Product Description

Set in the near future after a catastrophic war which has destroyed the government, a traveler finds an old mail bag and starts delivering it.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 8-FEB-2005
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4930 in DVD
• Brand: COSTNER,KEVIN
• Released on: 1998-06-09
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 177 minutes

Amazon.com
Falling from the Oscar-winning glory of Dances with Wolves to the opposite end of the critical and box-office scale, Kevin Costner must have been deeply humbled when this three-hour postapocalyptic tale--his sophomore effort as a director--was greeted with a critical thrashing and tepid audience response. One of the most conspicuous flops of its decade, the 1997 release must have seemed like a sure thing on paper: a kind of futurist Western starring Costner as a charismatic drifter-turned-hero who leads the resistance against a military tyrant (Will Patton) by reviving the long-dormant postal system to reunite isolated communities in their fight for freedom. The movie bombed, but, like many audacious failures, it's got qualities that make it at least partially endearing, and its earnestness (although bordering on corny) keeps it from being entirely silly. Faint praise, perhaps, but Costner's ode to patriotism is occasionally stirring and visually impressive. The dual-layered, widescreen DVD includes a documentary segment about the creation of the film's special effects sequences, featuring a running commentary by the special effects creators. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

POST-"apocolyptic"-MAN
It is difficult to review a film that you like, when every professional critic has slammed it. On the other hand, I have to believe I am not alone in my tastes, so, here is some praise for "The Postman", Kevin Costner's cinematic version of the great book of the same name, written by David Brin.

After the success of "Dances With Wolves", it's pretty clear that Costner has been trying to recapture that epic feeling. But where "Water World" was silly to the point of being a caricature of a sweeping drama, "The Postman" avoids the trap. The nemesis, General Bethlehem is played seriously by Will Patton and the situation in general is believable if not completely explained.

I admit there were a few moments that were too heavy handed, the most memorable when the Postman gallops back to snatch a letter from a boy's hand. Even so, I can forgive a little over enthusiasm when it is mixed with a stirring tale. I know that during times of war, rhetoric is grist for the mill and so, the character's obsession with the American way, is understandable, given that it no longer exists.

You see, civilisation has fallen. It's implied that nuclear weapons were used, perhaps even biological weapons. Whatever the cause, people survive precariously, huddled together in fortified towns dreading the next visit of the Holenist army. A band of thugs created during the last days of the war and now led by General Bethlehem towards some nebulous vision, who's only constant is that Bethlehem will be the one in power.

Enter stage left, an unlikely hero. Kevin Costner's character may have a name but it is not revealed during the film. At first he is known as Shakespeare because he is a wandering loner who is sometimes driven to produce one man, one mule, productions of the Bard in the hopes of winning a meal from his audience. His aimless existence is abruptly ended when he is roughly drafted into the Holenist army.

From the first he stands out from the crowd of beaten hopeless recruits and so is singled out for special torments and duties. The army life is brutal enough without having earned the enmity of your squad leader. One thing leads to another and escape presents itself for Shakespeare. Without food or any other protection he stumbles on the remains of an old mail van and spends a night huddled in its dubious warmth, kept company by the body of a US Postal worker.

Whether by chance, destiny or foresight, he dons the guise of a postman and scams his way into a local town. "The mailman's here. Lock up your dogs." So long starved of civilisation, the bedraggled townsmen clamour for news of the world, the government, the future. He has little choice but to answer their questions, with creative and plausible fictions. It is here that the wheels of fate start turning.

The idea he has created, of a new America, is too big for one man to control. The film takes us on a steamroller ride headed straight towards the Holenist army. People with hope demand action. The desire for action creates leaders. Leaders are often forced to carry out the will of the people despite a lack of talent, desire or knowledge.

In this case, a young man, self named Ford Lincoln Mercury, forces the Postman to become a symbol of civilisation and eventually the symbol of resistance. Ford's passion and his actions are resisted for a long time but eventually the Postman comes to share the myth. One man can stand up to tyranny, especially with the help of a few courageous friends and the trust of one strong willed woman.

An Heretical Viewpoint
I believe that the reviewers must have been reading each other's reviews instead of actually watching the movie, and Costner-bashing has long been great sport among reviewers. The original David Brin novel has been improved upon in several ways. In particular, gone are the two cyborg/supermen who duked it out in the finale of the novel, a distraction and deus-ex-machina.

I especially loved the internal consistency, lack of impossible battles, and the strong development of a number of believable characters. The Holnist leader (who played a supporting role in "Armageddon") is more than a cartoon bad guy, and Costner's postman is plagued by guilt and doubt as he discovers how seriously everyone takes his "Restored United States". There is almost nothing in the movie that is irrelevant to the plot.

Yes, it is a bit slow in parts, and I was ready to quit watching after 30 minutes because I had heard that it was just another post-apocalyptic bore, but it turned into a sterling movie. Even my wife, no fan of that genre, wanted to watch it all the way through.

Sunk by Titanic, Pilloried by the Press
In the wake of Titanic's unexpected success in 1997, the media needed another Christmas epic to lambast, hence the grossly unfair pile-on that happened to Costner's The Postman. To pretend that this is another Dune or Heaven's Gate is not only hyperbolic, it is willfully dishonest (even Dune has gotten a grudging second chance with critics in recent years). The fact is, had the country's female populace not been busy swooning under Leo's spitballs, The Postman might today be regarded as the classic that it deservedly is.

Like Titanic, The Postman is lengthy and excessive, but it is also watchable and entertaining. Costner downplays his basically selfish and opportunistic title character, while his costars--Will Patton, Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams, and Giovanni Ribisi (in a brief supporting role as a grateful dupe in Bethlehem's army)--all give shining performances. Moreover, the movie's message is the opposite of blind patriotism; it cleverly skewers the militia movement in the U.S. while reminding us why democratic government came about in the first place: to keep gangsters, extortionists, and military tyrants out of our lives.

The Postman is worth your time if you haven't seen it; if you have, it deserves an honest and iceberg-free reassessment.