Movie Type: Action Thriller, Police Detective Film
Themes: Rogue Cops, Serial Killers
Main Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson, Lee Garlington
Release Year: 1986
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Crime is the disease and Sylvester Stallone is the cure in Cobra, a high-octane rehash of the Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry films, burnished to a 1980s action sheen. Stallone is Marion Cobretti, a cop called in when regular police methods have failed. Cobra is sent to get a cult of Charles Manson-like serial killers and to protect Ingrid (Brigitte Nielsen), a beautiful, statuesque witness who is set to testify against them. Cobra deposits Ingrid in an out-of-the-way town for safe-keeping, but a mole in the police department tips off the killers. The gang comes racing into town to get Ingrid, but Cobra is there waiting for them, ready to spring into action. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
Sylvester Stallone's Cobra is the epitome of ultra-violent '80s cop flicks. Made just a year after their collaboration on Rambo, director George P. Cosmatos takes the action star to new cheese levels with the character of Marion Cobretti, a hard-nosed cop that -- surprise, surprise -- does not play by the rules. With his mirrored shades and a match in his teeth, Cobra lives to be the one renegade cop to end all others. Seen in this light, the flick is a glorious example of violent masculinity that could only exist in the Reagan Era -- in fact, Stallone even has a framed picture of the esteemed president in his office! Looking back, the film couldn't be any more stereotypical -- there's the hero's amped-up vehicle that gets trashed before the film is done, never mind the expendable partner, corny one-liners, and constantly pissed superior officers. What Cosmatos brings to the film is his firm grasp on action directing that's highlighted with fine stunt work and superior choreography (as evidenced in the pickup truck chase in which Sly is mowing down evil biker cultists). The cult in question puts an interesting spin on the flick, as it gives the film a misogynist horror edge that might have stemmed from the slasher pics of its time. In the villain role, Brian Thompson is perfect as the hulking maniac -- even if he repeated this same performance one too many times afterward (most notably in 1998's Alien Nation). In the end, the problem with the film lies in its nature, which will easily not gel with audiences looking for anything other than a slick '80s pic with Stallone spewing one ridiculous line after another as he struts around in tight blue jeans, blowing things up and smooching his then model wife-turned-horrible actress, Brigitte Nielsen -- but then again, if they're not watching Cobra for that, then what's the point? ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
John Herzfeld - Cho; Art La Fleur - Capt. Sears; Brian Thompson - Night Slasher; David Rasche - Dan; Val Avery - Chief Halliwell; Marco Rodriguez - Supermarket Killer; Christine Craft - TV Reporter; Bert Williams - Comdr. Reddesdale; Nick Angotti - Prodski; Nina Axelrod - Waitress; Roger Aaron Brown - Policeman #2; Malik Carter - Night Guard; Louise Caire Clark - Woman in Car; Ken Hill - Garage Bystander; Robert Martini - Apartment Killer #1; Dorothy Meyer - Nurse #1; Leslie Morris - Reporter #1; Jim Wilkey - Apartment Killer #2; Kevin Breslin - Supermarket Kid; Deborah Dalton - Nurse #2; Laura Drake - Murdered Waitress; Ross St. Phillip - Security Guard; Fred Lucky - Sketch Artist; Joe Fowler - Reporter #6; Claire Nono - Reporter #2
Credit
Adrian H. Gorton - Art Director, William Ladd Skinner - Art Director, Tony Munafo - Associate Producer, Joy Todd - Casting, Tom Bronson - Costume Designer, George Pan Cosmatos - Director, James R. Symons - Editor, Don Zimmerman - Editor, James D. Brubaker - Executive Producer, Sylvester Levay - Composer (Music Score), Assheton Gorton - Production Designer, Bill Kenney - Production Designer, Ric Waite - Cinematographer, Yoram Globus - Producer, Menahem Golan - Producer, David F. Klassen - Set Designer, Terry J. Leonard - Stunts, Wendell Wellman - Screenwriter, Sylvester Stallone - Screenwriter, Paula Gosling - Book Author
The screenplay by Stallone was loosely based on the novel Fair Game by Paula Gosling, which was also filmed under that title in 1995; it also arose out of Stallone's original ideas for the film Beverly Hills Cop. He had wanted to make a less comedic, more action-oriented film. When he left that project, Eddie Murphy was brought in to play the lead role.
