When
people think of bloated, critically panned, post-apocalyptical Kevin Costner films, most would invariably recall
1995's Waterworld. The vast majority of film goers would fail to even
mention The Postman, its far superior (and undeniably forgettable)
successor. Released only two years after the theatrical failure of
Waterworld, The Postman is widely regarded as signifying the end of
Kevin Costner's box office appeal.
The year is 2013. After the collapse of civilisation, humanity has regressed to an 18th Century style subsistence, banding together to form small communities where towns are walled and governed by olde timey sheriffs. Opposition comes in the form of General Bethlehem, the despotic leader of a militia that raids towns and kidnaps young men to build his army. Costner plays Reluctant Hero #6, a travelling entertainer who becomes entangled in Bethlehem's army. When Costner finally escapes their evil clutches, he finds a postman's uniform and plays the part of civil servant in order to receive sanctuary in Pine View, a nearby town. His postman charade inadvertently snowballs into an institution, with others taking up the mantle of postman and connecting towns across the US with the power of pen and paper based communication. The film theorises that it's the 'little people', the postmen and sanitation workers and parking inspectors, who are the cornerstones of infrastructure and the linchpins of civilisation. Spoiler alert – thanks to the Postman and others like him, in as little as thirty years, modern day society is restored in all its pastel wearing glory.
The year is 2013. After the collapse of civilisation, humanity has regressed to an 18th Century style subsistence, banding together to form small communities where towns are walled and governed by olde timey sheriffs. Opposition comes in the form of General Bethlehem, the despotic leader of a militia that raids towns and kidnaps young men to build his army. Costner plays Reluctant Hero #6, a travelling entertainer who becomes entangled in Bethlehem's army. When Costner finally escapes their evil clutches, he finds a postman's uniform and plays the part of civil servant in order to receive sanctuary in Pine View, a nearby town. His postman charade inadvertently snowballs into an institution, with others taking up the mantle of postman and connecting towns across the US with the power of pen and paper based communication. The film theorises that it's the 'little people', the postmen and sanitation workers and parking inspectors, who are the cornerstones of infrastructure and the linchpins of civilisation. Spoiler alert – thanks to the Postman and others like him, in as little as thirty years, modern day society is restored in all its pastel wearing glory.
Unlike
Waterworld, Costner doused The Postman in arching white hot streams
of sentimentality and patriotism. Regardless of its lavish cinematography and guilty pleasure appeal, it's this sentimentality, ratcheted up by James Newton Howard's bombastic
score, that doomed The Postman to failure and made it impossible to
watch without cringing. So, for your reading pleasure, here are the
Top 5 Most Cringe Worthy, Eye Rolling Scenes in The Postman: