StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Maziun The main reason why I wanted to see this movie was an opinion of one IMDb user that this is "Zodiac" of the 80's. I couldn't ask for better recommendation. Unfortunately , "Mean season" turned out to be a disappointment. The fact that it has a decent (6.1) rating is beyond me. Considering the quality of the movie it should 4.5 or something.I had quite high expectations , but I doubt that anyone with at least half of brain won't be angry at "MS". The story is very thin and predictable. There was only one real twist in the movie. There is no real interesting investigation here. The screenplay barely throws us any clues to work with. In David Fincher's "zodiac" there was quite a lot of possibilities and potential clues that made viewer's brain work.There is awfully lot cliché scary tactics here. Unless you're 5 years old, you shouldn't be scared. The scenes of violence lack tension. The movie tries to be psychological , but fails. The red herring at the end was pathetic.The acting is OK. Kurt Russell tries hard to put some life in a rather bland character. Andy Garcia is wasted here. Muriel Hemingway was rather annoying. The guy who plays a villain has a nice scary voice. Too bad his physical appearance is unimpressive.There is one nice chase scene and twist. One scary voice. It's too little to make this dull movie worth watching. I give it 1/10.

lastliberal Like any good writer, I have no hesitation in admitting my biases. Any hero that drives around in a Mustang convertible gets extra points. Any film that occurs in the Florida hurricane season gets points for atmosphere.There, that's the biases, and they don't take away from a good crime story that also has a lot to say about the newspaper business. Like his boss says, "We're not manufacturing, we're retail." Sometimes, you forget that and become part of the process instead of just reporting the results. I like those blurry lines, as they really make you think about what you are watching.The story starts off really good, but it doesn't live up to the potential. "Seven" shows how it should be done. But, hey, this was way before that and it did a fair job of sucking you in and presenting some good surprises.And, we did after all, get to see Mariel's hemingways as she stepped out of the shower. Certainly, that's worth the price of admission. Richard Jordan as the serial killer was also excellent.

Raegan Butcher I think that The Mean Season is an under-appreciated, tightly crafted suspense thriller that, in spite of what other reviews have claimed, does not pander to too many cliché's--this film is old enough to have helped establish those very same tropes that have since become clichés. Remember, this was made before Manhunter, Silence of the Lambs, 15 Minutes, etc etc...and was one of the first films to deal with the whole notion of fame/celebrity/serial killers and the lack of ethics displayed by journalists. The film benefits from excellent performances from Kurt Russell and Richard Jordan. As the two leads they carry the film and Richard Masur,as Russell's editor, sells every line of his character's dialog with complete conviction. Andy Garcia makes a very strong impression and he is perfectly paired with Richard Bradford, who reminds me so much of my 1st step-father (an ex Marine Corps drill instructor turned cop)that i have absolutely no trouble believing him in the role of a burned out, bitter homicide detective. Mariel Hemingway is awful, as always. A truly terrible actress.The direction by Philip Borsos is very tight. His framing and cutting remind of Hitchcock, there is a certain stylish elegance to the images (each of the killings is filmed with a minimum of blood but to maximum stylistic effect) and all in all the plot hurtles forward at just the right level of intensity. I will admit that there are 2 examples of ridiculous false scares in the film which were apparently studio-mandated(no surprise, really)and I guess I should deduct points for that and Lalo Shifrin's sometimes bombastic score--but I am not going to... because after 21 years of mostly pale imitators, The Mean Season is looking better and better with age.

Li-1 Rating: ** out of **** I must admit to having a particular fondness for the glut of crime thrillers that lasted from the late 80s to the mid-90s. Chief among these guilty pleasures are fun movies like Harold Becker's Malice, the horribly titled Jack's Back, the Goldie Hawn flick Deceived, and the terrific Jagged Edge. 1985's The Mean Season is apparently one of the earlier entries in the beginning of this trend so it earns a few points there; otherwise, it's a pretty average effort, certainly not helped by far superior films of its ilk in the years to come.Kurt Russell stars as Malcolm Anderson, a Miami journalist who's getting burned-out covering eight years worth of deaths. Just as he's planning to leave his job behind and move with his girlfriend (Mariel Hemingway) to Colorado, his latest assignment takes him on a wild spin. While covering the murder of a teenage girl, he receives a phone call from the girl's killer himself, who reveals that he plans to take four more victims. This soon-to-be serial killer is out for fame and wants Anderson to report his crimes and whatever bits of info he chooses to give him. But as the murders progress, the killer is dissatisfied with the media coverage, believing too much of the focus is on Anderson, and as he sees it, the only way this can be remedied is by eliminating the center of attention.Though the film is ultimately mediocre, it does get off to an effective start. The premise is fairly interesting and an instant grabber. The filmmakers' do a good job of building some mild suspense by keeping the killer's face hidden; the voice acting for this particular character is also quite effective, occasionally reminding me of the similar voice work in Joy Ride.But the movie never really takes off like it should. Though we're intrigued by the bits and pieces of info that are revealed by the killer, very little is ultimately revealed about his motives or his past. While this is an approach that often works (The Silence of the Lambs and Seven are perfect examples), it backfires in this case, primarily because one of the more intriguing mysteries is wondering why he's duplicating these certain murders; a lot of hints are given, but trying to piece them together doesn't add up to any satisfying answers.Once the killer's face is revealed, a lot of the movie's charm is worn off. The guy was creepy as a voice that nobody could match a face to, but feels like a generic psycho once he's fully revealed. The film also fails to take advantage of the stormy weather that's promised in the title; what could have been an instance of great visual atmosphere is totally squandered. The same goes for the Everglades setting, which I've always found had a tinge of dread and mystery to it.For the most part the cast is quite good, especially Kurt Russell, who's one of the few movie stars out there who can exhibit a perfect balance of charisma and emotional intensity, which he does here. He's always likable, even when we think his character could use a little more common sense. A fresh-faced Andy Garcia turns in solid support as the investigating police detective. Only Mariel Hemingway comes across as subpar, but it doesn't help that her role amounts to little more than playing damsel in distress. One also wonders why Anderson and his girlfriend weren't given stronger police protection, but that's probably just for the sake of moving the plot ahead.Middling stuff overall, but watchable enough to be worth a viewing for Russell fans or, if you're like me, you just like to watch this kind of Hollywood thriller from the 80s (and early 90s). But as far as this genre goes, all the flicks I mentioned above are preferable to this.