30Jan
Worth a Watch? - Yes, worth a rental. Worth a purchase if the USPS is a passion for you.
The Great Postal Heist is a film I went into thinking minimally about the topic. How earth shattering or awakening can a documentary on such an ordinary subject be? So I thought. This film will make you rethink how you imagine the workings of the United States Post Office. To the average citizen, you may think the straightforwardness of the job seems like some of the same struggles any other job might. You’d be right to an extent, however The Great Postal Heist will expand you insight of the problems the postal service employees have to suffer through every day. I sat down and watched this film with a postal worker at one of the larger post offices here, I will have an interview with him regarding his thoughts on the film itself but for now a general review of the film.
The opening plays almost like a recruitment ad for USPS, with smiling faces and the classic mail carrier delivering the mail in the snow. After those few brief moments we dive right into the heart of why this film was made. It shows the struggles of the aging postal service, from dealing with employee’s “Going Postal” to how the union works, the incompetence of the management and leadership in some of the most critical positions, all the way to political and legal loopholes that prevent a smoother business. The pacing for the start of the film is great as it goes over issues with overbearing supervisors, lack of proper representation and other issues. Interview style pieces make up the majority of the film with interlaced news clips and updates.
The second half of the film is where things get a little off, editing jumps from one issue to the next with different points and topics scattered throughout. The content itself is interesting to learn and well done but the pacing is knocked off by the jump in related topics. One moment we are talking about a union election within the post office and the next we are talking about automation. As I mentioned before both are interesting and insightful topics but the organization of the topics seems off and it makes the movie feel drawn out towards the end. There were a few points where I thought the film was over and it segwayed into some other topics.
The very end ties up the loose plot points and is a nice sign off to a worker who tragically lost their life. The film kind of feels like it's a few years behind schedule however as some of the topics were throughout the 2000’s but is a great look into the beast that is the USPS. Overall the content of The Great Postal Heist is spot on accurate and really depicts the voice of many USPS employees, my only criticism is that the pacing and length could have been a bit better but worth a watch in my eyes. Please stay tuned for the interview with a USPS worker coming soon and check out the film with the links provided below. Enjoy and until next time thanks for reading.
~Daley~
Check out their website HERE - www.
Technical Info-
ON DVD & ON DEMAND – JANUARY 25, 2022 (Vimeo with additional platforms to follow) TECHNICAL DETAILS Documentary | Unrated | 96 minutes | USA | English Aspect Ratio: 16:9 | Audio: Stereo CLS1292 | UPC 8813941291221 | SRP: $19.95 DVD Bonus Feature – Q&A at Workers Unite Film Festival
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