Cobra

COBRA (MOVIE)
Warner Bros.

Original release: May 23rd, 1986
Running time: 87 minutes

Director: George Pan Cosmatos
Writer: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Reni Santoni, Brian Thompson

Over the years we might’ve forgotten about some of the great movies Sylvester Stallone made back in 80s, but I look back on them with fond memories, especially since I grew up with them. Whether it was First Blood (1982), Lockup (1989) or my personal favourite Over The Top (1987), he played the type of guys you might want to have around if you ever found yourself in a jam. Of course, his characters always came with a bit of baggage, but whatever their circumstances they got the job done and they saved the day.

Despite unpredictable or unorthodox methods, Stallone was always the hero but in Cobra we see a different side to this hero. He’s a much darker here, someone we don’t learn very much about as we did with John Rambo and Rocky Balboa.

Based on the novel Fair Game by Paula Gosling, Marion Cobretti, or Cobra (Sylvester Stallone), as he prefers to be known, is something of a loose canon. He works on the Zombie Squad, an unofficial department of the LAPD, they’re the bottom line of law enforcement, the last resort.

In the opening scene we see him taking down an armed gunman and disarming a bomb in a supermarket during the busy Christmas period. He’s a man of few words and much action, but he doesn’t need to do much to make sure he hits his target. In his tight blue jeans, mirrored shades and chewing on an unlit match, he’s every inch the 80s icon of law enforcement, a successor to Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971).

It’s no wonder Ingrid (Brigitte Nielsen), a model he’s assigned to protect after she catches a glimpse of a serial killer the Night Slasher, goes all weak in knees when he’s around. The tall and well built Danish beauty strikes quite an impression as well and we get quite an eyeful during a photo-shoot sequence when it seems like one of her swimsuits is about to come loose in the upper seams from the body it’s struggling to straddle.

With Ingrid as the only one alive who can identify the Night Slasher, her life is in danger. We find out the serial killings are linked to a wider network of lawlessness; a cult who’s prime objective is to usher in a New World Order and there’s a mole working in the department as well. Going on the run only serves to drawn them out, but that’s exactly Cobra’s way of thinking.

With its screenplay written by Stallone, the action is intensified and the dialogue is reduced which is fine because we don’t watch these movies to listen to people talking. He’s intense, sullen and his gun is never far from his reach, making Cobra one of those movies I used to have to sneak downstairs to watch after my parents had gone to bed – I was only 10 years old at the time, but I loved every minute of it back then.

Today it’s still a movie I remember well and the nostalgia factor is heightened with its soundtrack that includes Miami Sound Machine, Jean Beauvoir and Bill Medley & Carmen Twillie. With gun fights, explosions, hand to hand combat and daredevil stunts, Cosmatos and Stallone pack them all in here and it’s just another great example of why the Italian Stallone remains such a movie icon.

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

THE EMPORIUM

WRITE FOR STATIC MASS!

If you are passionate not only about watching movies but also about writing, we would love to hear from you!

Please get in touch and let us know whether you have a favorite genre, an interest for example in World Cinema, and how often you could write reviews and/or features for us.

You can as well send us your features and reviews right away. We look forward to receiving articles between 700 and 1,500 words, submitted as a Word document.

You can find more information here.

Please also read our Terms & Conditions.

— Founder & Editor in Chief —
Patrick Samuel

— Editor in Chief & Webmaster —
Jonahh Oestreich

— Contributing Editors —
Arpad Lukacs • Ben Nicholson
John Bleasdale • Paul Bullock
Paul Costello

— Authors & Correspondents —
Alison Devlin • Andrew Latimer
Barbara Diril • Ben Cook
Colin Williamson • Dipesh Parmar
Ian Roberts • Jack Murphy
James Arden • Jamie Suckley
Kyle Barrett • Max Lalanne
Nandini Godara • Pete Turner
Richa Rudola • Robert Bright
Rohan Mohmand • Thomas Grieve

— Guest Writers —
Danny Byrne • Joaquin Villalobos
Lauren Mannion • Lesley Coffin
Lito Velasco • Mark Patton
Norman Buckley • Toby C Prior
Tyson James Yates • V.Venkateshwaran

STAY IN TOUCH!

Static Mass Emporium is a UK-based independent film journal which looks at a broad range of work from the industry.

With research grounded in modern cinema, film theory, sociology, history and filmosophy, our approach is to explore the essence of film.

We are a nonprofit publication free of advertising — sustained entirely by its readers, fans and supporters. Read more about us here.