The Postman (1997)

A drifter with no name finds a jeep with the skeleton of a postman and a bag of mail and dons the postman's uniform and bag of mail as he begins a quest to inspire hope to the survivors living in the post apocalyptic America.

Director:

Kevin Costner

Writers:

David Brin (novel), Eric Roth (screenplay),

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Larenz Tate

6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	The Postman
Will Patton	...	General Bethlehem
Larenz Tate	...	Ford Lincoln Mercury
Olivia Williams	...	Abby
James Russo	...	Idaho
Daniel von Bargen	...	Pineview Sheriff Briscoe
Tom Petty	...	Bridge City Mayor
Scott Bairstow	...	Luke
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Bandit 20
Roberta Maxwell	...	Irene March
Joe Santos	...	Colonel Getty
Ron McLarty	...	Old George
Peggy Lipton	...	Ellen March
Brian Anthony Wilson	...	Woody
Todd Allen	...	Gibbs

Storyline

In the year 2013 civilization has all but destroyed itself. After a war that decimated the government and most of the population of the United States (possibly the world) people struggle to survive against starvation and rogue groups of armed men. One such group is called the Holnists. This group is bigger than any other and their leader, General Bethlehem, has delusions of ruling the country. A drifter is captured by the group and forced to join. He escapes at the first chance and happens on a mail jeep with a skeleton in it. The skeleton is wearing a postal uniform and the drifter takes it to keep him warm. He also finds a mailbag and starts conning people with old letters. The hope he sees in the people he delivers to changes his plans and he decides that he must help bring the Holnists down.

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Plot Keywords:

postman | drifter | escape | revolt | letter | 

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Taglines:

It is 2013. War has crippled the Earth. Technology has been erased. Our only hope is an unlikely hero.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Postman

Filming Locations:

Anacortes, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£198,021 (UK) (20 February 1998)

Gross:

£198,021 (UK) (20 February 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tig Productions, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

177 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the films playing on the movie screen at the Army Camp is "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon".

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Goofs

The main character assumes his role because he found an old abandoned mail truck containing the remains of a long dead mailman and pilfered the uniform from the skeleton. The problem here is the condition of the clothing he takes. When a person dies, the body goes through many stages of decomposition on its way to being merely a skeleton. As the tissues break down, many chemicals and enzymes are released, including the hydrochloric acid of the digestive system. In the final stages of decomposition, this is referred to as liquefacation or liquiescence. Given enough time and a suitable environment this combination of byproducts, with the addition of the bacteria that will inevitably emerge, would make any cloth or fabric (with the exception of treated leather products) not only disgustingly filthy, but also so weakened from exposure to what amounts to a corrosive liquid, that the fibers would tear apart from any stresses put on them. Even the act of taking the jacket off of the remains (and certainly that of putting the jacket on himself) would have pulled the fabric apart.

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Quotes

Larry: I tried to be an actor when I was young. I wasn't a good actor, but now after seeing you at least I can die knowing I wasn't the worst one.
The Postman: How much did you pay to get in, Larry? So bite me!

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Million Dollar Movie Week 5 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"The Sound Of Music"
Written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

User Reviews

Well... I am glad to see that I am not the only person who liked this film

I truly do NOT understand why The Postman was attacked as viscously as it was by the film media (there films much more worthy of the Golden Raspberry Awards in 1997). I loved this film and was very impressed with the loving amount of dedication that it demonstrates on the part of the actors, writers and director. This was a GOOD movie: it had a strong and intelligent story; excellent and interesting characters; and real feel for the post-Apocalypse genre. I felt that Kevin Costner's everyman act worked beautifully in this film and created a sense of reality for the character and of his situation.

As far as the sci-fi novel by David Brin, this film exceeded it in every way possible. Where Brin had to rely on cheezy sci-fi standards (like supersoldiers) to resolve his story, this film does using only two men, both frauds, and both with radically different understandings of what constitutes a proper society. That is what made this film great (and I rarely use the term great), that this film was essentially an examination of America and what America means. It was a parable of sorts about the types of men Americans are and what they are capable of (notice that the head bad-guy had a traditional, classical education, while Costner did not; he appreciated these things but they were not at the center of his belief system... I wonder why).

While I do not agree with every aspect of this film (I am a Medievalist and a Platonist, so I don't necessarily feel the same way about the Western Canon that the film-maker may have), I still find it to be a beautiful reflection on the psyche of the American everyman. America has a tradition of rejecting the absolutist ideals of the past in favor of the pragmatic relativism of today, and I think that this film is a parable of the divorce of America from the traditions of Europe.

Overall, this is a complex and entertaining film and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in examinations of American culture and tradition, perhaps as a double feature with Citizen Cane (I am not, however, claiming that the Postman was as good a film as Citizen Cane, only that they have a similar theme... what does it mean to be an American?).