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IMDbPro

The Postman Always Rings Twice

  • 19811981
  • RR
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
24K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,899
277
Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
Theatrical Trailer from Paramount
Play trailer2:42
2 Videos
99+ Photos
CrimeDramaRomance
The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
24K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,899
277
    • Bob Rafelson
    • David Mamet(screenplay by)
    • James M. Cain(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Jack Nicholson
    • Jessica Lange
    • John Colicos
    • Bob Rafelson
    • David Mamet(screenplay by)
    • James M. Cain(based on the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Jack Nicholson
    • Jessica Lange
    • John Colicos
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 64User reviews
    • 43Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Trailer 2:42
    Watch The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 24
    Video 29:02
    Watch Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 24

    Photos103

    Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jessica Lange and John Colicos in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jessica Lange and John Colicos in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
    Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jack Nicholson
    Jack Nicholson
    • Frank Chambers
    Jessica Lange
    Jessica Lange
    • Cora Papadakis
    John Colicos
    John Colicos
    • Nick Papadakis
    Michael Lerner
    Michael Lerner
    • Mr. Katz
    John P. Ryan
    John P. Ryan
    • Kennedy
    Anjelica Huston
    Anjelica Huston
    • Madge
    William Traylor
    • Sackett
    Thomas Hill
    Thomas Hill
    • Barlow
    • (as Tom Hill)
    Jon Van Ness
    Jon Van Ness
    • Motorcycle Cop
    Brian Farrell
    • Mortenson
    Raleigh Bond
    Raleigh Bond
    • Insurance Salesman
    William Newman
    William Newman
    • Man from Home Town
    Albert Henderson
    • Art Beeman
    Ken Magee
    • Scoutmaster
    Eugene Peterson
    • Doctor
    Don Calfa
    Don Calfa
    • Goebel
    Louis Turenne
    Louis Turenne
    • Ringmaster
    Charles B. Jenkins
    • Gas Station Attendant
      • Bob Rafelson
      • David Mamet(screenplay by)
      • James M. Cain(based on the novel by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jack Nicholson was 43 when he made this film and Jessica Lange was 31. In James M. Cain's novel, Frank Chambers character is 32 and Cora Papadakis is 21.
    • Goofs
      Modern-day paper currency is used in craps game set during Great Depression, instead of silver certificate dollar bills then in use.
    • Quotes

      Frank Chambers: What are you, uh, Greek or something?

      Cora: What... do I look Greek?

    • Alternate versions
      CBS edited 30 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Edited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)

    User reviews64

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    What happened here?
    There are so many problems with this dull, listless filmization of the James M. Cain classic, where does one begin? Well, let's start from the beginning. It tries to compete with the great 1946 version. How do you top a film as brilliant as that? The answer is, you don't! Even if this new version does follow the original novel more closely, who cares? As the tragic, plotting lovers, Jessica Lange and Jack Nicholson have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever, so they generate very little heat in their allegedly steamy sex scenes. It's as if the filmmakers were so aware of the miscasting that they tried to disguise this by making the sex scenes between the duo more erotic, meaning more explicit. BIG MISTAKE! This just makes the lack of chemistry even more painfully obvious, and the sex scenes rather silly. Despite having virtually nothing in common, Nicholson and Lange can't keep their hands off of each other and do a lot of huffing and puffing. They go at it like two wild animals in heat, but this does little to make the film any more watchable or entertaining. Yes, Lange is even more breathtakingly beautiful than usual, and she brings more intensity and depth to the role than the script really required. But, whether she knows it or not, Nicholson is a constant thorn in her side. Sure, Jack is a great actor too, but, even though his character is a plotting murderer, there was a romantic edge to the role when John Garfield played it in 1946, and Nicholson does not have one bit of that romanticism. I still kringe when I think of him as the love interest in TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. How did he ever get to be cast in parts like that? Stay as clear from this as possible and settle only for the untoppable original.
    helpful•21
    29
    • verna55
    • Nov 22, 2000

    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 20, 1981 (United States)
      • West Germany
      • United States
      • English
      • Greek
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Barnsdall Rio Grande Service Station, Goleta, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • CIP Filmproduktion GmbH
      • Lorimar Film Entertainment
      • Northstar International
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 2 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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