The Postman (1997)

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You can’t say Kevin Costner doesn’t swing for the fences, even if the results aren’t always as celebrated as Dances with Wolves. In this three-hour post-apocalyptic epic, Costner both directs and stars as the title character, a nomad who assumes the identity of a deceased postal carrier. Why would he do that? Well, in post-apocalyptic America, there is no government, not much electricity, no phones, and certainly no internet. So receiving letters is a really big deal. Big enough that townsfolk often feed and shelter the one who delivers them.

What Costner’s character never plans for is the swell of hope and patriotism his arrival brings to the citizens of each town, connecting them with greater society at a time when everyone is closed off, isolated, and afraid. Though he’s a fraud, he ends up taking his newfound identity seriously — seriously enough to lead a small army of his knighted postal carriers against General Bethlehem (Will Patton), a militaristic self-appointed ‘Lord’ who steals food, material goods, and able-bodied men whenever his army appears on the horizon.

As long as The Postman is, it doesn’t succeed in fully fleshing out its ambitious future-speculative setting. While the concept of post-bomb America is interesting, the script leaves a lot of questions unanswered and presents ideas that are more puzzling than logical. Suspension of disbelief is recommended to enjoy The Postman. But even with a healthy supply of it, I’m not sure Costner is as charismatic as he should be. And his romantic relationship with Olivia Williams always feels too contrived and convenient to take seriously.

So The Postman isn’t a great film. But it’s also not a terrible film. I enjoyed the movie on a popcorn level. It has a lot of sweeping scenery and a generous amount of spectacle. Will Patton’s villainous performance is a standout. He’s truly terrifying at times. I also enjoyed a supporting character played by Larenz Tate, the first young person to find meaning to his life by following in the Postman’s footsteps. The Postman definitely plays on its audience’s sense of patriotism, which probably worked a lot better in the pre-9/11 1990s than it does in these infinitely more skeptical and divisive times.

With Daniel von Bargen, Giovanni Ribisi, Scott Bairstow, and Tom Petty… as himself?