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      The Mean Season

      R Released Feb 15, 1985 1 hr. 44 min. Crime Drama List
      64% 22 Reviews Tomatometer 33% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score After reporting on the murder of a teenage girl, journalist Malcolm Anderson (Kurt Russell) is contacted by the killer (Richard Jordan) known as the "Numbers Murderer," who offers exclusive information about the deaths. With the cooperation of the police, who tape the killer's phone calls, Malcolm agrees and soon becomes famous. Jealous of the attention the journalist is receiving for his coverage, the Numbers Murderer kidnaps Malcolm's girlfriend, Christine (Mariel Hemingway). Read More Read Less

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      The Mean Season

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      The Mean Season

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      Critics Consensus

      A thriller that plays at social commentary, The Mean Season fumbles with its weightier themes, but does so in a generally watchable way.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Sarah D My favorite Kurt Russell movie ever. Suspenseful and edgy. We watch this movie 2 or 3 times a year. Great performances from all the major characters. Fun to see how young Russell and Andy Garcia are in this movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/26/23 Full Review Mark K This is one of the very rare times that I agree with the critics as opposed to the audience. This was a good Kurt Russell movie. He was at his best. The movie flows nicely and you're just waiting for what you expect to happen, and then surprised with what really happens. Not sure what the audience was thinking on this one, but I agree with the critics. This was a good movie. 4/5 for me…enjoy! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/19/23 Full Review Jelisije J Its an ok flick of a serial killer calling a reporter about the killings that he has committed and the lines of who becomes more obsessed or famous of the case begins to blur between the reporter and the killer. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/20/23 Full Review Steve D Intense with some strong performances. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Kurt Russell plays a journalist Malcolm Anderson and Marien Hemingway plays a school teacher, both of them live in Miami, Florida A top story murder grabs the attention of the Numbers Murderer who feeds Malcolm information on other victims It makes Malcolm famous but lands him in hot water making him a target as well as his girlfriend Malcolm does get some interesting insight into this psychopaths mind about how he chooses his victims but can his reporting save lives and bring this madman to justice? is the job overtaking his relationship as well as his duties as a respectable journalist? This is actually a clever thriller with Kurt Russell racing against the clock to save his job but also his beloved, the notoriety in the press is one thing but it can put a target on your back if it goes the wrong way what's more important; the story or the fame or the somewhat twisted connection making the killer well-known?, it's the ethical responsibility of a journalist to write about the victims or else the words and the stories themselves seem negligent, even a big news story can shift our attention elsewhere making everything around us seem formative not bad if somewhat less-than-memorable Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member A slow progression to the climax, which makes it kind of boring ultimately. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Mean Season

      The Mean Season: Official Clip - Meeting in Person The Mean Season: Official Clip - Meeting in Person 3:12 The Mean Season: Official Clip - Leaving is Just a Formality The Mean Season: Official Clip - Leaving is Just a Formality 2:57 The Mean Season: Official Clip - A Tape for Malcolm The Mean Season: Official Clip - A Tape for Malcolm 2:51 The Mean Season: Official Clip - News Gets Made Somewhere Else The Mean Season: Official Clip - News Gets Made Somewhere Else 1:30 The Mean Season: Official Clip - Reporting or Participating? The Mean Season: Official Clip - Reporting or Participating? 1:46 The Mean Season: Official Clip - Shoot Him! The Mean Season: Official Clip - Shoot Him! 2:52 The Mean Season: Official Clip - Nothing Is Important The Mean Season: Official Clip - Nothing Is Important 1:57 The Mean Season: Official Clip - The Killer Calls The Mean Season: Official Clip - The Killer Calls 1:57 The Mean Season: Official Clip - Jumping the Bridge The Mean Season: Official Clip - Jumping the Bridge 2:49 The Mean Season: Official Clip - The Killer Calls Again The Mean Season: Official Clip - The Killer Calls Again 2:19 View more videos

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      The Mean Season

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      Critics Reviews

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      Gene Siskel Chicago Tribune "The Mean Season" is a promising idea gone infuriatingly wrong. Rated: 2/4 May 20, 2021 Full Review Harper Barnes St. Louis Post-Dispatch On the whole, "The Mean Season" is a solid adventure film. It is just that one wishes, considering the excellent cast and the director, that it were better. May 20, 2021 Full Review Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel It's more effective than it deserves to be because director Phillip Borsos has a terrific technique. He twists the conventions of the thriller form to serve his vision of the story. Rated: 3/5 May 20, 2021 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Borsos does an effective job of goosing the narrative with a handful of impressively electrifying moments... Rated: 3/4 Nov 13, 2022 Full Review Jeffrey Lyons Video Review Leon Piedmont’s screenplay... effectively conveys the sense of a real newspaper and a real newspaper reporter, aware of his obligation to report the news, while trying never to be the one who’s involved in making events unfold. Rated: 3/4 Aug 5, 2022 Full Review Barbara Shulgasser San Francisco Examiner "The Mean Season" is a taut piece of work right down to the throbbing vein that stands out on Kurt Russell's forehead. Rated: 4/4 May 20, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis After reporting on the murder of a teenage girl, journalist Malcolm Anderson (Kurt Russell) is contacted by the killer (Richard Jordan) known as the "Numbers Murderer," who offers exclusive information about the deaths. With the cooperation of the police, who tape the killer's phone calls, Malcolm agrees and soon becomes famous. Jealous of the attention the journalist is receiving for his coverage, the Numbers Murderer kidnaps Malcolm's girlfriend, Christine (Mariel Hemingway).
      Director
      Phillip Borsos
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Crime, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Feb 15, 1985, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 8, 2017
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