Why a controversial 2007 action comedy became a box office disaster and cult curiosity
In short: Director Uwe Boll’s adaptation of the Postal video game series was intended as a biting political satire, but it became infamous for its aggressive, tasteless humor and a disastrous theatrical rollout. Despite earning a Razzie for Worst Director, the film remains a strange, polarizing footnote in cinematic history.
Uwe Boll’s 2007 film Postal, based on the video game series, was conceived as a platform for political satire and a personal act of revenge against his critics. Boll rejected a darker, grittier script pitch from the game's creators, opting instead for a chaotic comedy that opens with a notorious sequence depicting the 9/11 hijackers abandoning their mission after a dispute over the number of virgins they would receive in heaven. Actor Dave Foley, who starred in the film, noted that Boll aimed to challenge the 'cult of heroism' surrounding 9/11 victims, though Foley personally advised against the opening sequence, fearing it would prevent the film from securing a wide release in the United States.
The film’s production and distribution were marked by significant friction. Originally slated for a wide release on 1,500 screens, the film was pulled by distributors just days before its May 23, 2008, U.S. debut, eventually opening on only four screens. Boll publicly accused theater chains of boycotting the film due to its provocative political content. The resulting box office performance was dismal, grossing only $146,741 worldwide against a $15 million production budget. Critical reception was largely negative, with Rotten Tomatoes assigning it a 9% approval rating and critics describing it as infantile, boorish, and lacking in wit.
Despite its failure, the film has maintained a strange, enduring presence. It won Best Director and Best of Festival at the Hoboken International Film Festival, even as it earned a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director. Boll’s attempts to capitalize on the film’s notoriety included a failed 2013 Kickstarter campaign for a sequel. Today, the film exists in various cuts, including a 2024 4K UHD release, serving as a testament to Boll's uncompromising and often abrasive approach to filmmaking, which continues to divide audiences between those who find it a boring, tasteless exercise and those who view it as an insanely fun, if flawed, ride.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Postal (film)
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