Rating: 
Summary: Actually, I think "The Postman" needed to be longer
Review: I might be alone in thinking this, but I thought "The Postman" needed to be longer. In fact, I think Kevin Costner's post-apocalyptic epic needed to be a television mini-series. There really were not any special effects or scenes that necessarily needed the big screen. Whatever its faults, at 177 minutes "The Postman" does not rush the evolution of the character from a wandering performer of Shakespeare for the huddled masses into the title character. Of course, after the fiasco of "Waterworld" it is impossible for audiences not to compare this film to that one. After all, they are both films about a dystopian future in which the Costner character is a loner who gets drawn into a pivotal fight regarding the fate of civilization. True, "The Postman" is not on the same level of "Dances With Wolves," but by the same token it is a lot better than "Waterworld."The greater sin of this film would be the predictability. We know from the title that Kevin Costner is going to become the Postman. When he is shanghaied into being a member of the Holmist army of General Bethlehem (Will Patton), a copier-salesman with delusions of grandeur who has come to power in the Pacific Northwest, as soon as the tyrant general explains the rules of his clan we know what the climax of the film is going to be. Then again, everybody knew the ship was going to sink in "Titanic." Ultimately "The Postman" is about something bigger than Kevin Costner's character, it is just that nothing is rally bigger than the actor-director in this film. Credit for the basic idea goes to science fiction writer David Brin, who wrote the novel on which the film is based. Unlike most dystopian fiction, Brin gets farther down the road towards the return to normalcy (compare it to the classic novels in the genre like "1984," "Fahrenheit 451," and "The Handmaid's Tale" where there is just the barest hint of hope). Costner's character gets a lucky break and is able to escape from Bethlehem's fascist army, at which point he discovers a postal uniform and a satchel of mail. He uses these as a guise for getting into one of the walled cities and finding a free meal. Years of telling the tales of the Bard has made him capable of spinning yarns and he creates the fiction of a restored national government (the name of the president should have a ring to it). But unlike his telling of "MacBeth," this story has a profound and unexpected reaction in those who listen. Underneath the trappings, "The Postman" is a film where a man finds his lies becoming the truth. It is also a film in which the ordinary people, the characters other than the Postman and his opponent, are given a chance to live their lives and start to recreate their world. The Postman's tall tales found one true believer in young Ford Lincoln Mercury (Larenz Tate), a young man whose dream of driving cars has found something else to inspire him and others. This is where a longer version of the film would benefit. We do not need any more of Costner's transformation or the strange path his relationship takes with Abby (Olivia Williams), nor are there any additional insights to be gleamed by an extended to the little mind of Bethlehem (although more about farmer Holm would be appreciated). But there is a world out there that these two men are trying to control and that is where my interest in drawn and why I contend "The Postman" would have worked best as a mini-series. I heard somewhere Costner talking about how much was cut to get it down to 3 hours in length, so I know the fuller telling of the tale is out there. Putting all that material back in for a director's cut could not hurt the film. The predictable ending, the indulgent moment where the Postman grabs a letter from a kid, will still all be there. But I was expecting to watch a bomb when I finally got around to watching "The Postman" and it was not that bad.
Rating: 
Summary: BURN IT!
Review: The backers of this movie could have put the money they put up for it to better use by burning it all in a fireplace, along with the script. The premise, dialogue, and acting are all less than worthless. This has to be one of Costner's worst films ever, and that is saying alot. Though it is too late to do something else with all that went into making this film, it is not to late to do justice to this film. Every copy of this fim should go on a bonfire. Otherwise, future generations might stumble upon a copy of it and mistake it as representative of films in our time.
Rating:
Summary: Courage in the face of despair ...
Review: Okay it was too long. But the point is, what happens when you are a reluctant hero who inspires hope in others? A true hero is not necessarily dashing and decisive from beginning to end. It is someone who grits his/her teeth when they get the call to serve as a leader. Kevin plays this perfectly as the reluctant hero. I find this movie a little heavy-handed in places, but inspiring. This is what happens when ordinary people answer the call to do the right thing. And the patriotism is just a bonus. After all, it is the agreement to abide by the right "rules" that makes this country great.
Rating: 
Summary: We Need More Patriotic films like this.
Review: I believe that if you love the United States, you should love The Postman. This film is not just about glorifying the mailmen in our country. Actually, it centers around normal Americans rallying around a figurehead that has long since vanished in this post-apocalyptic world, and helping to bring about the restoration of the United States.
The story starts out with Kevin Costner as a drifter, traveling the wilderness of what used to be America. After coming across a group of soldiers (the Holnists) who are in charge of governing this world, led by the tyrant General Bethlehem (Will Patton), Costner escapes, finds an old mail jeep with a dead carrier inside, and crawls inside to seek warmth and shelter from a raging storm.
At first he seeks personal gain by claiming the dead carrier's uniform and mail bag, to get food from the local townspeople. By masquerading as a mailman of the "Restored United States", he also instills a feeling of hope in the hearts of the people he meets. This allows the survivors of the holocaust to believe in something again after years of hardship and destitude.
Costner, by the end of the film, comes to believe in himself and truly does create a new U.S. Postal Service, thereby helping people in distant settlements and hamlets to communicate with loved ones they haven't spoken with in years
The end is anti-climactic, as some have stated, by having Costner and Patton fist-fight and wrestle like two young schoolboys, but the whole movie is so patriotic that we can overlook this.
Rating:
Summary: Felt like going postal
Review: I paid hard earned money to watch this movie in the theater, expecting to see a post-apocyliptic "Red Dawn" meets "Braveheart". But to say this movie is a stinking filthy cinematic cesspool would be putting a shine on it. Costner does NOT fit the role of a rebel commander, and I seriously doubt that in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust that the top priority on people's minds is the resumption of the mail service. How many personal letters do you receive nowadays? Do these characters really value decades-old IRS audit notifications over the restoration of the federal republic? Law and order? A funtioning economy? A national defense? Considering the fact that "The Postman" pits Costner against a powerful, ruthless warlord who terrorizes the countryside from villiage to villiage, I doubt your average townsfolk put much concern into an outdated letter from Uncle Owen complaining about the declining price of manure. The evil warlord is played by some bearded, scrawny guy who offers his leadership post to anyone daring enough to challenge him and win. Despite commanding a militia consisting of hundreds of criminals twice his size, nobody wants to tangle with this guy...who spends his spare time painting pictures and quoting Shakespeare. There's only one good battle scene during which time the Postman's guerillas ambush an enemy patrol, but it starts and ends there. I like movies that display and promote American patriotism, but this film didn't even accomplish that. Instead of breaking out into the Star Spangled Banner or God Bless America, a group of pro-rebel civilians seconds away from being summarily executed by the warlord's militiamen scream the immortal gem, "Ride, postman! Ride!" My nausea broke down into thunderous appluase when these USPS poster children were rightfully gunned down. Tom Petty's cameo was pathetic, summed up in his Oscar-worthy statement to the Postman, "I used to be famous. Now you are famous." How thought-provoking. How vomit-inducing. Ol' Tom needs to roll quite a few more joints before he gets to the point. I thought the movie would at least attempt to redeem itself with a worthy battle scene at the end. But no...as the two armies charge across the field at each other in Braveheart fashion, the idiot Postman stops the battle from taking place and instead challenges the evil warlord to a pansy one-on-one. Costner actually dug a few "Oooooh"s from the audience when he looks the warlord in the eye and, without blinking, says, "Your paintings suck." If I was that warlord, I don't think I could sleep at night hearing something like that. Anyway, Costner wins, the battle never takes place, and the credits roll the the relief of tasteful moviegoers everywhere.
