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(More customer reviews)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.
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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/AdventureRating: RRelease Date: 8-FEB-2005Media Type: DVD
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