''Postal'' is a 2007
action comedy film co-written and directed by
Uwe Boll, and starring
Zack Ward,
Dave Foley,
Chris Coppola,
Jackie Tohn,
J. K. Simmons,
Verne Troyer,
Larry Thomas,
David Huddleston
David William Huddleston (September 17, 1930 – August 2, 2016) was an American actor. An Emmy Awards, Emmy Award nominee, Huddleston had a prolific television career, and appeared in many films, including'' Rio Lobo'', ''Blazing Saddles'', '' ...
and
Seymour Cassel.
Like some of Boll's previous films including ''
House of the Dead'' (2003) and ''
Alone in the Dark'' (2005), ''Postal'' is a
film adaptation of a video game, in this case, ''
Postal'' (1997), though this film draws more heavily from the video game's sequel, ''
Postal 2'' (2003). Also like Boll's predecessors, it was a commercial failure, grossing less than 1% of its budget, and received negative reviews from critics.
Plot
The film begins with a prologue, showing Asif and Nabi, a fictional portrayal of two of the
Flight 11 hijackers during the
9/11 attacks, debating the number of virgins they get as a reward for carrying out the attacks. After a long debate, they decide to call
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
, their leader, to find out the exact amount. Osama tells them that there "are not enough virgins to go around", and upon hearing this, the two hijackers abandon the attack in dismay and happily change their flight path to the
Bahamas
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
. At this moment, however, the passengers of the plane storm the cockpit and attempt to retake the plane (this was based on what happened on
Flight 93, one of the other hijacked aircraft during 9/11). In the struggle, the terrorists try and reason with the passengers, but to no avail, and ultimately, the plane inadvertently flies into the South tower of the
World Trade Center.
Five years later, in the town of
Paradise, Arizona (a
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
in real life), a volatile
Postal Dude, after being mocked at a job interview, was kicked out of his local unemployment office. He then discovered that his morbidly obese wife is cheating on him with various skinny townsmen, leading him to be more than a little angry and desperate to get enough cash to finally leave his dead-end town. He decides to team up with his
Uncle Dave, a slovenly
con artist turned
doomsday cult leader who owes the US government over a million dollars in back-taxes. With the help of Uncle Dave's right-hand man Richie and an army of big-breasted, scantily clad cult members, the Dude devises a plan to hijack a shipment of 2,000 Krotchy Dolls, a rare, sought-after plush toy resembling a giant scrotum. Uncle Dave plans to sell them online, where their prices have reached as high as $4,000 a doll.
Unbeknownst to them, Osama bin Laden and his group of
Al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
terrorists, who had been secretly hiding in Paradise since the 9/11 attacks, under the watchful eye of bin Laden's best friend President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
, are after the same shipment, but for entirely different reasons. Hoping to outdo the catastrophe of 9/11, they plan to instill the dolls with
Avian influenza and distribute them to unsuspecting American children. The two groups meet at the shipment's destination, German-themed
amusement park called Little Germany. A fight between ''Postal'' creator Vince Desi and ''Postal'' director and park owner
Uwe Boll (which ends with Boll being shot in the genitals, confessing "I hate video games"), sparks a massive shootout between the cult, the terrorists and the police, resulting in the deaths of dozens of innocent children. The Dude and the cult are able to get away with both the shipment and the park's opening day guest,
Verne Troyer, pursued by Al-Qaeda, the police and a mob of angry citizens.
Upon returning to their compound, which has been overtaken by the terrorists, the Dude, Uncle Dave and the rest covertly sneak into the compound's underground bunker, where Richie reveals that he must now fulfill the prophecy foretold in Uncle Dave's fictional
Bible: to bring about the
extinction of the human race. As per Uncle Dave's Bible, the event initiating the apocalypse is the rape of a "tiny entertainer" by a thousand monkeys. After Verne Troyer is quickly thrown into a pit of chimpanzees, Richie shoots and kills Uncle Dave, then imprisons the Dude. The Dude manages to escape the compound with a plethora of weapons, deciding to wage a one-man war against al-Qaeda, his uncle's murderer, his cheating wife, the police and the many people who want him dead. On the way to his trailer (where he plans to blow up his spouse), he meets up with an attractive young barista, Faith, who joins forces with him after an explosive gunfight followed later by the Dude's heartfelt but futile monologue about war. The two of them then proceed to kill all the terrorists, all the bloodthirsty townspeople, the remains of the now-mad cult, his wife, and her multiple lovers. In the midst of the shootout, bin Laden is wounded but escapes to a payphone, where he calls Bush for help. Bush sends a helicopter to save him and plans for the two to rendezvous.
