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The Postman
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The Postman (1997) More at IMDbPro »

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The Postman (1997) -- Post-apocalyptic America. What begins as a con game becomes one man's quest to rebuild civilization by resuming postal service.

Overview

User Rating:
5.5/10   21,009 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 49% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Kevin Costner
Writers (WGA):
David Brin (novel)
Eric Roth (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Postman on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1997 (USA) more
Tagline:
It is 2013. War has crippled the Earth. Technology has been erased. Our only hope is an unlikely hero.
Plot:
Post-apocalyptic America. What begins as a con game becomes one man's quest to rebuild civilization by resuming postal service. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
5 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(32 articles)
The Postman Brings the Future to Blu-ray on September 8th
 (From MovieWeb. 13 May 2009, 8:37 AM, PDT)

New Angels and Demons Images
 (From Beyond Hollywood. 21 April 2009, 9:51 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Don't listen to it's critics, see the movie for yourself and come to your own conclusions. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kevin Costner ... The Postman
Will Patton ... General Bethlehem

Larenz Tate ... Ford Lincoln Mercury

Olivia Williams ... Abby

James Russo ... Idaho
Daniel von Bargen ... Pineview Sheriff Briscoe
Tom Petty ... Bridge City Mayor

Scott Bairstow ... Luke

Giovanni Ribisi ... Bandit 20
Roberta Maxwell ... Irene March

Joe Santos ... Colonel Getty
Ron McLarty ... Old George
Peggy Lipton ... Ellen March

Brian Anthony Wilson ... Woody

Todd Allen ... Gibbs
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
177 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS
Certification:
Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Brazil:Livre
Filming Locations:
Anacortes, Washington, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The area of Metaline Falls, Washington (where a lot of the filming took place) did not have much to offer for housing film crews (like hotels) so many of the crew stayed at local campsites, rented rooms from locals. Kevin Costner rented a house from a resident of the nearby town of Ione, Washington. The stars and crew treated the locals very kindly even when approached for autographs when eating in local restaurants. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The main character assumes his role because he found an old abandoned mail truck containing the remains of a long dead mailman and pilfered the uniform from the skeleton. The problem here is the condition of the clothing he takes. When a person dies, the body goes through many stages of decomposition on its way to being merely a skeleton. As the tissues break down, many chemicals and enzymes are released, including the hydrochloric acid of the digestive system. In the final stages of decomposition, this is referred to as liquefaction or liquiescence. Given enough time and a suitable environment this combination of byproducts, with the addition of the bacteria that will inevitably emerge, would make any cloth or fabric (with the exception of treated leather products) not only disgustingly filthy, but also so weakened from exposure to what amounts to a corrosive liquid, that the fibers would tear apart from any stresses put on them. Even the act of taking the jacket off of the remains (and certainly that of putting the jacket on himself) would have pulled the fabric apart. more
Quotes:
General Bethlehem: I know what your problem is. Do you know why you won't fight? Because you have nothing to fight for! You don't care about anything! You don't value anything! You don't believe in anything! That's what makes me better! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Bottoms Up (2006) (V) more
Soundtrack:
The Next Big Thing more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
89 out of 115 people found the following comment useful:-
Don't listen to it's critics, see the movie for yourself and come to your own conclusions., 20 September 2003
7/10
Author: sol from Brooklyn NY USA

A Far better movie then it's critics make it out to be. "The Postman" is a good solid film about the end of the world and the chaos and confusion that follows with the unwitting soul that destiny choose to bring those who survived the apocalypse back to a better life and promising future.

Corny yes but in a positive and constructive sort of way. With the cast of Kevin Costner on down giving the film the sort of believability that you just don't see in most of the "End of he World" movies that have been projected on the silver screen since "Things to Come" back in 1936.

"The Postman" unlike most "End of the world" movies carries through the entire movie, which is almost three hours long, a positive and uplifting theme that you rarely get to see in these type of films. The ending of the film, call it corny it you will, was really moving without being obnoxious like it could have been had it been made by a lesser talent then Kevin Costner.

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Fallout 3 similarities? bernie-81
Most underrated film of all time???? LordEmeryStanfordMerloe
IN THE FUTURE trigun_78
The Same Cardboard Badguys as in 'Waterworld'. a244
Adultery? TufrThanu
Good representation of the USPS hieronim
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