The Mailman (film)
Encyclopedia
The Mailman is a 2004 psychological thriller
directed by Tony Mark, and written by Brian Mazo.
who spends his free time reading and tampering with the mail of people on his route, rewriting letters and smashing packages, among other acts of vandalism. Aiding Darius is a local teenage delinquent named Daniel Everson, who had become disillusioned with his life after discovering his older sister, Beth, and best friend, Jay, are dating, and after being told by Darius that he is adopted. Unbeknownst to Daniel however, Darius is serial killer
who murders people who become suspicious of him, such as a gas meter man, and Daniel's girlfriend, Veronica.
After the two enact a plan to blackmail
the mayor using information on his family's illegal activities they had gleaned from the mail, Darius reveals to Daniel that he is his biological brother, and that he had moved to Smithfield to find and reconnect with him. Shortly after returning to Darius's house, Darius sends Daniel out to get beer, and while he is gone, Darius kills a hitman
sent by the mayor to deal with him. Just as Darius disposes of the hitman's body, Beth and Jay break in, having become concerned about the new mailman's activities, and his relationship with Daniel. After the two discover the body of the original mailman (the actual owner of the house) stuffed in a closet, Darius appears, knocks them out, and ties them up, intent on raping Beth and forcing Jay to watch. As Darius strips Beth, Daniel returns, and is ordered to kill Beth by Darius, who says she is not his real sister, and that her family will never truly accept him like he does. Instead of obeying his brother, Daniel stabs him with a letter opener, and releases Beth and Jay. While a hysterical Daniel breaks down sobbing, Beth and Jay embrace, not noticing Darius's eyes open.
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
directed by Tony Mark, and written by Brian Mazo.
Plot synopsis
Returning home from school one day in 1986, a young Darius Foxx witnesses his mailman father shoot his mother and her lover after walking in on them together. After killing the couple, Darius's father looks directly into his son's eyes, and shoots himself in the mouth. Sixteen years later, Darius moves to the town of Smithfield as the new mailman, cryptically telling anyone who asks that his predecessor is "out of town" for an indeterminate amount of time. Behind his initially cheerful facade, Darius is a psychopathPsychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
who spends his free time reading and tampering with the mail of people on his route, rewriting letters and smashing packages, among other acts of vandalism. Aiding Darius is a local teenage delinquent named Daniel Everson, who had become disillusioned with his life after discovering his older sister, Beth, and best friend, Jay, are dating, and after being told by Darius that he is adopted. Unbeknownst to Daniel however, Darius is serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who murders people who become suspicious of him, such as a gas meter man, and Daniel's girlfriend, Veronica.
After the two enact a plan to blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
the mayor using information on his family's illegal activities they had gleaned from the mail, Darius reveals to Daniel that he is his biological brother, and that he had moved to Smithfield to find and reconnect with him. Shortly after returning to Darius's house, Darius sends Daniel out to get beer, and while he is gone, Darius kills a hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
sent by the mayor to deal with him. Just as Darius disposes of the hitman's body, Beth and Jay break in, having become concerned about the new mailman's activities, and his relationship with Daniel. After the two discover the body of the original mailman (the actual owner of the house) stuffed in a closet, Darius appears, knocks them out, and ties them up, intent on raping Beth and forcing Jay to watch. As Darius strips Beth, Daniel returns, and is ordered to kill Beth by Darius, who says she is not his real sister, and that her family will never truly accept him like he does. Instead of obeying his brother, Daniel stabs him with a letter opener, and releases Beth and Jay. While a hysterical Daniel breaks down sobbing, Beth and Jay embrace, not noticing Darius's eyes open.
Cast
- Rob Arbogast - Darius Foxx
- Ari Tinnen - Beth Everson
- Bryan Lukasik - Daniel Everson/William Foxx
- Jesse Merrill - Jay
- Gil Zuniga - Jack Everson
- Mari Levitan - Beverly Everson
- Jamielyn Kane - Veronica
- Gordon Anthony Davis - Mayor Eastman
- Diana Kauffman - Lisa
- Danielle Petty - Ms. Sinclair
- Sally Robbins - Ms. Pickard
- Dan Harper - Meter Man
- James Thomas - Vince Eastman
- Trumayne Bolden - Vance Eastman
- Jennifer Snow - Mindy
- Dawn Shindle - Wendy
- Blu Fox - Messenger
- Thomas Farnsworth - Young Darius Foxx
- Amie Barsky - Mrs. Foxx
- Alan Waserman - Mr. Foxx
- Paul J. Alessi - Lover