Having won their war, the Dude, his dog Champ and the barista drive away in a stolen police car. They casually turn on the radio, only to learn that Bush has blamed the day's shootouts and explosions on
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, and has been "forced to destroy both countries with extreme nuclear force". The United States then launches thirty
nuclear missiles at China and India each. In retaliation, China and India
launch thirty nuclear missiles each as well towards America, all missiles are scheduled to hit their targets in under two minutes.
The film's final shot features Bush and bin Laden skipping through a field together, hand-in-hand. As
mushroom clouds explode on the horizon, bin Laden laughs and says, "Georgie,
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship". At that moment, all of the nuclear missiles hit, and the country, and possibly the world is destroyed.
Cast
Production
According to
Uwe Boll, the German fan club for ''
Postal'' contacted him, offering the possibility of the game being
adapted into a film.
[Uwe Boll's Commentary, Postal DVD] Intrigued by the game's premise and blatant
political incorrectness, Boll contacted
Running with Scissors president Vince Desiderio, who sold him the rights under the condition that he would be involved with the script and the production. Supposedly, Desiderio and ''Postal 2'' director Steve Wik pitched a much grittier, darker version of the ''Postal'' story, but Boll rejected it, fully intent on turning it into a comedy in order to use the film as a platform for
political satire
Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned.
Political satir ...
as well as "revenge" against the people who have protested his movies.
[ Boll ended up writing the script with assistant director Bryan C. Knight, who had worked on all of Boll's previous video game adaptations. In an interview for Nathan Rabin's book ''My Year of Flops'', Dave Foley said that Boll did want to make a serious statement about how a cult of heroism had surrounded people who were murdered in the 9/11 attacks, and that he and Boll agreed that being the victim of terrorism makes people victims, not heroes. Foley added that he tried to talk Boll out of including the notorious 9/11 sequence that opens the film where two Al Qaeda hijackers plan to call off their attack when Osama Bin Laden informs them that they will not receive anywhere near 72 virgins for their services, only to have passengers break into the cockpit and accidentally fly the plane into the World Trade Center because the film would have no chance of appearing on many (or any) screens in the U.S.
''Postal'' filmed from September 13 to October 30, 2006, in Cloverdale and ]Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
Release
Box office
Worldwide
The 114-minute director's cut of ''Postal'' premiered at Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
's Fantasia Festival on July 21, 2007. The film made its way along several more United States and European film festivals until finally receiving a limited release in Germany on October 18. It opened at #27 in the German box office, taking in $79,353 from 48 screens and banked $142,761 in its entire run. In Italy, it ended its box office run after two weeks with $3,980. As of August 31, 2008, it has grossed a total of $146,741 worldwide.
North America
Despite Boll's announcement that ''Postal'' would be given a wide release on October 12, 2007, it was delayed until May 23, 2008. Additionally, on 16 May, theater distributors pulled out of their deal for a wide release of 1,500 screens to a limited release of only four screens. Said Boll of the change, "Theatrical distributors are boycotting ''Postal'' because of its political content. We were prepared to open on 1,500 screens all across America on May 23rd. Any multiplex in the U.S. should have space for us, but they're afraid... We have even tried to buy a few screens in New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, and they won't let us even rent the theaters! I urge independent exhibitors to contact us and book 'Postal'! Audiences have been expecting the film and I don't think exhibitors should censor what gets played in U.S. theaters."
On May 20, the screen count increased to 12 screens. By release, it had grown to 21.