Rating:
Summary: Please Mister Postman
Review: THE POSTMAN requires a second look ever since "9/11" because there is a definite message here of hope and patriotism. All involved deserved better from the critical circles and public because it is not a bad movie. The proposed epic delivers the goods with drama, action, a good love story,and a thought provoking apolyptic theme. Also, there is a lot of humor in this film. For example, in one scene when Costner's character takes on the mantle of Postman to get special attention and food in one of the towns he is trying to con, he states that the townspeople must tie up all their pet dogs. Costner does a good directoral and acting job in the film, but the standout character is Abby played by Olivia Williams (RUSHMORE), a very strong woman character in the film. Also, very good performances by Larenz Tate as the character Ford Lincoln Mercury who is actually the character responsible for legend of the Postman in the film, and a pretty good performance by Will Patton as the lunatic leader of the renegade army, General Bethlehem. Lastly, an appearance by rocker Tom Petty as a leader of one of the towns. Though not clearly stated, the movie audiences gets the impression that he is playing himself as a post apolyptic survivor turned leader. Overall, a decent and entertaining film.
Rating:
Summary: A lot better than the reviews make out
Review: In this 1997 film, Kevin Costner plays the Postman (his name is really never revealed) in a post-apocalyptic world. In the year 2013, there is no United States government and people exist in villages scattered all over America. With no actual government, the Holnist group lead by General Bethlehem (Will Patton) who establishes himself as a sort of warlord. Having a tyrannical reign over the villages, he murders, harasses, steals, while having tight control over the people by instilling fear. But General Bethlehem is in for a change when he recruits a Shakespearean performer (Kevin Costner) to his army. When the performer escapes, to keep himself warm he climbs into a broken down mail truck and trades clothes with the clothes of a dead US postal worker. He comes upon a village then assuming the identity of 'the postman', convinces the people that there is a new restored United States government. His only thought is to get some food and shelter from the village so he is surprised when he finds the people of "Pineville" are now filled with a newfound hope. Before he knows it, he has inspired a whole legion of young and old to begin a postal service in the whole Pacific Northwest region of America! Will the Postman, a liar and a con man, help the people and also believe in the hope that he himself gave from his lies? As I wrote in the title for my review, "The Postman" was a lot better than the reviews had made out. The main points for the reason for all the dislikes were 1) bad acting, 2) bad directing, 3) not enough editing), and 4) a poor plot. I'd like to go through these points in my review. I have always like Kevin Costner's acting, especially in "Silverado", "Field of Dreams", and "Tin Cup" (Both "Waterworld" and "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" were mediocre films). I have even seen "Inside Actors Studio" with Kevin Costner and I really found him a likable person, he was very funny and had me laughing! (Also, Kevin Costner is pretty famous in Japan, doing many advertisements and his movies are pretty well-known.) So for me I was very impressed with Kevin Costner's character in "The Postman". In the beginning you can just what an intelligent and smart character he plays, yet he hides it from the General the villagers. I loved his one-sided conversations with Bill the mule. :) But I must admit, some of the lines he gave out were a bit cheesy and corny. But his character has plenty of development. In the beginning he tries to get around his responsibilities but finally in the end he accepts his destiny and takes up the responsibilities of a leader. As for the other characters in the movie, they were also acted out well. General Bethlehem played by Will Patton was a good 'bad guy' character. Though a lunatic, whenever Patton gave glimpses of his intelligences, he did them so well! Then we have Ford Lincoln Mercury (named after a car dealership) played by Larenz Tate. He was a 'so-so' character, at times I felt he could have acted better but on the over-all he was good. And of course, I thought that Olivia Williams (most well-known as Bruce Willis's wife in "The Sixth Sense") as Abby, Kevin Costner's love interest acted her part very well! The beginning of their relationship was at first very lame (I won't go into any details), but I kind of loved their bickering in the middle of the movie, especially when they fight in the cabin. But true love is really best shown at the end where she tells the Postman that she loves him. Oh, but her best scene is when she picks up her rifle and starts shooting at General Bethlehem! Priceless! You don't see many strong woman characters like her. (A bit of trivia, near the end of the movie there's the character credited 'Bridge City Mayor' who is played by Tom Petty, a very famous rock musician.)
