Golden Hound
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- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
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- 778
"The Postman" starring Kevin Costner was critically panned, mostly for the fact that it was very very long, and the acting was at times somewhat cheesy. I admit this is true, but nevertheless, I think this is a good example of a fairly recent pro-gun movie. It's not very popular, and not many people have seen it because of all the bad reviews, but it's actually one of my favorite movies, because of its story. (Although I have heard that Kevin Costner has anti-gun views, unfortunately.)
The setting: the not too distant future - maybe 20 or 30 years from now. A massive war destroyed most of America's technology (according to the book that it was based on, most people survived because the bombs mainly effected electronic systems, not people.) The U.S. government collapsed, and there was no longer any law and order on a federal level.
People retreated to rural communities (the movie is set in Oregon) and built fortified towns, surviving with primitive technology and agriculture. However, their way of life is threatened when a huge army of fascist-type goons forms, and starts looting and pillaging all the communities. They ride around on horseback (there is no more gasoline or cars, apparently) and are armed with AR-15/M-16 type rifles, and are led by an evil general who acts like a medieval tyrant, who declares that the United States no longer exist and fashions himself as the new despotic ruler of the land, raping women, robbing people of their valuables, etc. (Played by Will Patton, who also co-starred with Costner in the great spy flick No Way Out.
The rural communities are eventually rallied together by The Postman (Costner) and the network of mail carriers he has set up, who claim that the United States of America has been restored. At first, it's a lie, which is told to try to give the people hope. But eventually, it spreads to the point where there is an actual organized system of leadership, which is connected by horse-mounted scouts and mail carriers. The small communities decide it's time to stand up to the bandit army, and raise militias and arm themselves (mostly with old, out-of-date rifles - you can see a lot of Garands and M14s in the battle sequences.) Eventually, they're able to stand up against the bad guys, even though they're outmatched technologically, and outnumbered.
I won't spoil the end of the movie, but the ultimate message of it is: 1. a revolution against a bigger and stronger enemy CAN succeed if the people are sufficiently motivated and they have their freedom to fight for, and 2. guns, and the skill to use them well, are the means to this end - just as our Founding Fathers themselves believed. The scenes of the citizen militias, on horseback, rallied under the American flag, with old battle rifles, recall our first American Revolution.
And, for what it's worth, this film isn't from the perspective of people rebelling against the United States government - rather, they're rebelling against the fascists who have taken over after the U.S. government collapsed, and their fighting FOR the restoration of America.
Some screen shots:
(The above guy is actually a villain, but it's a rare example of someone in a Hollywood movie actually holding a pistol with his index finger outside of the guard and not on the trigger.)
Has anyone here seen this film? Any comments?
The setting: the not too distant future - maybe 20 or 30 years from now. A massive war destroyed most of America's technology (according to the book that it was based on, most people survived because the bombs mainly effected electronic systems, not people.) The U.S. government collapsed, and there was no longer any law and order on a federal level.
People retreated to rural communities (the movie is set in Oregon) and built fortified towns, surviving with primitive technology and agriculture. However, their way of life is threatened when a huge army of fascist-type goons forms, and starts looting and pillaging all the communities. They ride around on horseback (there is no more gasoline or cars, apparently) and are armed with AR-15/M-16 type rifles, and are led by an evil general who acts like a medieval tyrant, who declares that the United States no longer exist and fashions himself as the new despotic ruler of the land, raping women, robbing people of their valuables, etc. (Played by Will Patton, who also co-starred with Costner in the great spy flick No Way Out.
The rural communities are eventually rallied together by The Postman (Costner) and the network of mail carriers he has set up, who claim that the United States of America has been restored. At first, it's a lie, which is told to try to give the people hope. But eventually, it spreads to the point where there is an actual organized system of leadership, which is connected by horse-mounted scouts and mail carriers. The small communities decide it's time to stand up to the bandit army, and raise militias and arm themselves (mostly with old, out-of-date rifles - you can see a lot of Garands and M14s in the battle sequences.) Eventually, they're able to stand up against the bad guys, even though they're outmatched technologically, and outnumbered.
I won't spoil the end of the movie, but the ultimate message of it is: 1. a revolution against a bigger and stronger enemy CAN succeed if the people are sufficiently motivated and they have their freedom to fight for, and 2. guns, and the skill to use them well, are the means to this end - just as our Founding Fathers themselves believed. The scenes of the citizen militias, on horseback, rallied under the American flag, with old battle rifles, recall our first American Revolution.
And, for what it's worth, this film isn't from the perspective of people rebelling against the United States government - rather, they're rebelling against the fascists who have taken over after the U.S. government collapsed, and their fighting FOR the restoration of America.
Some screen shots:
(The above guy is actually a villain, but it's a rare example of someone in a Hollywood movie actually holding a pistol with his index finger outside of the guard and not on the trigger.)
Has anyone here seen this film? Any comments?
