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Overrated and overhyped

How sad is this?

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

"The Mean Season" consists of showing how a psychotic tries to promote himself with his crimes by getting the attention of a journalist (Kurt Russell) who also sees a way of not only promote his writing talents and be famous but also his detective skills while trying to get this guy before he kills more victims.This is like "Zodiac" before "Zodiac" (the film) but a little after the facts of the real Zodiac killer, so there isn't much good this film can do now but back in the 1980's people, I guess, were easily impressed with this thing. It never gets scary and informative like Fincher's film, and it never gets bloody like any other flick on the same issue. Talk talk talk, that's all these characters know what to do and their talks aren't so well written to make you involved with this. And the film goes for too long in its 90 minutes or so, don't know how they did it. And there's a supermassive wave of plot holes, dumb moments, no excitement in the rare action sequences presented and more talk.The villain played by the late Richard Jordan makes this movie worth seeing, he's incredibly good. But a film rarely is sustained with only performance. The supporting cast is good but they're not at their best but it's very nice to see Richard Bradford playing one of the good guys for once. Mr. Kurt Russell has plenty of good stuff made in that decade such as "The Thing" (coincidentally he and Richard Masur act along here as well), "Big Trouble in Little China", "Overboard", "Tango & Cash" and "Escape from New York". "The Mean Season" is not one of them but it's not his fault that the script was weak. It's very visible that there's zero chemistry between he and Mariel Hemingway, even though the guy tries hard and achieves some success, the girl is just bad, bad, bad. Without question, one of the most clichéd and boring films I've ever seen. A generic picture specially made for less demanding viewers who get easily satisfied with junk. 4/10

Tense thriller in which an intrepid reporter (Russell) unwittingly becomes part of the story he's covering when a psychopathic murderer singles him out as his conduit for broadcasting his crimes. Richard Jordan is superb and it's his carefully constructed characterisation that sets this film apart from others of the ilk. The scene in which Russell unknowingly comes face to face with his headline, is an absolute cracker in retrospect and underscores the depth with which Jordan delves into his character, adding the multiple dimensions that those other inferior films lack.The cast is excellent, with Bradford and Garcia as the frustrated cops, always last to know the next move while Russell cashes in on the scoops fed to him by the elusive killer, apparently ignorant of the fact he's being exploited and potentially complicit in the hideous crimes that unfold. Cult favourite William Smith also has a pivotal supporting role in another memorable performance. Some reviews dismiss this taut thriller as just another run-of-the-mill serial killer flick, but in my opinion, it's among the best of its breed. Good to see Russell in a serious flick, and while Hemingway was briefly popular around that time, the best thing that can be said about her character is she doesn't detract too much from the core plot. But as aforesaid, this film owes its success to Richard Jordan, and is certainly one of the key films in his legacy.

Kurt Russell and Andy Garcia are good eye candy and pretty believable in their roles but this is a kind of run of the mill thriller. The issue of the reporter's complicity in the story he's writing about just isn't developed as well as it should be, probably because the plot twists in a direction it shouldn't have gone. You could easily put this film aside, except that Richard Jordan is so frightening, so intelligent, manipulative and totally psychotic as the killer that you can't look away. He puts more electricity in the film than the lightning does, and it's worth watching just to see him give acting lessons. Just make sure you leave the lights on while you're watching.

Malcolm Anderson is an intrepid reporter for a Miami newspaper, growing frustrated with the job he is thinking of moving away. As it turns out, the latest story he is on is going to involve him far more than he could ever have imagined.The Mean Season has a good cast working well, the direction is solid and safe, and the location work is very pleasing. Sadly the technical aspects of the piece far outweigh its substance, for The Mean Season brings nothing new to a constantly tired genre, even allowing for it being a mid eighties piece, the turns in the plot had been done to death long before this Kurt Russell effort hit the screens. Highlight in the picture is a fine bad guy turn from Richard Jordan, genuine menace portrayed from his voice work to his actual psychical acting, but sadly the script fails to let his character get fully into evil territory. There is a reason that something like Se7en nine years later became such a popular movie, because it's bringing new stuff to the table, a serial killer film to get under your skin, all The Mean Season does is scratch the surface, and after it's more than great first quarter, that is a major let down. 5/10