The Mean Season (1985)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Scene Selection Animation
Rating
Year Of Production	1985
Running Time	99:43
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Phillip Borsos
Studio Distributor	MGM	Starring	Kurt Russell Mariel Hemingway Richard Jordan Richard Masur Richard Bradford Joe Pantoliano Andy Garcia Rose Portillo William Smith John Palmer Lee Sandman Dan Fitzgerald Cynthia Caquelin
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$14.95	Music	Lalo Schifrin

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) German Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired German for the Hearing Impaired French Dutch Swedish Finnish Portuguese Greek	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

   Kurt Russell plays Malcolm Anderson, a reporter for a Miami newspaper. Burnt out by reporting local murders, he promises his wife Christine (Mariel Hemmingway), that they'll move to Colorado to a quieter lifestyle. Before Malcolm can hand in his notice, the murderer from his latest article phones him and informs the journalist that he's going to kill again. The phone calls and murders continue, turning Malcolm into a minor celebrity. Malcolm discovers that he's not just reporting the killer's story, he has become the story. The killer, furious with being removed from the spotlight, decides to turn the tables on his would-be biographer. What started as a human interest piece on a murderous sociopath now threatens Malcolm's very existence.

    The Mean Season is a better than average thriller from 1985 that features a wonderful cast headed by the always charismatic Kurt Russell. Russell has (in this reviewer's opinion) always been criminally underrated as an actor, so I am not in the least bit surprised to see yet another stellar performance from this gifted thespian. Russell effortlessly inhabits the role of Malcolm Anderson, giving the audience an insight into the sometimes hectic life of a high profile journalist. The supporting cast lead by Richard Jordan, Andy Garcia and Mariel Hemmingway are also noteworthy. The late, great Richard Jordan (Dune, Hunt For Red October, Logan's Run) is superb as the serial killer in need of a documented immortality. Jordan was always great in roles requiring a twisted depth of character. If there is a downside to the film it is in Lalo Schifrin's bombastic score, which becomes intrusive when subtlety would have been more appropriate.

    The Mean Season is quite an enjoyable ride that should please fans looking for a story with a modicum of intelligence.

Video

   The Mean Season is presented in an aspect ratio of 1:78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.

    Sharpness levels are reasonable for a film of this vintage, with reasonably strong shadow detail and black levels. There is a certain amount of grain during the night time sequences, but nothing too distracting.

    Colours are natural, if a little washed out, but remain well suited to the subject matter, especially the coastal scenes.

    There are minor film artefacts throughout the transfer, but these are few and acceptable.

    Overall, MGM have provided a very decent transfer for a budget release.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The film has been given five 2.0 Dolby Digital surround tracks. The tracks are in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian.

    Dialogue is audible at all times with no audio sync issues to complain of.

    The film's music by Lalo Schifrin is intrusive at every turn. The track lacks subtlety and ruins many a tense moment with bombastic overtures that distract from the on-screen action.

    Surround channel usage was minimal at best. The only consistent sound occupying the rear channels was the film's score. Directional sound effects were absent, with the majority of sound occupying the front speakers.

    The subwoofer lacked consistent bass, causing the overall track to sound weak. Reverberation levels were definitely wanting for an action thriller.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    All versions of this DVD currently available are the same.

   Fans of either Kurt Russell or intelligent thrillers should get quite a bit of enjoyment from this little potboiler from the mid 1980's. The disc looks and sound fine, but don't expect any supplementary assistance.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall