Toecutter

"Jesse... Jessie, Jessie, you've not got a sense of humor. You've got a pretty face though, awful pretty... awful pretty. I suppose you don't need a sense of humor with a pretty face. The only trouble is though, missy, if you should... lose the face... you've got nothing."

- Toecutter

Toecutter is the main antagonist in the 1979 film Mad Max. He is the leader of a particularly fierce motorcycle gang and is portrayed as a barbaric individual. He is portrayed by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who also portrays another Mad Max villain, Immortan Joe.

History
Toecutter first appears when his gang, the Acolytes, run roughshod over a town, vandalizing property, stealing fuel, and terrorizing the population. He is seen looking for a deceased member of his gang called the Nightrider and reacts violently when the train conductor calls the night rider a "poor bastard" he however quickly relaxes and orders his cronies to take him away but not to harm him. Later Max's partner Goose is ambushed by Toecutter and his protege Johnny the boy who are waiting nearby. Johnny throws a brake drum at Goose's windscreen, causing him to crash the ute that he borrowed to pull his wrecked bike. With Goose unable to get out of the ute, Johnny—under pressure from Toecutter—throws a match into the petrol leaking from the wreck, triggering an inferno that severely burns the helpless Goose.

After witnessing the full extent of Goose's injuries Max (the main protagonist) takes a holiday with his wife Jessie and infant son Sprog. While vacationing, Max stops at a roadside garage to fix a flat tire while his wife and son go for ice cream. The two encounter Toecutter's gang, who attempt to molest Jessie. Max and his family flee to a remote farm owned by an elderly friend named May, but the gang learns of their destination from the garage mechanic and follows them. Jessie is waylaid by the gang after a trip to the beach; May holds them off with a shotgun. May, Jessie, and Sprog manage to escape in the van. After the van breaks down on the road, Jessie attempts to flee with her son on foot, but they are run down by the pursuing gang on their motorcycles; Max arrives too late to intervene.

With Sprog having been killed instantly and Jessie near death, a rage-filled Max dons his police leathers, and takes the supercharged black Pursuit Special from the MFP garage to pursue the gang. After torturing the auto mechanic for information, and forcing several members of the gang off a bridge at high speed, Max methodically hunts down the gang's leaders. He shoots Bubba Zanetti at point blank range with a shotgun (after sustaining a significant gunshot leg injury of his own), though Johnny escapes when he sees Bubba killed. Toecutter hisses angrily at Max before fleeing on his motorcycle, tailed closely by Max, he veers into the path of an oncoming semi-trailer truck and is run over and killed instantly.

Personality
Toecutter is a ruthless leader, capable of both savagery and strategy. While not as calculating as Bubba Zanetti, it is clear that Toecutter can employ tact while dealing with situations. He became angry at Johnny the Boy's lack of finesse while demonstrating his eagerness to attack "the bronze", choosing instead to carry out his revenge in a more subtle and psychological manner by making Johnny put his mouth over the barrel of Toecutter's shotgun.

Toecutter also appears to have a "conscience", or at least the semblance of one, while dealing with other people. This is evident when he dismisses the train manager, signalling his cohorts to not harm him. He also seems to have had a close relationship with the Nightrider as he encourages his followers to renember the life and exploits of the Nightrider and becomes easily angered by those who contradict his memory of him.