‘Furiosa’s Tom Burke is Low Key the Hottest Guy of the Summer

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits Max today, bringing the harrowing tale of how Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) became the one-armed, bald action heroine we met in Mad Max: Fury Road to its official streaming home. Over the course of Furiosa‘s 148 minute run time, we watch as young Furiosa is stolen from her idyllic home in the Green Place of Many Mothers to be held hostage by her adoptive father, warlord Dementus of the Biker Horde (Chris Hemsworth). Furiosa’s life becomes an endless march of horrors, most of which are visited upon her by the cruel and greedy men she meets. However, there is one man in all of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga — one incredibly hot, terribly brave, and absolutely heroic man— worth Furiosa’s trust: Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke).

Praetorian Jack first appears in the film about halfway in, and his arrival prompts one of Immortan Joe’s nameless stooges to say, “He looks lucky.” Up until this moment, there really hasn’t been a single good guy in the whole of Furiosa, save The History Man (George Shevtsov), an elderly scholar in Immortan Joe’s camp with the legends of the old world tattooed all over his body. All the other male characters have been grotesque warlords, mindless warboys, and/or creepy rapists. When Praetorian Jack struts onto the frame, something flickers in Furiosa’s eyes. It looks like hope (or maybe the first spark of sexual attraction she’s ever felt).

Praetorian Jack is the most talented driver in Immortem Joe’s camp, destined to drive the war rig that Furiosa has been helping to build in her years hiding as a mute boy. Furiosa’s daring plan? To hide in the belly of the beast, as it were, to make it out of the hellscape of the waste and back to the Green Place. However, that plan fails when raiders attack the war rig. In the heat of battle, Praetorian Jack discovers that Furiosa is both a woman and a ferocious fighter. Even though she tries to carjack the rig, he takes her under his wing, promising to teach her the ways of road war.

The two soon become close, with Furiosa riding shotgun to Jack and Jack soothing Furiosa’s nightmares. After a skirmish that leaves our heroine with a minor wound, we watch Jack tenderly stitch her up. By this point, he has repeatedly told Furiosa that he’s set her up to escape anytime she wants. Now, Furiosa not only reveals the secret seed she’s kept hidden all these years, but she also offers it to him along with a plea to come with her. He wordlessly gives her the seed back and they embrace.

Now, we need to talk about this silent, soulful embrace and how it’s otter than many a full-on sex scene. Did I want to see Praetorian Jack and Furiosa kiss? Of course. Cinema needs more kisses in general right now! (I’m looking directly at you, Twisters.) However Jack and Fury — as he calls her! — do something even more intimate than kissing here. The forehead-to-forehead embrace is the special way Furiosa’s people convey the depths of their connection. This is the most vulnerable Furiosa has been since childhood. What they’re sharing is sexier than physical intimacy: it’s the intertwining of two souls.

So it goes without saying that when I rewatched their last scene together on Max today, I was almost driven to tears. Sure, I picked up on the fact in the movie theater that the captured pair was completely unmoved by Dementus or his goons. In a moment where they assume they are about to die, Furiosa just reaches out for Jack and he for her. But when the subtitles confirmed that Furiosa calls Praetorian Jack, “My Jack,” I almost lost it. And that’s when he calls her “Fury” in response. As Dementus plans their immediate deaths, all they want to do is touch forehead-to-forehead.

These simple moments of affection are hotter than 99% of the love scenes out there thanks to Burke’s performance. As Praetorian Jack, Burke is the embodiment of a noble warrior, apocalyptic badass, and sensitive lover. Without his poise or calm, neither me nor Furiosa could have been so moved.

Congratulations, Praetorian Jack, you are the hottest man in cinema in 2024.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now streaming on Max.