nancyrkamp I saw this movie once and did not appreciate it. However for some strange reason, my thoughts always came back to it. Watching it a second time, many years later, I know I will watch it again and again, because there is more to it then meets the eye. It is now my favorite.

vytautas-kiausas This movie is like watching history long past as Lithuanian. When my country was divided between Prussia, Austro-Hungarian, Russian Empires they banned Lithuanian language and literature, they wanted to wipe us out of existance. Then men called Knygneshiai - book bearers appeared. They brought books and letters from Prussia which even though had our land didn't want us gone. These were brave men who risked their lives, many did, to protect and preserve our fathers and mothers memories alive. I give this movie a solid 10, because this reality is more real then people might think.

silverkelt I am uncertain why, or how this was eviscerated to the extent it was.It is a wholly solid effort, with more then apt acting from the leads. The story concept via David Brin's novellas, is a loose translation of that work, and as the story advances, differs greatly from the 2- 3rd novellas in that story line. However, the overall concept, is conceived accurately of symbol of civilization combating oppression of freedom via the overreaching tyrants of the eight (in the movie). Every once in awhile, both critics and audiences, seem to miss the mark on a review rating, though rare, I would consider this a exception to both ratings. Its far superior to what the usual lambasted professional critics gave it, and I would think the average audience reviews should be a bit higher then it is.

Leofwine_draca Kevin Costner's second post-apocalypse movie in the same number of years after WATERWORLD is a real yawner of a film, simply because the limited story does not fill three hours of screen time. An hour and a half and this might have made a decent movie, but at three hours the pacing is a crawl and the film difficult to sit through without losing interest. As an adventure, it's also seriously lacking in the kind of action these films require, and the minimal battles and fights that do exist are rather mundanely portrayed and uninteresting. Instead, it appears that Costner is interested in the moralising, the sentimentality, and the occasionally pretentious storyline about an everyday drifter who pretends to be a postman and invents a story of a new government in order to bring hope to the post-holocaust masses.It has to be said that the story is original and interesting (a rarity these days), but the endless padding and cheesy romance between Costner and Olivia Williams seriously drags things down. Costner is adequate in the role as the hero but seems unsure of himself at times, just giving vague expressions instead of acting when he has to. Instead of the clear-cut heroic roles of his past, instead he's portrayed as a pacifist and occasional coward who only fights after being hunted down by the enemy. His thunder is somewhat stolen by the superb and underrated Will Patton as the bad guy, General Bethlehem, who gives an in-depth and multi-layered performance as the intelligent villain and has a great screen presence - it's a shame this man doesn't get leading roles. Larenz Tate is also good as the young patriot, but Olivia Williams and her corny romance belongs in another film. The supporting cast is littered with the familiar faces of James Russo, Daniel von Bargen, Tom Petty, Giovanni Ribisi, and Joe Santos, but nobody gets a look in much and the only developed characters are Costner, Tate, Williams, and Patton.Without a doubt, THE POSTMAN has some great cinematography in places, especially in the sweeping vistas and magnificent landscapes it often uses as a backdrop. Yet the special effects are kept to a bare minimum, thus alienating the young thrill-seeking crowd, and after the blood-and-thunder of the likes of Mel Gibson's BRAVEHEART, audiences weren't expecting this off beat, slow-paced and preachy epic. I didn't hate it as much as some, but I did find it hard to keep up the energy of watching it in places. Probably the best aspect of the story is its originality, but this frequently means taking the tale into unsatisfying areas. Not a total failure, but that running time is a real killer for this kind of story.