saying “Stay with me,” but what actually makes Max get up is that two polecats land on the rig and one of them says to the other, “You finish them, I’ll finish her,” meaning Furiosa. Ha, not today motherfucker.
