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''The Postman'' is a 1997 American epic post-apocalyptic adventure film. It is directed by, produced by, and stars Kevin Costner, with the screenplay written by Eric Roth and Brian Helgeland, based on David Brin's 1985 book of the same name. The film also features Will Patton, Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams, James Russo, and Tom Petty. It is set in a post-apocalyptic and neo-Western version of the United States in the then near-future of the year 2013, fifteen years after an unspecified apocalyptic event that left a huge impact on human civilization and erased most technology. Like the book, the film follows the story of an unnamed nomadic drifter (played by Costner) who stumbles across the uniform of an old United States Postal Service mail carrier and unwittingly inspires hope through an empty promise of a "Restored United States of America". Released on Christmas Day of 1997 from Warner Bros. Pictures, ''The Postman'' was a major critical and commercial failure. ==Plot== In an alternate history year of 1998, an unspecified apocalyptic event known only as "The Doomwar" erased almost all technology and caused societal collapse, sending the continents back to the Dark Ages. Fifteen years later, in post-apocalyptic 2013, pockets of survivors in more rural areas have formed small villages to maintain some semblance of civilization, while others have joined militias and warlords that prey on survivors. Horses are the standard for travel, and bartering has replaced currency. An unnamed nomad (Costner) enters the Oregon flatlands, trading Shakespearean performances for food and water. In one of the towns, the nomad is impressed into the ranks of the predominant militia, known as the Holnists and run by General Bethlehem (Will Patton). When he escapes, the nomad takes refuge in a dead postman's mail vehicle. Wearing the postman's uniform and carrying the mail bag, he arrives in Pineview claiming to be a postman from the newly restored U.S. government. The Postman inspires a teenager named Ford Lincoln Mercury (Larenz Tate) and swears him into the postal service. The Postman also meets Abby (Olivia Williams). When the Postman leaves for the town of Benning, he carries a pile of mail left at the post office door by the townspeople. During a raid of Pineview, General Bethlehem learns of the Postman’s tales of a restored government and becomes afraid of losing power if word spreads. He burns the American flag and post office, kills Abby’s husband and kidnaps Abby, and attacks the town of Benning. The Postman surrenders but Abby saves him from execution, and the two escape into the surrounding mountains. A pregnant Abby and a seriously-wounded Postman ride out the winter in an abandoned cabin. When spring arrives, they cross the range and run into a girl who claims to be a postal carrier. She reveals that Ford Lincoln Mercury organized a postal service based on the Postman's story. They have established communications with other settlements, creating a quasi-society and inadvertently spreading hope. Bethlehem is still fighting to suppress the postal carriers, who are mostly teenagers pitted against a better-equipped enemy. In the face of mounting casualties, the Postman orders everyone to disband and writes a surrender letter to Bethlehem. However, as Bethlehem learns to his dismay, the Postman's example has spread farther than he could have anticipated when his men capture a carrier from California, and redoubles his efforts to find the Postman. The Postman, Abby, and a small group of postal carriers travel to Bridge City. When Bethlehem's scouts catch up, the enclave leader Tom Petty (played by himself) helps the Postman to escape on a cable car to find volunteers for another army. In a recitation of King Henry V's speech prior to the Siege of Harfleur, the Postman rallies himself and his troops to war. Bethlehem and his army meet the Postman's army across a field. Knowing the casualties will be great if the armies meet in battle, the Postman instead challenges Bethlehem for Holnist leadership, with their respective troops as witnesses. The Postman wins the fight with inspiration from the "Neither snow nor rain" inscription, and offers Bethlehem a chance to build a new, peaceful world. Bethlehem lunges to shoot the Postman but is shot by his former first officer. The officer surrenders, and the rest of the militia follows. Thirty years later, in 2043, the Postman's grown daughter (Mary Stuart Masterson) speaks at a ceremony unveiling a statue in tribute to her late father. The modern clothing and technology show that the Postman's actions have rebuilt the United States, and possibly the other nations of the world. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Postman (film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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