The Postman

Kevin Costner stars in and directs this wonderfully over-the-top tale of a post-apocalyptic world in which anarchy and terror rule. An opportunistic loner finds the uniform and letter bag of a postman and adopts his persona, pretending to one village that he represents a reassembled US government. His message gives the people hope and they find the courage to fight Bethlehem, the cruel dictator whose army is the most powerful force in the region. Soon the self-interested postman finds himself an unwilling hero standing at the head of a rag-tag force of everyday people armed with little more than their courage and belief in a better world, but can simple courage overcome the army of Bethlehem?, Kevin Costner directed and stars in this adaptation of David Brin's science fiction novel The Postman (1985), first published in 1982 issues of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Screenplay by Eric Roth and Brian Helgeland. A savage, barbaric way of life takes over after nuclear destruction. Survivor Gordon Krantz (Costner), wearing ragged clothing, wanders the desolate landscape. One day he stumbles across an abandoned U.S. Postal Service jeep. Gordon replaces his worn clothing with the dead postal worker's uniform, takes the letters written before the war, and continues his journey. When he delivers the mail, he finds a new friendly reception from the letter recipients, who call him Mr. Postman. As he travels to fortress-like communities, making more deliveries, he realizes that his uniformed appearance gives hope to survivors. Soon he begins to establish mail routes and post offices-with a plan of bringing civilization back from the abyss and setting mankind on a new course for the future. This film was in development for years (with Tom Hanks once interested in the title role). Filmed in Arizona, Oregon, and Washington.