Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8243 in DVD
• Released on: 1998-09-25
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 170 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
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. --Jeff Shannon

Special Features
Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Interactive Menus
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailer
Special Effects The Postmans CGI Route
Arabic
English

Synopsis
In a post-apocalyptic, totally anarchic America, circa 2013, a defector from the ranks of murderous despot General Bethlehem masquerades as a representative of the good old U.S. Postal Service. But his ruse so delights the weary, oppressed people he meets that it indeed becomes real--and he finds himself championing their rights and the American Way. Adapted from the novel by David Brin.

Customer Reviews

Surprisingly Good
I actually bought this film because it was one special offer. It was one of those buy three for £12 or something and I needed to make up numbers so I went for the longest film I could find.
I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I watched it and it turned out to be pretty good. The plot is a bit farfetched with the notion of a postapocalyptic world in which Costner can essentially reprise and slightly modify his roles in Dances with Wolves and Waterworld.
I was a little dubious about this premise and I usually despise films which glorify the US beyond all recognition, such as U-571, and The Patriot, so I do kinda agree with one of the other reviewers because it does spoil the general feel of the movie. Having said that if you can ignore the blatant patriotism it is a good action/adventure movie.
The main reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of its focus on America and all the generic notions of freedom the theme inevitably projects, and becuase it is slightly too long, most people do seem to get bored, but I liked this film and Costner does puts in a good performance as both actor and director.

A look to the future of US mail
Sadly Kevin Costner's movies have a habit of flopping in the box office giving him a bad name. The postman is a movie with a strong message; 'this could be our future if we dont be careful!'

The year is 2013 and from little bits and pieces of information one can conclude that nuclear war has been waged leaving the world in ruins. There is no government, no form of communication and life is pretty much as it was in the 1700's with technology but a distant memory.

One man has built up an army which through shear force, murder and mayhem gets money from all the survivng towns in the region.
Kevin Costner is a loner who gets conscripted into this army but escapes. He finds a postmans outfit and some letters while hiding out. To get food he decides to pretend that the Govt has been re-established and the postal system is back in action.
This has several knock-on effects as he gives the people false hope in the future. Unable to let them down he delivers the letters they give him which continues wherever he goes. Soon he finds himself the leader of a network of postal workers trying to keep people believing. Of course this isn't part of the Generals master plan and leads to some unpleasent violence.

The flaw which gives it 4 stars is its inability to keep one totally hooked. I found myself wandering off from time to time without feeling that pull to hurry back to it. I still think it's a good movie for everyone to watch. You may think it's melodramatic but who's to say what the future holds.

Actually quite enjoyable.
There are some irritating and unbelievable aspects to this film (such as raising an army 'just like that' at the end). However, I let that - and other elements - roll by and found myself enjoying it anyway. It may not be classy, it may be a bizarre idea, but it made for guilty fun watching it. I'm a fan of post-apocalyptic films/TV anyway: The Omega Man, A Boy and his Dog, Day of the Triffids (the BBC series, not the film of course) Waterworld. And it has Olivia Williams in it too.