The Postman

Rating: ***
Date Seen: 1999-01-16

Normally, I only make entries for theatrical viewings, but for this (and the next) movie I'll make an exception. Seeing a movie on DVD is, in most ways, almost as good as seeing it in the theater. Most DVDs can be viewed in letterbox, which in and of itself is a significant advantage over VHS (for which letterbox releases is much less common). The picture resolution is excellent, and on a good sound system the experience almost matches a real theater. And so it was that a group of friends went to my oh-so-kind computer science teacher's house and watched some movies on DVD. Now, on to the movie itself.

The Postman features Kevin Costner's unique, much derided style. He plays a loner in a lonely world. According to the story, after the breakdown of the United States, people became fragmented and formed small communities. Communities which could be easily bullied by armies. Costner's character, a nomadic wanderer who performs bits of Shakespear for people in exchange for food, finds himself drafted into just such an army. This army is led by a slightly crazy and heartless tyrant named Bethlehem.

After escaping from this army, he masquerades as a postman (using a uniform and mailbag found on a dead man) in order to get help from a small but suspicious town of people who desperately want to hope for something better. He convinces them, and in the process, stirs up a movement which ultimately restores the collective faith and confidence of the entire region. It's a story of an ordinary (maybe even a bit antisocial) guy initiating the incredible.

Critics hated this movie when it came out. While I enjoyed the movie myself, I can see their reasons. Granted, several of those scenes were over the top; the slow motion shot of Kevin coming back to take the letter from the boy; the towns people crowding around him at the gate when he first announces he is a postman; and of course, the far-fetched notion that a supposed postman could single-handedly bring on a revolution. I took it as a creative license in getting a point across. One should realize, that like any other artistic medium, movies do not have to be 100% literal.

This movie is an affirmation of the human spirit of freedom and hope. Showing (with the use of hyperbole to strengthen the point. Literalists don't like that.) that when people are given something to aspire to, when they can communicate, when they stand up together, they can win and have a happier life in the process. I enjoyed the film, and the much-complained-about length didn't bother me a bit. I'd rather have a well developed movie that takes its time telling a good story than some disjointed piece of slop that fits under 2 hours. To conclude this entry, I'll repeat a mantra I said two entries ago: To hell with the critics.