The Mean Season (1985)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Phillip Borsos

Writers:

John Katzenbach (novel)
Leon Piedmont (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 February 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

He was a lead reporter...this was a lead story which led to death.

Plot:

Malcolm Anderson is a reporter for a Miami newspaper. He's had enough of reporting the local murders...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Reporter | Newspaper | Woman In Jeopardy | Helicopter

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Malcolm Anderson
Mariel Hemingway	...	Christine Connelly
Richard Jordan	...	Alan Delour
Richard Masur	...	Bill Nolan
Richard Bradford	...	Phil Wilson
Joe Pantoliano	...	Andy Porter
Andy Garcia	...	Ray Martinez
Rose Portillo	...	Kathy Vasquez
William Smith	...	Albert O'Shaughnessy
John Palmer	...	Himself
Lee Sandman	...	Harold Jacoby
Dan Fitzgerald	...	Carl Mason
Cynthia Caquelin	...	Ruth Lowenstein
Fred Ornstein	...	Warren Phillips
Fritz Bronner	...	Peter Peterson

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1985) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #27614) | West Germany:16 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Dade County, Florida, USA

Company:

David Foster Productions

Trivia:

The actual City of Miami Police Department's SWAT Team appeared in the movie as the City of Miami Police Department's SWAT Team in a scene where Kurt Russell's character enters the house of a victim. Many interiors were also filmed inside the City of Miami Police Department Headquarters.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Anderson misspells "apparent" as "apparrent" on his word processor, and leaves it uncorrected. This may only be a character error, but it's odd considering he's a potential Pulitzer-winning journalist.

Quotes:

Christine: I've gotten so far away that leaving is just a formality, Malcolm.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Psycho (1960)

Good movie!

Malcolm Anderson (Kurt Russell) is a star reporter for a Miami newspaper who becomes the sole contact for a murderer (Richard Jordan) who is craving headlines. However, the murderer gets angry because, as his killings continue, Malcolm becomes the focal point of the stories; Malcolm's girlfriend (Mariel Hemingway), in fact, suggests that the two are practically collaborating.

This is a satisfying, entertaining thriller that seems to have something to say about the way that the media sometimes conduct themselves. It doesn't call attention to itself with any flashy gimmicks; it just tells an interesting story in a simple, straightforward manner. Russell delivers a solid performance and is assisted well by a good supporting cast. All in all, I have to say that I liked this movie.

Based on the novel "In the Heat of the Summer" by John Katzenbach (who also wrote "Just Cause").

8/10