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The Postman is a 1997 dystopian/post-apocalyptic action adventure movie directed by and starring Kevin Costner. The film is set in the year 2013, fifteen years after a devastating war has destroyed the entire infrastructure of the United States. The remnants of the American government, located in the Great Plains, are unable to maintain law and order, and various independent factions have formed to take control of the different territories.

Costner plays a drifter who calls himself the 'Postman'. He initially wanders through the post-apocalyptic landscape looking for food and shelter, but soon comes across a United States Postal Service mail truck, which he uses to pass himself off as a mailman. This enables him to move around freely, as no one wants to hurt a mailman.

Throughout his travels, the Postman comes across various towns and communities, which he attempts to scam for food and goods. In one small town, he is forced to stay when his truck breaks down. The town is called Pineview, and the population of 77 is ruled by a man named General Bethlehem, played by Will Patton. General Bethlehem's militia is the only organized force in the area, and he uses fear and violence to maintain control. Bethlehem is suspicious of the Postman from the start, and sees him as a threat to his power.

In Pineview, the Postman meets a young man named Ford Lincoln Mercury, played by Larenz Tate. Ford was a child when the war began, and he has grown up in an era in which reading and writing are all but forgotten. The Postman gives Ford the books that he has been carrying with him, and Ford is immediately fascinated. Ford asks the Postman to teach him how to read and express himself in writing. The Postman agrees, and the two men become friends.

Meanwhile, General Bethlehem continues to suspect the Postman, and sends two of his men to follow him. The Postman leads them on a wild goose chase, and ends up at a nearby camp of survivors who have managed to maintain some semblance of civilization. There, he meets Abby, played by Olivia Williams, and learns that some semblance of a government still exists outside of the Great Plains, and that the President of the restored United States is looking for communication routes to re-establish contact with the rest of the country.

The Postman decides to take on this mission, and recruits his survivalist friend, a former postal carrier named Gordon, played by Will Patton. Together, they attempt to set up a new mail route between the Great Plains and the restored government, hoping to bring both hope and communication to the disparate factions that make up this new America. Bethlehem, now knowing the Postman's true intentions, attacks Pineview and demands that the Postman be turned over.

At this point, the Postman has become a symbol of hope and unity for the people of Pineview and beyond. Ford, who has now become an accomplished writer, writes a speech for the Postman that he delivers to the people of Pineview. The speech inspires all those who hear it to take up arms against General Bethlehem and his militia. The final battle between the Postman's newly-formed army and Bethlehem's militia is both fierce and dramatic. Who will come out on top?

The Postman is a film that explores the endurance of humanity even in the most seemingly hopeless of situations. The character of the Postman, brilliantly played by Costner, is not just a figurehead, but a symbol of the human spirit's will to survive against all odds. The movie features great performances by all the actors, particularly Patton and Tate, who provide strong foils for Costner's portrayal of the Postman. Despite the context of the movie being a dystopian setting, it is a story that resonates with hope and the idea that people are capable of coming together to overcome great adversity.

The Postman is a 1997 science fiction movie with a runtime of 2 hours and 57 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.1 and a MetaScore of 29.