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Why does nobody talk about the pacing in 'The Postman'?
Everyone trashes that movie for being too long and Kevin Costner being a goof, but I rewatched it last month and realized the slow parts are actually what make it work. It's not an action movie, it's a road movie about rebuilding community after everything falls apart. The scene where he reads Shakespeare to that old lady in the barn, that takes 15 minutes but it sells the whole idea of hope. Am I the only one who thinks the runtime is actually the point?
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jessicaflores27d ago
Yeah I had the same experience. I watched it expecting a cheesy action flick and ended up really getting into those quiet stretches. The part where he's fixing the mail truck for like twenty minutes, that got me. It's not about the destination, it's about watching someone actually care about something small again.
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hannahw3027d ago
That twenty minute mail truck scene really got me thinking, what is it about watching someone do a boring task carefully that feels so satisfying in a movie? I feel like most films would cut that down to a thirty second montage with upbeat music, but letting it play out forces you to just sit with the character. Is that what makes a redemption story actually work, not some big speech but just showing a guy choosing to do one small thing right for no reason.
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