It’s a fine demonstration of the extent to which critics had by this time become out of touch with public tastes. While critics clutched their pearls and lamented the movie’s wickedness it proceeded to clean up at the box office. Audiences didn’t care what the critics thought - they loved this movie. Which enraged the critics even more.
This is not a subtle movie and it doesn’t try to be. It’s an adrenalin-charged action thriller. The bad guys are totally evil. The hero is totally heroic. The heroine is beautiful and likeable. Lots of stuff gets blown up. Thousands of rounds of small arms ammunition are discharged. Grenades get thrown. The action doesn’t stop.
A bunch of crazed psychos are on a rampage of murder and mayhem. The cops seem helpless. Except for Lieutenant Marion Cobretti (Sylvestor Stallone) and his partner Sergeant Tony Gonzales (Reni Santoni). Cobretti has gained the nickname the Cobra. He’s read the rulebook. He wasn’t impressed. You can’t catch dirtbags that way.
There is one useful lead. Fashion model Ingrid Knudsen (Brigitte Nielsen) saw something that didn’t seem important to her at the time. But since the crazed psychos are now trying to kill her Cobretti figures it really was important.
He and Gonzales are going to have to find a way to keep Ingrid alive.
And there’s a leak in the department. A cop who is part of the psycho gang. And the gang has hundreds of members, all crazy fanatical killers.
There’s pretty much it for the plot. What matters is the rollercoaster ride of mayhem, handled skilfully by director George P. Cosmatos.
Stallone wrote the screenplay and I have to say that the man knows how to write cool hardboiled dialogue.
This is an 80s action movie but not in the Die Hard or Lethal Weapon mode. This has some of the flavour of 1930s/40s pulp fiction, stuff like The Shadow. The bad guys are the kinds of bad guys you’d get in a 30s/40s movie serial. And there’s a definite Dick Tracy vibe. Not the Dick Tracy of the slightly later (and excellent) 1990 Warren Beatty movie but the Dick Tracy of the comic strips and movie serials.
This movie does not succumb to the temptation to present the crazies as a political or religious cult. In a comic book or a 1940s pulp story or a movie serial you would have a diabolical criminal mastermind aiming vaguely at world domination, with his own private army. And that’s what Cobra offers. Villains who are villains simply because they’re evil.
One great thing about this movie is that it’s from the pre-political correctness era. There’s an evil female cop, which you probably wouldn’t get away with today. And there’s no GirlPower! stuff. Ingrid is allowed to be a woman. She’s allowed to need a man to protect her. And she actually likes having a man to protect her.
Stallone knew he wasn’t going to win an Oscar for this film. He doesn’t worry too much about acting, he just relies on his charisma. And his mirrorshades.
Brigitte Nielsen looks great and she’s likeable.
There’s no characterisation to speak of. It’s not exactly a profound character study.
The movie has an 80s aesthetic with occasional retro 40s touches. I love Cobra’s car, a big mean customised 1950 Mercury that looks like it belongs in a comic book. I want a car like this.
Cobra is a big dumb action movie and it delivers as much mayhem and excitement as any reasonable person could ask for. Don’t try to think about it because there’s nothing here to think about. Just grab a few beers and some popcorn. I enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended.
Cobra looks terrific on Blu-Ray, and the disc includes quite a few extras.
