Subject: Review: The Postman (1997)

From: "Yen, Homer" <[email-masked]>
Date: 1 Jan 1998 18:42:40 GMT

"The Postman" Doesn't Deliver
by Homer Yen
(c) 1997

It's funny - ironic really, how we take for granted one of our most
established and tried and true forms of communications.  I'm not
talking about phones or faxes or e-mail.  I'm referring to that great
system that we call the postal service.  In the mid-1800s, the brave
riders of the Pony Express helped to bring the population of the
United States closer together through mail routes that were both long
and treacherous.  A lot can be said of these intrepid riders, these
tireless couriers, these postmen.  We can easily romanticize an era
when the postmen and the delivery of mail helped individuals embrace
an entire nation.

Oddly, there seems to be less of an imagination at work here in Kevin
Costner's epic fable.  Set in the not-so-distant future, after a great
war that has decimated America's infrastructure and dissolved the
American government, survivors are caught in a loose feudal system
where the strong prey on the weak and take the spoils of their
victory.  Will Patton plays the evil warlord.  As General Bethlehem,
he leads his army, raids towns and demands tribute in the form of
goods and men, whom he will train to become soldiers under his
command.  Costner, after being unwillingly conscripted into
Bethlehem's army, soon escapes, stumbles upon a mail truck, and
devises a plan to ensure that he survives as he continues to drift
from town to town.  Using his flimsy Shakespearean acting background,
he conjures a fictional tale of how the US government has been
restored, and how he is delivering the mail.  The first town that he
comes upon embraces him.  "You're a Godsend," says an old woman.  Amid
the ruins of civilization, the Postman takes on a symbol of hope and
renewal, something so desperately needed to counterbalance the tyranny
unleashed by Gen. Bethlehem.

Although the Postman is just an act, it touches, in particular, Ford
Lincoln Mercury (Lorenz Tate) who wants to help usher in a new era of
hope by being a Postman as well.   His presence also attracts towngirl
Abby (Olivia Adams).  Through the rest of the movie, the legacy of the
Postman grows, primarily through the efforts of FLM.  The wandering
Costner frequently tells townspeople that "things are getting better
all the time," but is really only interested in a free meal.  However,
the growing illusion of a restored United States not only begins to
slowly move Costner's eccentric and loner character, but also
threatens the viability of Bethlehem's feudal principles.  Bethlehem
wants the Postman dead and mercilessly tries to hunt him down.

The biggest problem with The Postman is that it brings to us another
chapter of a loner who allies himself with a loose band of people
that, against overwhelming odds, must defeat the enemies that
symbolize oppression.  We saw this eloquently done in the superior
Dances With Wolves, and once again in Waterworld.  The Postman doesn't
stack up to either of these two.  There are some good scenes that
epitomize the slim threads of hope that the townspeople have.  For
example, just before men are brutally murdered in a firing line for
not disclosing the whereabouts of Costner, one of them, who has always
been cynical of Costner's intent, shouts, "Ride, Postman, ride!"  

But this is a 3-hour marathon that doesn't give us enough to believe
in to sustain our attention for so long a period of time.  There are
shots of the post-apocalyptic wilderness; there is a slowly developing
bond between Costner and Abby, who turns out to be a strong
frontierswoman; and there are lots of scenes where Costner stares out
into the horizon (probably thinking to himself that this is really a
long movie).  The final confrontation between the Postman and
Bethlehem has 2nd Class stamped all over it.   Throughout the movie,
there seemed to be many times when greatness was just aching to come
out, but ultimately the story was not nearly as rich (or as short) as
it could have been.  I give credit to the filmmakers for trying to
give us something deep and moving.  Unfortunately, the Postman left me
feeling a little disgruntled.

Grade: C