Marion Cobretti aka "the Cobra" (Sylvester Stallone), a police officer from a division of the police known as the “Zombie Squad”, is called into a hostage situation at a grocery store when negotiations fail. Cobretti kills the gunman, but before his death the criminal mumbles of a "New Order": a group of supremacists who believe in killing the weak and leaving only the strongest and themselves to live and rule the world.
When the bodies were taken out of the supermarket, Cobretti is admonished by Detective Monte (Andrew Robinson) for his seeming disregard for police procedures and protocols. At the time, what was not known is that the supermarket event is connected to a string of recent and seemingly unconnected acts of violence and murder that have broken loose in Los Angeles perpetrated by the same supremacist group referred by the supermarket gunman.
After witnessing several individuals including the "Night Slasher" (the Order's leader, a huge muscle bound type played by Brian Thompson) at the scene of one of the murders late at night, Ingrid Knudson (Nielsen) becomes the target of the group because she was the only living witness to their crimes. After one attempt on her life, she is placed under the protective custody of Cobretti and his partner, Sergeant Gonzales (Reni Santoni). After several attempts were made on their lives by various individuals, Cobretti theorizes that there is an army of killers operating with the same M.O., but his suggestion was rebuffed by his superiors. The police department decided it would be safest that they relocate from the city.
Cobretti becomes romantically involved with Ingrid shortly after venturing out into the countryside, but one of the Order's leaders (who is a police officer traveling alongside the Cobretti) reveals the location of their whereabouts - despite Cobretti's suspicions and mistrust of the said officer, he does nothing and stayed the night in a motel.
The Order moves in at dawn and besieges the small town that they were staying. With barely enough time to react, the attackers stormed the motel room Cobretti is in with Ingrid, wounding Gonzales in the process. Killing several members but with more swarming into the town, Cobretti and Ingrid escape in a Dodge Ram pick-up truck. After the truck becomes severely damaged, the two bailed out on foot into a lemon grove and escape into a nearby factory.
Cobretti had most of the Order killed or disabled by at this point, but there were still a few members that followed them into the building. After eliminating every member aside from the Night Slasher himself, Cobretti and the leader ultimately engage in a deadly hand-to-hand duel inside the steel mill, ending with the Order's leader being impaled in the back by a large roaming hook and burned alive by Cobretti.
In the aftermath, Cobretti's department has arrived and begun clean-up of the town, giving medical aid to Gonzales - the Order is all but eliminated. Detective Monte appears apologetic but confronts Cobretti again about his lack of regard to police protocols. Cobretti punched Monte out and the ending credits begin with Cobretti and Ingrid climbing onto one of the many motorcycles left by the Order and riding away.
The film was a hit at the box office, but was widely panned by critics for its cartoonish violence and cliched plot. The tagline on the movie poster was "Crime is a disease... meet the cure".
It is likely that Cartoon Network's Adult Swim show Assy McGee is directly modeled after Stallone's performance in 'Cobra'.
Video game
Ocean Software released a video game in 1986 to coincide with the film's release. The game is a side-scrollingaction game where the player controls Cobretti as he tries to defeat the cult of the Night Slasher and protect model Ingrid from their wrath. Released for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, the game is well-known for its music score and its high level of difficulty. Due to a rush to get the game out in time for the film's release, there was no final boss programmed in to end the game; Once the first three levels are completed, the game repeats.
The music in the game is not actually written by Ben Daglish. The music, Skyline by Sylvester Levay, was supposed to be in the original soundtrack of the movie but was never actually used.
