‘The Great Postal Heist‘ is a documentary that pulls back the curtain of the United States Postal Service. It is directed by Jay Galione, who also serves as the narrator and guide for the feature. He also worked as the film’s editor and director of photography.

Jay Galione follows his father Robert Galione, a thirty-year postal worker. On the surface, the government creates a veneer of unity. However, as Jay interviews other postal workers, he soon learns that the term “going postal” is not just a pop culture reference. He talks with union leaders, supervisors, retired workers, and current employees as to how the Post Office is creating an atmosphere of tension, mistrust, and fear. This leads to a high level of stress that often ends in tragedy. From the East Coast to West Coast, this problem seems to be across the board as Postmasters and supervisors demand more of their workers, causing the morale to drop.

As far as how it was developed, it was fine. It definitely had a more “TV” feel to it and they had the title placement of the film in a very weird place. Other than that, it was good.

The documentary laid out a lot of issues. Low morale for postal workers, government interference, mismanagement, unionization, and so many others. It highlights the problems arising from these issues but also balances out praising the local mail carriers and other postal staff. They are not the root or cause of anything and I am glad that the film shows them as they are, just employees trying to make a living.

One of the surprises was to see Ralph Nader, a businessman and failed presidential candidate for his take on the Post Office problems. It kind of made me laugh when he appeared on the screen. His insight was fine, I guess, but it also highlighted a central problem with the documentary.

This problem is it offers no solutions. Sure, they hint at a few things, but nothing concrete. As I stated, they offer tons of commentary about everything related including the artwork inside of some of the buildings. Again, no solutions were offered other than for the postal workers to vote in better leaders. Yeah, they have been voting for years. That’s not a solution.

They also dance around a particular thing. The union. They go back to the strike the postal workers went on during 1970s. These public employees went on strike at taxpayer expense and instead of being fired, they were “rewarded” with a union. Again, remember the taxpayers paid for this. When the movie mentions this, I could not help but notice that all the issues highlighted came AFTER this moment in history. Hmm, could this be part of the problem? While the union is criticized at some points, this connection is largely ignored and the union gets its boots licked.

I will say, The Great Postal Heist does highlight some serious issues with the Post Office and shines a light on the workers and taxpayers affected by them. However, it fails when bringing in some plausible solutions to fix the problems.

Check out the trailer below:

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Thematic elements, Crime details, Disturbing themes

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my reviews of 2000 Mules and Sins of the Father: The Green River Killer. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

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