In the modern-day world of liberalism and grass-roots problem-solving, it's quite difficult to empathise with Cobretti's shoot first, ask questions later approach. He is really nothing more than a vigilante with a badge, without a care for the lives of others as he blows up and shoots his way through busy streets. I know this is Hollywood Action Cinema, and not to be taken as anything but mindless entertainment, but this is a direct reflection of America's right-wing attitudes of the time. Therefore the bad guys are given no character depth whatsoever, and is unclear as to what they're exactly trying to achieve (apart from standing in what looks like a warehouse banging axes together above their head).
This was popular at the Razzie Awards, picking up nominations for Worst Film and Worst Actor for Stallone, but an extremely successful box-office showed that audiences didn't care, as long as shit was getting blown up. The critical hammering it received is unfair, however, as it really isn't that bad at all. The questionable morals aside, it has some half-decent action scenes, and the film is rather nicely shot by cinematographer Ric Waite, who captures the carnage in crisp blue neon. A mainstream movie would never get away with such a ham-fisted (anti)hero in the modern age - our leads tend to be much more complex nowadays - so Cobra is an amusing reminder of the days when the answer to crime was to simply shoot at it.
Directed by: George P. Cosmatos
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Reni Santoni, Brian Thompson
Country: USA
Rating: **
Tom Gillespie
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