Subject: Review: The Postman (1997)

From: David Sunga <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Dec 1997 05:09:31 GMT

The Postman (1997)
Rating: 2.5 stars  (out of 4.0)
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Key to rating system:
2.0  stars 	Debatable
2.5 stars	Some people may like it
3.0 stars	I liked it
3.5 stars	I am biased in favor of the movie
4.0  stars	I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out
*********************************
A Movie Review by David Sunga

Directed by:
Kevin Costner
                
Written by: 
Eric Roth, Brian Helgeland, from a David Brin novel

Starring: 
Kevin Costner, Olivia Williams, Larenz Tate, Will Patton

Ingredients: 
Post-Apocalyptic world, lone man, beautiful woman, evil warlord 

Synopsis: 
It is the year 2013. The United States has been destroyed and is only a
legend. Civilization is reduced to shambles. All that is left are
pitiful isolated settlements in the American West and Northwest that pay
tribute to a tyrannical warlord named General Bethlehem (Will Patton).
Enter a traveling beggar named Shakespeare (Kevin Costner) who does
stage performances for food, but is usually unwelcome in the suspicious
towns. One day Shakespeare tells a grand lie. To get accepted into town
he tells the people at the gates that he is a postman representing the
restored government of the United States. To everyone's surprise, people
really believe in the restored United States, and this eventually leads
to a full scale revolt against evil General Bethlehem, with a reluctant
Shakespeare caught in the middle of the situation.

Opinion:
Costner seems comfortable and in his element here, as far as acting is
concerned. This movie seems part WATERWORLD and part DANCES WITH WOLVES,
because the time period is post-Apocalypse like WATERWORLD, yet the
story takes place in the vast Western wilderness like DANCES WITH
WOLVES. Eric Roth, the screenwriter of Forrest Gump co-wrote the script
to this movie so of course it features a gosh-darn humble American hero
with lots of apple pie and cavalry scenes and flag saluting, and
American values. THE POSTMAN tries to be a sweeping epic about a lone
wilderness guy perpetuating a Santa-Clause-type lie that revives a
fallen America. If you go for a lot of horse-riding and flag-waving,
you'll probably like the movie, though it might seem about 30 minutes
too long. However, If you're not into all that Americana stuff, you'll
find THE POSTMAN watchable, but a bit corny. The way to approach this
movie is to watch it as if it's a Saturday afternoon HERCULES adventure.

Reviewed by David Sunga
December 26, 1997