Plot: What’s it about?
Postal Dude (Zack Ward) finds himself in a rough patch, he has no job, no prospects, he lives in a rundown trailer park, and his morbidly obese wife is unfaithful. Despite all of these obstacles, Postal Dude is determined to push forward and get his life back on track, so he tries to find work and even visits the local welfare office. With no real options, he turns to his Uncle Dave (Dave Foley), who runs a scam cult compound, but he has problems of his own. The IRS is on his back, so he plans to steal a shipment of hard to find toys in order to turn the profit needed to keep his doors open. At first Postal Dude is hesitant, but push comes to shove and soon enough, he is on board with the plan. But when it becomes clear that he isn’t the only one after the dolls, will Postal Dude go on, even if it means facing down Osama Bid Laden himself?
It is hard to talk about Postal without talking about its director, Uwe Boll. Mr. Boll has become a figurehead of sorts for bad movies, the guy cool critics namedrop to no end. This focus on Boll’s resume has given the director more spotlight than ever and with Postal, he strikes back and then some. Postal is a bad movie, there is no debate in that department. But Boll has embraced his role as bad filmmaker, to the extent that in Postal, he “admits” that his films are bankrolled by Nazi gold. As much as I have disliked his work as a whole, I have to admire how Boll relishes his cinematic reputation. In Postal, he even pays Verne Troyer in gold teeth, says he is turned on by all the children in the crowd, and is attacked by the creator of Postal. The rest of the movie is just as over the top and offensive, as Boll sacrifices every sacred cow he can imagine. Postal is a bad movie. But it is also hilarious at times and so bold, you have to see it for yourself. As for Boll, I might not like his movies, but I do like his attitude and it was great to watch him beat up his critics in the supplements of Postal.
Video: How does it look?
Postal is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This transfer looks very good, despite the obvious low budget roots. The image is clean, aside from some light grain at times, while overall clarity is strong in most instances. A few scenes have a soft texture, but most show off impressive detail, even if not quite that three dimensional look we love so much. So not eye popping per se, but still a vast improvement over the standard release. I found colors to be bold and bright, while contrast is stark and accurate, no complaints on those fronts. I wouldn’t rank this with the best Blu-ray treatments I’ve seen, but Postal looks very good and I doubt anyone will be let down with this transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
Postal is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This transfer looks very good, despite the obvious low budget roots. The image is clean, aside from some light grain at times, while overall clarity is strong in most instances. A few scenes have a soft texture, but most show off impressive detail, even if not quite that three dimensional look we love so much. So not eye popping per se, but still a vast improvement over the standard release. I found colors to be bold and bright, while contrast is stark and accurate, no complaints on those fronts. I wouldn’t rank this with the best Blu-ray treatments I’ve seen, but Postal looks very good and I doubt anyone will be let down with this transfer.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Uwe Boll provides his director’s comments and as expected, it is a memorable listen. Boll is a madman in this session, covering all manner of topics, both related to the movie and otherwise. He either has a wild sense of humor, or he really is as delusional as some seem to think. Whichever is true, this session is worth a spin, whether you love or hate his movies. Boll returns in a featurette that shows him in actual boxing matches against his critics, which he dominates. Fun stuff. This release also includes a brief bit with Verne Troyer as Indiana Jones, the film’s trailer, as well as a bonus disc with the full Postal 2 game for PCs.
