On M List of Movie Reviews
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The Mean Season (1985)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
5/22
5/22: The Mean Season is 70% decent but 30% insulting to my intelligence.
The serial killer-reporter angle is unique as the line between ethics and duty gets blurred as the story progresses, but
the editing bothers me a lot with a few cheap scare-'em moments.
For example, when Malcolm's girlfriend was having a shower, the guy was approaching her from the back with a pantyhose on
his head, and the next shot simply showed Kurt Russell. So...what happened to the pantyhose? Similarly, she later ran out of
the restaurant and wrote down on the car windshield that she hailed a cab. All of a sudden, she jumped out of the back seat to
give Malcolm a fright.
While Malcolm was dealing with the serial killer, I'd been thinking of a couple things. One, why is the girlfriend still in
the house? Won't it make more sense to have her somewhere safe and secure with paid time off from work until the ordeal is
over? Two, why is there no policeman on the premises? Shouldn't Malcolm have a bodyguard, too, wherever he goes?
In the meantime, it's weird to see the Miami Police Department's SWAT team doing the job without helmets on.
Bill Nolan (Richard Masur) is shown for a while and is then abruptly dropped. The same goes for the photographer
(Joe Pantoliano). Soon enough, the newspaper people aren't part of the picture anymore as Malcolm has moved on to working
in a vacuum. At the same time, why are the cops, most especially Ray Martinez (Andy Garcia), so generous with Malcolm and the
photographer to allow them to have free rein with the victims while taking pictures of the crime scene? That never happens
in real life.
The last twenty minutes bothers me. After Malcolm picked up Alan Delour's body, his face was shown blown away,
and then the scene was quickly dispensed with. But I wasn't satisfied at that point and knew what's to come next as this route
is typical of many 80's slasher films. Predictably enough, my suspicion was confirmed. So, why don't they get his
fingerprints or whatever? How is it possible for the real serial killer to escape so easily? The area had been secured
by the cops, and getting away in an airboat would make a lot of noise. On the other hand, it's the Everglades which means lots of
snakes and alligators for many square miles; hence, it's not possible to be walking and swimming out there and not be harmed.
By the way, why would the serial killer lose control of himself by coming back when he had the most perfect escape possible?
Then, we have the mother of them all: not verifying the story. The scene between Kurt Russell and Richard Jordan is
very good in a creepy way when the latter was pretending to be somebody else. After being fed insider info, Malcolm
doesn't bother checking out any of it but decides for immediate publication. In the end, the whole thing turns out to be
made up. I'll be surprised if this happens in real life, but it does, especially with the University of Virginia rape case that
was covered in Rolling Stone which turned out to be 100% fake.
Despite the negatives, The Mean Season isn't bad for the most part. I like the strong cast. Sweaty
much of the time, Kurt Russell is uncharacteristically quiet, but he'll be a lot better in Unlawful Entry as both are
almost the same type of films. Mariel Hemingway's character is annoying as she tries to create drama so her fake
needs can be met. To me, it's a sure sign that Malcolm should dump the bitch and...fast. On the other hand, the newspaper
environment is cool to see which is the Miami Herald.
All in all, The Mean Season just needs a better editor.