This “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD release from Arrow Video is available for purchase on July 22nd.
In the mid-1980s, action star Sylvester Stallone was one of, if not the biggest box office draws in the world. He essentially could do whatever he wanted after the massive success of Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV. He chose Cobra, an extremely violent action picture with a deliberate emphasis on style over substance. It’s incredibly silly and nonsensical in an unexpectedly amusing way, thanks to its fast-paced and memorably surreal moments.
A few younger critics have wondered if the film isn’t poking fun at tropes or winking at the audience. I disagree that it is intentionally absurd. Stallone had carte blanche to do whatever he wanted at the time and, in my estimation, the choice was to play an even more extreme version of Dirty Harry (he even wrote the script).
Sure, there is a quip or two, but this is generally a straight-faced action film where the intent was to make the antihero look “cool,” using an individualist approach to taking down crime primarily through shooting weapons and thus ridding America of criminal behavior. Music video filmmaking trends and stylish fashions (for its day, at least) were heavily employed (just like in Rocky IV, which is essentially a feature-length MTV video). Stallone had dipped his toes into comedy with the critical and commercial flop Rhinestone in 1984, and certainly was wary of delivering a satire… he didn’t start developing a sense of humor again until the end of the decade with the buddy-cop action/comedy Tango & Cash.
Whatever you think of Cobra (for me it is one of those so-cheesy-it’s-fun kind of pictures), Arrow Video has done an exceptional job bringing it to 4K Ultra HD. While the opening credits and a few darker moments show natural film grain, the big action scenes largely take place during daylight hours and look incredibly crisp and impressive. The image quality marks a massive improvement over the previous Blu-ray of the title. Specs on the title state that the new 4K restoration came from the original camera negative, and it’s very easy to see how much better it looks. The film has also been presented in Dolby Vision, punching the colors up even more.
Okay, so if you haven’t seen Cobra, what’s it all about? Well, the LAPD’s Lt. Marion Cobretti (Sylvester Stallone) warns audiences right off the bat that crime is on the rise and that he is the one cop who will wipe it out. Others in the force, including Detective Monte (Andrew Robinson) criticize his vigilante-tactics, but also admits it sometimes gets results. One evening, model Ingrid Knudsen (Bridgitte Nielsen) witnesses a murder committed by a cult of axe-wielding psychopaths led by the “Night Slasher” (Brian Thompson). The villain wants this witness executed at any cost. Cobretti and partner Tony Gonzales (Rani Santoni) are assigned to protect her. Tagging along is Officer Nancy Stalk (Lee Garrington), who is actually and informant and member of the sinister cult. Numerous chases occur, with the hero blasting away and executing hundreds of cult members in the process.
The story makes little to no sense, which, admittedly, is part of its twisted charm. We’re treated to some odd, unexplained personal behavior from Cobretti. Perhaps most famously, he uses scissors to eat pizza and also has a bizarre gun maintenance routine. Later, the hero gets into an argument in the office of his superiors, then hilariously steps out through a glass door across and opens fire into the most oddly-placed, impractical shooting range in cinema history (his bosses must be frustrated by all the deafening noise next door). As for the antagonist, he talks about how there can be no witnesses to identify him, then finds himself interacting with a nurse in the hospital where is target is staying (I guess this employee isn’t worth the trouble of slaying). At one point, Cobretti notices that officer Stalk is always on the phone and is seems of her, but appears surprised when she finally reveals herself as a member of the cult.
And why does Cobretti, who doesn’t smoke, walk round with a matchstick in his mouth for the entire running time? Only because he seemingly knows he will be using it on a henchman during the climax (in a fully operating, but somehow completely empty foundry). At one point in the story, Ingrid asks the lead if everything will really be alright for her given all the violence, and it’s all so surreal that you expect the lead to turn and say, “Well, yeah, of course it will. I wrote the screenplay.”
