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Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, Michael Lerner, John P. Ryan ... see more see more... , Anjelica Huston , William Traylor , Thomas Hill , Raleigh Bond , Don Calfa , Carolyn Coates , Betty Cole , Sam Edwards , Brian Farrell , Virgil Frye , John Furlong , Tani Phelps Guthrie , Albert Henderson , Brion James , Christopher Lloyd , Ken Magee , William Newman , Joni Palmer , Eugene Peterson , Elsa Raven , Glenn Shadix , Louis Turenne , Jon Van Ness , Dick Balduzzi , Kenneth Cervi , Tom Maier , James O'Connell , Kopi Sotiropulos , Frank Arno , Lionel Mark Smith

Bob Rafelson's remake of 1946's The Postman Always Rings Twice, with a screenplay by the award-winning playwright David Mamet, stars Jack Nicholson as Frank Chambers, a depression-era drifter who ends... read more read more... up at a diner run by Nick Papadakis (John Colicos), who offers Frank a job. Frank takes him up on the offer, but quickly begins a torrid affair with Nick's wife Cora (Jessica Lange). The adulterous lovers soon hatch a plan to kill Nick and share in the insurance payout. The second big-screen adaptation of the James M. Cain novel, the film garnered a certain degree of notoriety for the explicit sex scenes between Lange and Nicholson. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Flixster Users

60% liked it

9,270 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

10 critics

R, 2 hr. 3 min.

Directed by: Bob Rafelson

Release Date: January 1, 1981

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DVD Release Date: August 27, 1997

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Stats: 355 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (355)

  • hunterjt13
    January 18, 2011
    hunterjt13
    What is most striking about this film are the performances by the leads. I've grown up taking for granted the fact that Jack Nicholson is a great actor with only a few of his contemporary performances serving as meaningful evidence, but here, in his younger days, Nicholson prove... read mores to be a master of smarmy, sleazy subtlety. Jessica Lange is at times vulnerable and at others succeeding in her attempt to be blisteringly alluring. The film's "love" - or should I say animalistic fucking - scenes also serve as the film's appeal, but I found myself more repulsed than aroused. Finally, David Mamet's script is quite strong, but this is not the Mamet of Oleanna and Wag the Dog. Rather, this is the Mamet of The Verdict, a Mamet who relies on subtext more than acerbic dialogue. For example, he writes, "I'm tired of doing the right thing." Pause. "They hang people for that, Cora." It's up to the actors to imbue these lines with meaning, and these actors are up to the task.
    The film's flaw is the storyline. At the end, we wonder what the film is saying about these characters. It seems that they reach their conclusions out of moralistic fatalism, not out of any authorial or directorial intent. Compare this film to There Will Be Blood, which deals with many of the same themes sans sexuality, and you'll find that Paul Thomas Anderson has a clear vision and feeling about Daniel Plainview, but the same can't be said of these characters. What is more, there is a short subplot with Anjelica Huston, and in the words of Roger Ebert, she seems "to be visiting from another movie."
    Overall, if you can look at this film as a collection of scenes from an acting class and divorce yourself from the need of a consistent story, The Postman Always Rings Twice is a good film.
  • ythelastman89
    March 30, 2010
    ythelastman89
    When youâ??re trying to find a true Neo-Noir, this is hard to beat. Not only does it keep the safe feel and raunchy plotline as most Film Noirs of the late 30s and 40s, but itâ??s also a very well composed re-imagining of one. David Mamet beautifully adapts a decent script into a... read more complete masterwork. It has all the great ingredients that make people love the movies. The look of the film is amazing as well, with a lot of great period sets, costumes and cars. You also get a real sense that youâ??re there with these characters. Bob Rafelson does another great job at directing flawless performances and capturing humans at their best and at their worst.

    I donâ??t think you can get better than Jack Nicholson when it comes to shady characters, he captures Frank Chambers perfectly. While you ultimately side with him and relate to his views, he truly is a vile person. What makes it great is Jack Nicholsonâ??s deranged sense of charm, which surprisingly works every time. Jessica Lange also gives quite possibly her best performance, definitely the most natural sheâ??s ever been.

    What I love most about this movie is the fact that the story is so incredibly fun and you become so invested with these two characters who want nothing but trouble. I think itâ??s great when a film can make you side with the villains, most of the time theyâ??re the most interesting ones anyway. Even through all their bad deeds, they still manage to engage you and make you fall in love with them.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    September 14, 2009
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Redeeming quality: Jack Nicholson.
  • jjnxn
    April 5, 2007
    jjnxn
    a real disappointment, stick with the lana turner/john garfield original. even with the 40's restrictions that one is so much more sensual and entertaining.
  • woodcarver2B
    August 1, 2009
    woodcarver2B
    for a PG movie, wow the whole thing for the most part was about sex and they had scene's throughout.
  • jazzmonk
    December 1, 2008
    jazzmonk
    I haven't seen it all. From what I saw I gathered the following:
    The acting is excellent. The story is sleazy. Not sure I want to subject myself to it all the way through.
  • manly500usa
    January 19, 2008
    manly500usa
    This remake of the 1946 movie of the same name accounts an affair between a seedy drifter and a seductive wife of a roadside cafe owner. This begins a chain of events that culminates in murder.
  • albertwesker1998
    April 3, 2007
    albertwesker1998
    I thought this was a very twisted and suspenseful film. I liked it, it's not the best, it isn't very predictable but ok. I hated the ending, I cried. Jack is the best, great for Nicholson fans.

View All The Postman Always Rings Twice Reviews

Critic Reviews

Clint Morris
May 6, 2005
Clint Morris, Film Threat

A Steamy and suspenseful piece of film

Ken Hanke
September 9, 2004
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

OK, but unnecessary remake.

Rich Cline
June 12, 2004
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

Sexy and unnerving.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
August 30, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Cole Smithey
April 15, 2008
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
July 1, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Linda Cook
August 4, 2004
Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

No review available.

Jake Euker
March 17, 2004
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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The Postman Always Rings Twice Trivia

  • Add together the missing words to make a film title. ____ of the Flies Shaun __ the Dead Pirates of ___ Caribbean The Postman Always _____ Twice The ______ of Jafar Shaun __ the Dead Pirates of ___ Caribbean ____ Arthur  Answer »
  • What Italian movie from the 1940's is based on the classic The Postman Always Rings Twice?  Answer »
  • Rob Roy The Postman Always Rings Twice Losing Isaiah King Kong Who am I?  Answer »
  • What has Lana Turner dropped when John Garfield first meets her in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)?  Answer »
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