''Postal'' opened one day after '' Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'', which led to video promotions from Boll, jokingly claiming that his film would "destroy" the other film at the box office. A number of Internet promos were made featuring Troyer dressed as Indiana Jones, proclaiming ''Postal'' superiority.
Home media
''Postal'' received its North American DVD release on August 26, 2008, in both 102-minute unrated and 100-minute rated versions, as well as a 102-minute unrated Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
release. Both versions feature the film's trailer, a promotional spot featuring Verne Troyer's Indiana Jones, a featurette detailing the filming of the Little Germany scene, footage of Boll's infamous "Raging Boll" boxing matches and an audio commentary by Boll. Some editions come with the full version of '' Postal 2'' (''Share the Pain'' edition) on a bonus disc.
The 118-minute director's cut was released on September 26, 2008, in Germany. It was planned for a North American release on Blu-ray for November 25, 2008, and on DVD for January 6, 2009, but both of these releases were delayed indefinitely. The director's cut is cropped from the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio into 2.35:1.
The film has also been released in Australia as an 89-minute cut with no special features, bearing an MA15+ rating.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average score of . The site's critics consensus reads: "An attempt at political satire that lacks any wit or relevance, ''Postal'' is nonetheless one of Uwe Boll's more successful films – for what it's worth." Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
assigned the film a weighted average score of 22 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
Jeremy Knox of '' Film Threat'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and stated, "It's such an insanely fun ride that most of its flaws are forgivable." Peter Hartlaub of the '' San Francisco Chronicle'' gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and called it "not only less than horrible, but actually occasionally enjoyable." Nathan Rabin of '' The A.V. Club'' gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and called it "a provocation first, an insult second, a publicity stunt third, and a film a distant fourth." Dennis Harvey of ''Variety'' gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and stated, "This anything-goes exercise isn't dull -- one just wishes the outrageousness were more consistently funny."
Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and stated, "''Postal''s touches of wit are lost in the flying body parts, gross-out gags, and the full frontal spectacle of Foley's no-longer-private parts." Michael Harris of ''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
'' gave the film 1 star out of 5 and stated, "What Boll gives us is a boring beating over the head." Aaron Hillis of ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, saying that it "manages to be as toothless as ollis tasteless. Poorly framed, tone-deaf, and nonsensical (yet still Boll's best!)" Nathan Lee of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' gave the film 0.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "infantile, irreverent and boorish to the max," and stating that it "explodes with bad attitude and lousy filmmaking." Elizabeth Weitzman of the ''Daily News'' gave the film 0 out of 5 stars and stated, "Where Boll's movies were once amusingly atrocious, ''Postal'' is so aggressively tasteless and knowingly idiotic, there's just no fun to be had."
Accolades
The film was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Supporting Actor (Boll as himself), Worst Supporting Actor (Troyer as himself), and Worst Director (Boll). The film ended up winning Worst Director.
Despite critical condemnation, ''Postal'' won two awards at the Hoboken International Film Festival: Best Director and the festival's top prize, Best of Festival.
Cancelled sequel
Boll stated shortly after the film's production that he would most likely make a ''Postal 2'', even if it went direct-to-video. In a 2012 interview, Vince Desi of Running with Scissors commented that they "are in talks at present regarding another movie". On August 28, 2013, Boll announced he was funding production of ''Postal 2'' through Kickstarter. The project was canceled on October 5 due to lack of funding.
See also
* List of films based on video games
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director
2000s American films
2000s Canadian films
2000s English-language films
2000s satirical films
2007 action comedy films
2007 comedy films
2007 films
American action comedy films
American satirical films
Canadian action comedy films
Canadian satirical films
Cultural depictions of George W. Bush
Cultural depictions of Osama bin Laden
English-language Canadian films
English-language German films
Films about nuclear war and weapons
Films based on the September 11 attacks
Films directed by Uwe Boll
Films set in Paradise, Arizona
Films shot in Vancouver
German action comedy films
Golden Raspberry Award–winning films
Live-action films based on video games
Postal (franchise)
2000s German films
English-language action comedy films