The Postman (1997)

A nameless drifter dons a postman's uniform and bag of mail as he begins a quest to inspire hope to the survivors living in post-apocalyptic America.

Director:

Kevin Costner

Writers:

David Brin (novel), Eric Roth (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Will Patton, Larenz Tate

7 wins & 7 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

2013,Post-Apocalyptic America. An unnamed wanderer retrieves a Postman's uniform and undelivered bag of mail. He decides to pose as a postman and deliver the mail to a nearby town, bluffing that the United States government has been reinstated and tricking the town into feeding him. However, he reluctantly becomes a symbol of hope to the townspeople there who begin to remember the world that once was and giving them the courage to stand up to a tyrannical warlord and his army.

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Plot Keywords:

woman | worst picture razzie winner | drifter | hope | escape | 

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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:

El mensajero

Filming Locations:

Amado, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,260,324, 28 December 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$17,626,234

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tig Productions,Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

177 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

References to other Kevin Costner films: a mule is killed and Civil War battles (Dances with Wolves (1990)), and threatening to use a spoon as a weapon (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)).

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Goofs

When the soon-to-be Postman removes the jacket from the skeletal remains of the actual mail carrier, an oil lighter falls from a pocket. With difficulties, it lights...although it shouldn't have lighted at all. These lighters are far from air-tight, and the fluid in it would have long before evaporated.

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Quotes

The Postman: It takes one postman to make someone else a postman.
Ford Lincoln Mercury: Sorta like vampires, huh?

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Man of Steel (2013)

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Soundtracks

It Will Happen Naturally
Written by Maria Machado and Jono Manson
Produced and Performed by Jono Manson
Courtesy of Paradigm Records

User Reviews

A much better movie than the "user ratings" would indicate.

I've seen this movie twice, and it is overall better than 80% of the trash movies being released these days.

Those of you familiar with statistics and "normal" distributions, look at the "user ratings" for this movie. A full 12% give it a "1" rating, which is obviously bogus. Look at the shape of the distribution, and you'll see that the valid rating for this movie is somewhere between 7 and 8, which are the most "common" ratings, which makes perfect sense. A 7.5 on a 10 point scale is where most people would rate it.

It has such an uplifting story of a re-construction after a war, and banning together to fight evil, that I don't see how anyone with a heart could give it less than about 6 or 7. See it if you haven't already!