The rapid editing, lack of story and character detail result in a completely outlandish movie. It’s crazy in every imaginable way, which, for action fans like myself, ends up making it distinctive and a great deal of fun. As much as I’m ripping it apart, I do feel compelled to rewatch it every now and again and know that others like myself do the same thing. They may not necessarily agree with my take on it, but I do understand the attraction to the movie.
This set contains a ton of bonuses. The first is a standard definition TV-version of the movie that runs about 7 minutes longer. The swear words have been dubbed over and the violence has been cut, but it comes with several conversation extensions and a few extra moments. There’s an odd, lengthy scene at the police station where an officer receives a bloody package from the cult. And perhaps more amusingly, there is a montage of the cult members at their day jobs. You’ll get to see the “Night Stalker” working as a welder. It doesn’t offer anything that won’t result in more questions from the viewer, but this is definitely fun to see.
The commentary track with critics Kim Newman and Nick de Semlyen is entertaining. They pair inform listeners about how the project came to be. A few years earlier, Stallone had been attached to star in Beverly Hills Cop for Paramount Pictures. When he came on board, he extensively rewrote the screenplay, adding in more bloodshed and significantly diluting the humor. The studio executives didn’t like it and the star walked away. This was definitely for the best (as the Eddie Murphy version was phenomenal). However, Stallone used many character ticks and elements of that unused script when he adapted Cobra. The two experts have done their research and note other curious story alterations from different drafts of the script.
They also make mention of the book that the film was adapted from, noting that it was ultimately remade in 1995 as the equally ridiculous action/thriller Fair Game, starring William Baldwin and Cindy Crawford. Of course, the pair note many of the ridiculous elements in Cobra, admitting that while staggeringly silly, it is most certainly a product of its era. This is a fun and informative track.
There is a second movie expert commentary is another good one. The speakers joke that they may have studied film theory in order to help justify their fascination with these kinds of films. They note some of the strange extremist views of the title character and chuckle at the head-scratching dialogue employed by many of the characters. They do mention the film’s horror tropes, and look at some of the either intentional or unintentional subtext that the story ends up presenting about crime over the running time. The examine the unique editing, which may emphasize a surface-level examination of the characters. Another observation is that the cult also has no real motivation, which they are intrigued by.
The two also mention that some gore and action scene extensions were significantly cut from the picture before its release, talking about a rumored, 2-hour workprint cut that “might” exist. One of them notes that many have claimed to have copies, but none have actually surfaced, leading the speaker to believe that this version may not be real. And they do argue that the film can be interpreted in different ways and is more nuanced than most people think, which I do find to be a remarkable stretch, but it is interesting to listen to.
And the archival director track from George P. Cosmatos recorded in 1998 is amusing. The genial figure mostly, well, describes the onscreen action and camera choices. He essentially focuses about the visual style and look he attempted to deliver in the film. He also offers a few memories of working with the cast and crew. He doesn’t really get into specifics and it really doesn’t appear that there was a deeper burning message or satire being relayed to audiences, but it’s still valuable to hear the filmmaker’s thoughts on his project some of what he was trying to accomplish.
There are also plenty of new and archival interviews on the disc. There is a recent discussion with composer Sylvester Levay, and archival bits with cast members Brian Thompson, Marco Rodriguez, Andre Robinson, Lee Garlington and Art LaFleur. Additionally, you’ll receive a 1986 featurette on the production, a teaser trailer, a theatrical trailer, TV spots, and an image gallery.
The release contains a booklet with writing on the movie by multiple critics, as well as a double-sided fold-out poster with new and original artwork for the film.
Cobra is a completely insane action picture that is even crazier than most nutty genre films of its era. It’s deeply flawed, but I can’t help but be entertained and bewildered by all the strangeness. This memorably bonkers feature will please anyone who remembers the movie or is curious to see this odd point in over-the-top action from the mid-1980s.
Arrow Video has done a wonderful job upgrading the picture to 4K Ultra HD and delivering a collection of bonuses. This “Limited Editon” 4K Ultra HD release is definitely one to pick up!