Postal

I haven't written a review since IMDb introduced the mad 600 character requirement having previously written over 300. Anyway this film is worth it.

It's superbly original and outstandingly funny with such a good storyline. Reminds me very much of Jared Hess' work on Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. Full of unexpected twists and asides there is no point at which you look at the elapsed time. I can't believe it's taken me this long to stumble across it !

Superb cast, script, direction and everything else. One to watch time and again and it's currently joint favourite alongside The Trip and Riders Of Justice in my list of funniest films.

I have to admit, I thought I was watching the famously bad Uwe Boll title when I clicked on this. My first clue that it wasn't was that it was competently acted, written and directed, my second was that it seemed to have no relation to the computer game source material which I was familiar with.

I looked it up and realised I was watching something completely different, seemingly based on actual true events (unless I've been duped by some nicely made fake footage and planted stories).

It's really well done, with small cast and not many locations. The story builds really nicely where you go from rooting for the focus to wanting him to fail as more and more is revealed about his actual motives.

I watch a lot bad, low budget films and this isn't one of them.

Phillip Tress is a young unhinged man from Florida who went to trial for stealing $35,000 from his employers. He was planning to fly to Hawaii to attend his brother's wedding. When the police arrested him, Tress had multiple injuries.

Postal reimagines the events that led to his mental and emotional breakdown.

Michael Shenefelt plays Tress in this twisted dark comedy. He has ordered an engagement ring but misses the delivery of the package. So he rings customer service to get it redelivered before his flight leaves for Hawaii. He plans to hook up with his girlfriend Brittany and propose to her.

The customer service agent Kevin tries to be helpful until Tress swears at him. Later Tress finds some embarrassing stuff online of Kevin (Eric Vega) and uses it to blackmail him to expedite the delivery of the ring.

All the time Tress gets injured in some kind of mishap or another. It also transpires that Tress is not engaged to Brittany at all or even going out with her. She is due to marry his brother. Tress plans to gatecrash the wedding.

Only it is Tress's world that comes crashing down and he brings Kevin down with him.

Postal is a low budget independent movie. It is the kind of film that makes you wince with all its absurdities.

Writer and Director Tyler Falbo shoots the movie with some style and verve. Shenefelt and Vega are very good. The movie is not too long.

The story has been embellished for dramatic effect but there is court footage of Tress at the end of the movie.

Great fun! Huge popcorn entertainment. How reality can get warped and how everything can go wrong in the pursuit of love.

The drama is immense. It's a lot of acting for one person and Michael Shenefelt is absolutely superb! It's a similar dry dark humour to 'Barry' and 'Mr Inbetween'.

A desperate man falls in love with his brother's fiance. His solution is to conquer her over by asking her hand in Hawaii at or before the ceremony. Therefore he has to order a ring for the perfect occasion.

Except it's everything but perfect and the story unfolds with twists and turns and turbulence. One man's never-ending luck is broken only by the time you realise he has hired a hell-of-a-lawyer who saves him from prison.

The way the disasters happen and the rules are bent and broken is fabulous. It's also shot in very few locations and the shock cinema is brutal. Just about everything which could go wrong does. It's a great piece of cinema and underrated on IMDB. A strong 8/10.

Poor Phillip. Unrequited love is a b***h! When I saw this listed on Tubi, I was reminded of the '90's computer game turned int a movie, about a postal worker on a shooting rampage. This isn't that film at all. Well cast and well-acted, this hidden gem has a lot going for it visually as well. I'm guessing that it had a pretty low budget, but it is put together well, and REALLY got me cringing in pain along with our protagonist. Funny, but not a belly laugh kind of funny. Being based on a true story, the credit scene shows actual footage from Phil's trial. His brother and sister-in-law should be very flattered by the casting director's choices!