SnoopyStyle Malcolm Anderson (Kurt Russell) is a burned-out newspaper reporter for the Miami Journal looking to quit. His boss Bill Nolan (Richard Masur) has him cover the murder of a young woman. Andy Porter (Joe Pantoliano) is his friend and fellow reporter. Ray Martinez (Andy Garcia) is the friendly cop investigating the case but his partner Phil Wilson (Richard Bradford) distrusts him. His grade school teacher girlfriend Christine Connelly (Mariel Hemingway) is planning to move back home to Colorado. Then Malcolm gets a call from the killer claiming to want to help him. He claims that there will be 3 female and 2 male victims. Malcolm becomes part of the story as his relationship falls apart. Then he is contacted by Mike Hilson (Richard Jordan) with information.It's a nice performance from Kurt Russell. This is a simple serial killer movie. There isn't any great style but has a good sense of impending doom. That probably has more to do with Richard Jordan's voice. The stormy weather motif also adds to the dark tones. It builds to a good storm-filled climax. There isn't much of a plot or an investigation. I do like the hard-boiled sensibilities a lot even if the movie is filled with those clichés. There are a couple of twists that is a bit too obvious. Overall, Russell is good, the plot is unremarkable and the brooding tone is compelling.

thinker1691 This is a movie called " The Mean Season " and stars one of the best action actors of today's cinema. Kurt Russell is Malcolm Anderson a Miami reporter working for a Florida newspaper called the Journal. He is suppose to be an experienced hard hitting journalist who's immediate future is to retire his position, get married and move to a small town and settle down. His girlfriend's idea, not his. Unfortunately, a serial killer appears and calls him with the shocking details of a recent murder. Thereafter he is hooked into covering the macabre story for national coverage and that does not sit well with his girlfriend Christine (mariel Hemingway) who is stunning in her role. Richard Jordan is Alan Delour a mad killer out to prove he is not mad at all, but desires some half witted attention from the reading public. Andy Garcia in his debut appearance is Ray Martinez, a police detective. William Smith is Albert O'Shaughnessy, a veteran counselor and is surprisingly good in the small role. But it is Russell who despite his best with his character is less than convincing. The story line is clear cut and chasing Jordon proves elusive. For Russell fans, there is much to be desired and waiting for the finale is disappointing. Still, I like to see Kurt Russell and so the film is sadly relegated to his second string. ****

merklekranz There is nothing worse than a dull serial killer thriller, but somehow "The Mean Season" manages not only to be dull but redundant as well. Phone call after phone call to Kurt Russell, with little or no forward movement of the storyline. There are absolutely zero creative moments in this movie, and the cast seems uninspired to say the least. Special mention must be made of Mariel Hemingway's performance, which can only be described as dreadful. The ending is especially weak, with some totally unacceptable police work, not to mention the killer's unbelievable good fortune. Even for Kurt Russell fans, this will be a disappointment. - MERK

bob the moo Malcolm Anderson is a journalist with a local paper in Miami. After reported petty murder after petty murder, Anderson feels tired of the whole thing and is ready to pack it in. Bullied by his boss he covers the murder of a young woman and writes it up. A day later he takes a call from a man claiming to be the killer and offers information on something left in the dead girl's pocket as proof. Anderson goes to the police with this and finds that the "something" is a note saying "number one". Anderson continues to take calls from the man as it becomes clear that he is a serial killer with a specific plan, benefiting from the story of his life while also hoping to help the police bring him in. However the line between reporting and involvement starts to be muddied and Anderson finds himself drawn into the murders.Although it is nothing special and does pretty much what you expect it to, this little thriller is a perfectly serviceable affair. Set against the stormy Miami weather, the plot is reasonably well developed in terms of pacing so that it carries the audience along with it. At times it is very easy to get ahead of it though and it was perhaps a bit longer than the material could cope with. It is pretty engaging for what it is but I can understand why some viewers will have been less than impressed by it – I was in a pretty undemanding mood and found it easy to surf along with it without criticising too much (a rarity for me as many will confirm).The cast are mostly solid and match the material by not really excelling themselves but doing enough to get by. Russell is a good lead but he doesn't manage to convince as his character changes – his internal conflict is never as complex and interesting as the script would like you to think. He is supported by a nicely menacing turn from Jordan, who dominates any scene he is in albeit with a by-the-numbers character. Hemingway is as bland as usual and just doesn't fit in. True she is given little to do but she doesn't help herself one bit. Smaller turns from Garcia, Pantoliano, Masur and others all add a feeling of depth to the cast, which helps a bit.All in all then a by-the-numbers thriller that works well enough to satisfy those looking for just that. The predictable narrative arch means that it should have been paced a bit quicker to prevent the audience overtaking the material, but mostly it moves forward nicely. The cast are solid enough and, although nothing screams out as being special, nothing of significance is particularly weak either.