I will state for the record that I am a big fan of Kurt Russell and it was his name on the marquee that first made me take notice of this film. After having seen it a number of times-- first in the mid 1980's after if was released to negative reviews and poor box office receipts--most recently last week-- I think that THE MEAN SEASON is an under-appreciated, tightly crafted suspense thriller that, in spite of what other reviews have stated, does NOT pander to cliché's--this film is old enough to have helped establish those very same tropes that have since become clichés; remember, this was made before Manhunter, Silence of the Lambs, 15 Minutes, etc etc...and was one of the first films to deal with the whole notion of fame/celebrity/serial killers and the lack of ethics displayed by journalists, who must rank somewhere below pimps and pickpockets in terms of moral turpitude. The film benefits from excellent performances from Kurt Russell and Richard Jordan. As the two leads they carry the film; and Richard Masur,as Russell's editor, sells every line of his characters dialogue with complete conviction. Andy Garcia makes a very strong impression in what i think was one of his first roles in a film and he is perfectly paired with Richard Bradford, who reminds me so much of my 1st step-father ( an ex Marine Corps drill instructor turned cop)that i have absolutely no trouble believing him in the role of a burned out, bitter homicide detective. Mariel Hemingway has always seemed miscast no matter what the role-- i think she is a very poor actress;She nearly destroys the fine work Richard Jordan does as the killer. He has a scene with her near the end where he threatens her with a knife and she is so awful and unconvincing it almost makes me want to scream--every single time I watch this movie! <br /><br />The direction by Philip Borsos is very tight; his framing and cutting remind of Hitchcock, there is a certain stylish elegance to the images ( each of the killings is filmed with a minimum of blood displayed but to maximum stylistic effect) and all in all the plot hurtles forward at just the right level of intensity. I will admit that there are 2 examples of egregious false scares in The Mean Season-- which were apparently studio-mandated. ( no surprise, really) and I guess I should deduct points for that and Lalo Shifrin's sometimes bombastic score--but I am not going to; because after 21 years of mostly pale imitators, The Mean Season is looking better and better with age.