Truly Dreadful Film

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This is way above similar crime-dramas made in the 80's. Kurt Russell gives his usual stellar leading man performance, this time as a Newspaper crime reporter. All the actors give a good account of themselves and it's great to see Andy Garcia and Joe Pantoliano in their earlier roles. The movie was made in the real locations of the Miami Herald, the Miami Police Station and the Florida Everglades. An all-round decent mid-80's crime drama well worth watching.

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.

Based on the John Katzenbach story "In the Heat of the Summer", this Florida-lensed crime thriller does hold ones' attention with its straightforward telling of an interesting tale. Kurt Russell is aces as Malcolm Anderson, a star reporter for the Miami Journal who is contacted by a murderous psychopath (Richard Jordan) who has killed once and who promises that there will be other murders. The killer, who craves the spotlight, decides to use Anderson as his mouthpiece, creating a very uneasy "collaboration" between killer and reporter. Things start to really turn South when Anderson starts getting the bulk of the attention, leaving the killer feeling resentful. This is a solid set-up for a movie that ultimately does indeed lose a fair deal of its impact by turning conventional for its final act, but until then it's solidly entertaining, with the performances of Russell and Jordan serving as effective anchors. The give and take between their two characters is compelling stuff, and it's a good thing that Anderson isn't treated as some typically infallible movie hero. The supporting cast is mostly strong; Mariel Hemingway as Anderson's schoolteacher girlfriend Christine is appealing as she always is, but her character has little to do besides look and act concerned and eventually be put into peril. Richard Masur (reunited, along with producers Lawrence Turman and David Foster, with Russell after "The Thing") is Anderson's editor, Andy Garcia (in one of his earliest movie roles) and Richard Bradford are the weary detectives on the case, Joe Pantoliano is a photographer, and the almighty movie tough guy William Smith appears briefly as a character supplying critical information. The Miami setting adds a lot of ambiance, especially as the storms start coming up towards the end of the story. Lalo Schifrin's music is also highly effective. Even in light of the clichéd climactic confrontation, there is some enjoyable resonance to "The Mean Season" as it deals with the big issue of journalistic culpability, and the role that the media play in our receipt of the news. An overall grim feel to the presentation, and an atmospheric opening, are also assets in this generally good, if not great, and reasonably convincing movie. Seven out of 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.