| Director | Kevin Costner |
|---|---|
| Genre | action film, adventure film, drama film, dystopian film, film based on a novel, post-apocalyptic film, romance film, science fiction film |
| Runtime | 177 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $80 million |
| Box office | $30 million |
In the late 20th century, unexplained apocalyptic disasters have devastated the world. Most knowledge and technology from the past has apparently been lost, and the former United States reverts to an unconnected pre-industrial society.
In 2013, a nomad traveling to St Rose, Oregon wanders the Western U.S., trading performances of long-forgotten Shakespearean plays for food and water. In one town, the nomad is impressed into the Holnists, a neo-feudalist militia obsessed with a misinterpreted self-help book that serves as the region's tyrannical authority, led by General Bethlehem. The nomad, dubbed "Shakespeare" by Bethlehem, faces harassment by Captain Idaho, who mentions Colonel Getty once challenged Bethlehem for leadership; Bethlehem won the fight and mutilated Getty. The nomad is sent to kill a lion, but he escapes by jumping into a river. Idaho arrives and forces the nomad and another conscript to fight to the death. After the other conscript turns on him, Idaho kills the conscript, but before he can shoot the nomad, the lion kills him. The nomad flees and takes refuge in an abandoned United States Postal Service Jeep DJ, burning letters and wearing the long-deceased postal carrier's coat to stay warm.
Donning the postal uniform and mail bag, the nomad arrives in the town of Pineview and is held at gunpoint by their leader, Sheriff Briscoe. To avoid execution, the nomad claims to be a "Postman" from the restored U.S. federal government, presenting a letter addressed to elderly villager Irene March as proof. The Postman inspires a teenager, Ford Lincoln Mercury, who he swears in as a postal carrier and helps reopen Pineview's post office. That evening, the Postman is approached by Abby and her husband Michael, who is sterile, to conceive a child for them, which the Postman later does. The following morning, the Postman leaves for the town of Benning, taking Pineview's mail and packages with him.
The postman delivers letters to Benning, bringing the residents hope. Meanwhile, during a raid on Pineview, Bethlehem learns of the Postman's claim of a restored government in Minneapolis. Fearing his loss of power if word spreads, Bethlehem has the post office razed, kills Michael and abducts Abby. Benning repels a raid by Bethlehem, and the Postman suggests negotiation. The townspeople ask the Postman to negotiate for them; however, General Bethlehem does not recognize the Postman, refuses to negotiate, and orders him killed. Abby helps rescue the Postman, before the Postman and Abby flee into the surrounding mountains, where they recover over the winter in an abandoned cabin. Abby tells the Postman she is pregnant with his baby. In the spring, they leave and encounter another postal carrier, who reveals that Mercury has kept the Postal Service alive by recruiting other carriers and opening more post offices, connecting settlements across the former U.S. and forming a quasi-society in the "Restored United States".
Bethlehem, threatened by the rise of the Restored U.S., persecutes and publicly executes postal carriers. Wracked by guilt for their deaths, the Postman reads a fake announcement from the President of the Restored U.S. ordering the Postal Service to disband, and writes a confession to Bethlehem admitting that the Restored U.S. was a lie. Bethlehem orders the execution of Mercury and another postal carrier. Bethlehem stops the execution, killing only the other postal carrier himself and choosing to keep Mercury as a bargaining chip, before redoubling his efforts to capture the Postman. The Postman, Abby, and a group of young postal carriers travel to Bridge City, tailed by Holnist scouts, who reveal Bethlehem is looking for the Postman.
The Postman organizes a Restored U.S. Army to face the Holnists in a pitched battle. Unwilling to allow further bloodshed, the Postman reveals to Bethlehem that he is "Shakespeare" and challenges him to a duel for power with their troops as witnesses; per Holnist traditions (as the Postman shows the Holnist branding on his shoulder which he received, entitling him to challenge), Bethlehem accepts. The Postman wins the hand-to-hand fight, but spares Bethlehem's life to maintain morale. Bethlehem tries to shoot the Postman as he turns away, but is shot dead by Getty, who disarms the Holnists. Later, the Postman returns to Abby, meeting his newborn daughter, named Hope.
Thirty years later in 2043, the Postman dies at the age of 70. His adult daughter Hope speaks at a ceremony unveiling a memorial honoring his efforts in St. Rose, part of the Restored U.S., with the implication that modern society and technology have returned following the country's reestablishment.