The Mean Season
Short description
Malcolm Anderson covers crime for a Miami newspaper and is preparing to leave the city with his girlfriend, Christine Connelly. A murder case draws him in, and a caller who claims responsibility for the killing offers him exclusive details about the crimes to come. The reporter's career benefits from the arrangement, but the killer's interest shifts toward Anderson's private life, and the relationship between them becomes increasingly difficult to control.
The film is a mystery thriller directed by Phillip Borsos, made between One Magic Christmas and the same year's release of this title. Kurt Russell plays Anderson opposite Mariel Hemingway as Christine, with Richard Jordan, Richard Masur, Richard Bradford and Joe Pantoliano in supporting roles. Leon Piedmont wrote the screenplay, and David Foster and Lawrence Turman produced.
Released in February 1985, the film took in about 4 million dollars at the worldwide box office, a modest return. On IMDb it holds 6.1 out of 10 from roughly 6,100 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 out of 10 from around 120 votes, so audience responses sit close to each other. A critics' rating of 5.9 out of 10 from 22 reviews places critical opinion in much the same range as the viewer scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film was based on John Katzenbach's 1982 novel, which had not yet been published at the time (he is credited as a screenwriter). The material landed on the desk of producer David Foster, who suggested adapting it into a screenplay. The novel was only published after this.
- While preparing for the role of journalist Malcolm Anderson, actor Kurt Russell spoke extensively with Edna Buchanan, a journalist for the Miami Herald, and Tim Chapman, a photographer from the same publication.
- Kurt Russell's character is based on John Katzenbach, the author of the novel that served as the screenplay's literary source. Katzenbach himself once worked at the Miami Herald.
- In one of the scenes, an actual SWAT team from the Miami Police Department appears on screen. Many scenes were filmed inside the Miami Police Department building.
- Robert Wise was originally offered to direct the film, but he left the project shortly before filming began. According to some sources, he intended to make the film in black and white.
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