As for the story, I found it extremely interesting. Some people complained it being a bit too long (about 3 hours long) and that it should have been edited a lot. But for me, I actually like to watch long movies if they're interesting and I don't mind sitting through a 3 hour movie (wasn't "The Fellowship of the Rings" pretty terrific? I wouldn't cut ANYTHING out!). And same with "The Postman", I really wouldn't want to edit too much, the story actually flowed pretty well. But it all depends on the person, some people enjoy shorter movies, some like longer movies. I liked the plot, ultimately showing the patriotism and independence of the people and the strength they have when faced with terrible circumstances. The conclusion of "The Postman" was very satisfying. The directing was great, the photography and camera work also exceptionally well-done. It's true, I though the camera work was terrific. Best example to give you is when the postal carriers ride together then split up. The camera work is done from the air looking down upon the riders. When the riders split up it was very cool to watch! So, that's my review for "The Postman". I enjoyed the movie for the great qualities it had, some great acting, terrific camera work, a pretty sound plot, and nice editing. But of course everyone has different preferences so I cannot guarantee everyone will like it. Just don't ever try to think it similar to "Waterworld"! "The Postman" for me was a lot better than "Waterworld". The movie is R-rated and I do agree that it was rated fairly and correctly. Very violent though not too gory, though it had its moments. Also there is one 'love' scene between the Postman and Abby which I thought was a bit unnecessary so you can skip through it without missing anything.
Rating:
Summary: Postman=Post Mortem
Review: How the [heck] did this film ever make any money? I love Kevin Costner. His roles in Robin Hood and Dances W/ Wolves were humorous only when it was written to be so, rahter than his whole character being a complete joke. The worst part about this piece of scum is that it never ends. My friend and I had to beat the crap out of each other to stay conscious. The villain/general, whatever he is is so scary. This movie would have been more entertaining if you saw all of the characters suffer a painful disease all in one sitting. If I ever see this title on a strangers, or God forbid a friend's DVD rack, I will discreetly place it in the trash and write them a check for their trouble. Not even worth an empty star if it were possible to do so.
Rating:
Summary: Means well ...
Review: ... but man, it really, honestly, truly, without any exaggeration COULD have been edited down to under two hours and that feat alone would have made this movie a hundred times better.
There's just SO MUCH MOVIE that any momentum that it does manage to stumble onto is forgotten about in the wake of ... well ... nothingness.
This film should be shown to every film student as a lesson in why editing is so important to the final product.
Rating: 
Summary: THE POSTMAN Always Rings False? Or, Where¿s Friar?
Review: Two stars, one for sweet intentions & one for Olivia Williams setting the shack on fire. At least twice. Politically simpleton, but fine that way IF gentle audience remembers to remember that the guys controlling the biggest army with the deadliest ordnance are dangerous? A couple of dozen kneeslappingly dreadful events & lines, okay. Kevin is a weak sub for Gary Cooper/Flynn/Ladd, lacks both comic & dramatic timing, okay. Did he direct himself to croon over the closing credits? Verboten! Tom Petty, conversely, probably should just sing? But why BLAME Kevin? It's about as pacific as swashbuckling gets. Cooper/Flynn/Ladd & Frank Capra & Robert Riskin (script-writing was especially sorely missed) are dead & Olivia actually being able to project substantial Jean Arthur could not cover for ALL the male loss. Generating laugh-relieved populism is tougher than it seems? But naming it MR. SHANE GOES TO MINNEAPOLIS AT HIGH NOON WITH WOLVES & FRIAR TUCK: ABBY OOHLALA! might have helped? It is my understanding that Olivia Williams absconded, after wrapping this one, to Bolivia to learn rainforest bears & consider how handy her Newnham College English training & Royal Shakespearean experience might someday be in terms of project selection? She survived, thank heavens, & soon appeared in something much better as BOTH Estella & Biddy, which is a Cross, to extreme Pip characters transplanted to Houston, TX by Anderson/Wilson ficto-memoir seance. Olivia had more luck, then, & she used it. In fact, if you obtain a copy of the RUSHMORE DVD & listen to the commentary carefully, you will hear three foolish young men credit her exactly as they should for adding a very sage high romantic/comic outcome, up to & including prurient old Pip hair-twiddling, to their sweet mess.
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