The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

The Postman Always Ring Twice is a noir-thriller that reminds me of the film noirs made in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Ironically enough, this movie happens to be a remake of the 1946 film with the same name starring John Garfield and Lana Turner, which was previously adapted to screen by the immensely popular 1934 novel written by James M. Cain. This movie was brought more explosively to the screen when compared to the movie that came out nearly forty years prior. With less censorship this time around, the movie is told in a style where murder, blackmail, and lust lurks around every corner. The movie wants to be shocking, and it mostly succeeds by the standards of 1980’s.

Frank Chambers (Jack Nicholson) is a drifter and an ex-con man who stops at a roadside diner one night. He decides to linger when he puts his eye on the very attractive cook, Cora (Jessica Lange). She so happens to be in a loveless marriage with the Greek owner of the restaurant, Nick (John Colicos). Frank takes on a job as a mechanic, and immediately starts an affair with Cora. After they were caught, the duo plans to murder Nick. Can they pull it off? Are they aware of the consequences if they were successful?

I liked the majority of the film for what it is. The film relies upon atmosphere and vivid cinematography by Sven Nykvist, who rose to fame handling camera duties on Ingrid Bergman films. I also liked how the characterization was changed when compared to the original film. Frank is more seedy, more violent, and generally not a very nice man. Cora is more strong-willed, and way more attractive. I thought Nick may have been a little old for the role, but John Colicos delivers a simple, but strong performance.

Jack Nicholson rose to big heights with his performances in films like Chinatown and The Shining. He returns to the noir genre here, and once again delivers a committed, nearly flawless performance. He plays these kind of roles so well. Then there is Jessica Lange, who first came to the audiences minds with 1976’s King Kong. She is a strong-willed woman and she masterfully commits as she is pulled away from the monster that is Frank.

There were moments that I found less impressive. The ending for one left me a little dry, but the actual story itself was strong enough that I can slightly forgive that. Another moment was the character of Anjelica Huston. She played a lion tamer that is quite weird and it felt like she came from a different movie.

The movie was expertly directed by Bob Rafelson, and it has an underrated screenplay by playwright David Mamet. These men gave the 1946 classic a sexy update, one that was not beholden to the constraints of censorship. Sex is prevalent, as well as violence which increases as the film goes on. This movie is a sly wink to the noir films of old and any movie that pairs up Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange is a good one.

My Grade: B+