Postal 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Postal 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 26, 2024

Uwe Boll's "Postal" (2007) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Massacre Video. The supplemental features on the release include multiple audio commentaries; behind the scenes featurette; deleted scenes; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

An interesting special feature on this combo pack release would have been the inclusion of a complete copy of the screenplay Uwe Boll used to shoot Postal. Boll shares writing credits with Bryan C. Knight, but it is pretty easy to guess that he had total control over the screenplay and Postal. I would love to know if the screenplay was just a few pages with specific ideas and improvisational instructions, or a thick stack of pages detailing the mayhem that becomes the narrative in Postal. I do not believe that everything Boll’s camera captures was carefully scripted, but I am ready to be proven wrong.

The mayhem is initiated after Dude (Zack Ward) participates in a weird job interview that frees his mind and gives him the courage to contact his shady Uncle Dave (Dave Foley) with a business proposition he cannot refuse. Soon after, the world goes bonkers – or at least a portion of America, where Osama bin Laden (Larry Thomas) and several of his jihadi idiots emerge from a secret training facility and launch a massive terrorist operation to transform the country, and a religious loon prepares to unleash a deadly plague so that the Bible’s prophecy about the end of times becomes a reality. Dude gets stuck right in the middle of this mess, and then gets very, very angry while carrying a massive machine gun.

Boll has a bad reputation for many good reasons, and Postal provides plenty of material that can effectively eliminate the doubts of anyone questioning its validity. The bulk of this material is supposed to work as satire, but it is just an amateur mish-mash of random ideas and second-rate action. The acting is predictably awful, too.

I sat down to view Postal with an open mind, very much hoping that it can turn out to be one of those so-bad-it-is-actually-good films. It turned out to be a horrendously bad film, exactly as many, many people who have seen it have claimed. It did not give me a headache, and I cannot write that I hated it. It just bored me to tears because what I saw on my screen was utterly meaningless.

What else can I say about Postal? I was somewhat surprised to see several excellent character actors pop up in front of Boll’s camera. For example, Seymour Cassel and David Huddleston are given meaningless parts that feel borderline insulting. Were they desperate for work? It cannot be that the two ended up in Postal because they were thrilled with its potential. Future Oscar winner J.K. Simmons is given a meaningless part as well. Even ‘80s heartthrob Michael Pare embarrasses himself with yet another meaningless part.

The action is predictably kitschy and dull. Boll shoots it as if he is warming up for the real gig, so most of the time entire sequences look oddly structured and under/overdone. The worst of it is the most graphic. It utilizes cheap effects and bad choreography that any kid with a PC can improve. On top of this, it is poorly edited, too.

When the final credits of Postal appeared on my screen, I was genuinely relieved. Postal is approximately 107 minutes long, but it seemed twice as long, which is always a good indicator that a film is legitimately bad. I would not say it is the worst film I have ever seen, but it is definitely somewhere among the top twenty.

Massacre Video’s combo pack introduces a new 4K restoration of Postal sourced from its original camera negative. In native 4K, the 4K restoration is presented with an HDR grade that was supervised and approved by Boll. Also, the release presents two versions of Postal: Theatrical Version, which is approximately 107 minutes long, and Extended Director's Cut, which is approximately 118 minutes. Only the Theatrical Version is presented in native 4K. The Extended Director's Cut is presented in 1080p.

Postal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Massacre Video's release of Postal is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and the Blu-ray discs are Region-Free.

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-22 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #26-33 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces a new 4K restoration of Postal sourced from its original camera negative. In native 4K, the 4K restoration is presented with an HDR grade that was supervised and approved by Uwe Boll. Also, the release presents two versions of Postal: Theatrical Version, which is approximately 107 minutes long, and Extended Director's Cut, which is approximately 118 minutes. Only the Theatrical Version is presented in native 4K. The Extended Director's Cut is presented in 1080p.

In native 4K, the film looks quite striking. It is vibrant and sharp, frequently boasting wonderfully detailed visuals. Many of these visuals produce quite impressive colors, too. They look lush, nicely balanced, and very healthy. In darker areas, there are many wonderful darker nuances that interact with similarly impressive ranges of shadow nuances. Some transitions where digital effects are used produce minor unevenness, but this is to be expected. The surface of the visuals is immaculate, though I did spot a few nicks during the opening credits. Image stability is excellent. All in all, I think that in native 4K the entire film looks quite impressive.

I sampled various areas of the 1080p presentation to see how the HDR grade helps the native 4K presentation. The difference is quite small. I think that the HDR grade is very gentle, so the spectrum of colors that is present on the 1080p presentation is quite impressive as well. Delineation, clarity, and depth are very, very similar, too. However, I think that in native 4K the entire film has a slightly tighter appearance, which is almost certainly made possible by the larger file and optimized encoding.

Postal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. However, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is available only for the Extended Director's Cut. Also, optional English SDH subtitles are provided only for the Theatrical Version.

There is a lot of action throughout the film that sounds very nice, so if you enjoy the film, you should turn up the volume of your system. Also, all exchanges are very clear and easy to follow. If you decided to turn on the subtitles, you will have to use your remote control because they are not accessible through the main menu.

Postal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this new audio commentary was recorded by Uwe Boll.

• Commentary Two - this new audio commentary was recorded by the guys from Running with Scissors.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Extended Director's Cut - presented in 1080p with English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, without subtitles. Approximately 118 minutes.

• Commentary One - this new audio commentary was recorded by Uwe Boll.

• Commentary Two - this new audio commentary was recorded by the guys from Running with Scissors.

• Commentary Three - this audio commentary by Uwe Boll is for the Extended Director's Cut of Postal.

• Behind the Scenes - presented here is raw footage from the shooting of Postal. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Featurette - an archival featurette with clips from interviews with several cast members. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Verne Troyer Clip - Verne Troyer delivers a public message for Harrison Ford. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Gag Reel - In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Postal. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Postal 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Postal is neither a good comedy nor an effective satire. It is just another Uwe Boll film, and you should know what this means. I struggled to reach its final credits, and I stayed with its shorter Theatrical Version, which is the only one that can be viewed in native 4K. The Blu-ray has an Extended Director's Cut of Postal that offers even more of the same. If you have been waiting for a quality release of Postal to emerge, this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack from Massacre Video is for you.