Essential
Summary
To this day I feel like Cobra is underrated and doesn’t take itself too seriously; it has constant action and gorgeous 80’s visuals which look better than ever on 4K; the several hours’ worth of special features make this a must own. It’s too bad we’ll never see that full uncut version, but we do get the TV version with alternate and extended scenes which is a welcome addition.
Plot: Fresh from the global success of Rambo: First Blood Part II, Sylvester Stallone and director George P. Cosmatos re-teamed for the iconic 80s action-thriller Cobra, this time waging a one-man crusade against crime on the streets of Los Angeles.
A crazed killer. A woman in danger. A city in fear. Lt. Marion “Cobra” Cobretti (Stallone) is the man the LAPD calls when standard police procedure isn’t enough. Witness to a bloody murder, Ingrid Knudsen (Brigitte Nielsen) finds herself a target and is placed under Cobretti’s protection. But repeated attempts on her life lead Cobretti to believe it’s not just the work of one lone psycho wreaking bloody havoc across LA, but a murderous cult with plans for a new world order.
Review: Like Lethal Weapon there isn’t much about Cobra that I hasn’t been said already, but I just got the new 4K from Arrow and wanted to review it as it frankly blew me away.
Cobra is one of my top Sly Stallone movies; it’s got that 70’s grit to it while also feeling like a product from the 80s with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek. Stallone has a twinkle in the eye knowing that this really shouldn’t be taken too seriously and is there just for fun especially considering his character’s first name is Marion.
It has so many quotable one-liners like “Go ahead, I don’t shop here” and “You’re a disease. I’m the cure”. The film has an almost dreamlike quality that so many 80’s films have with the neon lights, the music video style and like the best action movies zero consequences for our protagonist. Cobra is a live action cartoon in the best possible ways and it’s the kind of film I can and do watch often.
At 87 minutes, it’s perfectly paced with constant action including shoot-outs, fights and an awesome car chase. Brian Thompson almost steals the show as the rather terrifying Night Slasher, leader of a cult trying to bring in “The New World”, whatever that is. I love Lee Garlington in this as the treacherous Nancy Stalk, a cop who is actually on the side of the cult.
Andrew Robinson is the uptight Detective Monte who doesn’t like Cobra’s methods which is perfect after he played the serial killer Scorpio in Dirty Harry as it’s the total opposite in terms of character. In an interview on this disc he talks about how in the original ending his shirt is ripped off and a tattoo is revealed showing that he is the true leader of the cult. That would have been a cool idea, but the simpler being punched in the face scene also works.
You can tell that a lot was cut from the film in terms of violence and it’s too bad we’ll never see that full remastered workprint edition. There is the full TV cut on here though which has a few extra/alternate scenes which is fascinating.
The final showdown at the factory is perfect and watching Sly fight Brian Thompson is awesome even if you can tell moments were cut.
On to the 4K itself, the picture and sound quality are incredible making the film look brand new; there are also several hours’ worth of special features:
- Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films
- 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original lossless stereo 2.0, 4.0 and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by film critics Kim Newman and Nick de Semlyen
- Brand new audio commentary by film scholars Josh Nelson and Martyn Pedler
- Archive audio commentary by director George P. Cosmatos (1998)
- TV version of the film featuring deleted and alternate scenes, presented for the first time on home video (standard definition only)
- Slashing the Night Away, a new interview with composer Sylvester Levay
- Dark Glasses, Violence & Robots, a new visual essay by film critic Abbey Bender on Cobra and 80s maximalist cinema
- White Line Nightmare, a new visual essay by film critic Martyn Conterio on Cobra and the “Maverick Cop” genre
- Stalking and Slashing, an archive interview with actor Brian Thompson
- Meet the Disease, an archive interview with actor Marco Rodriguez
- Feel the Heat, an archive interview with actor Andrew Robinson
- Double Crossed, an archive interview with actor Lee Garlington
- A Work of Art, an archive interview with actor Art LaFleur
- The Making of Cobra, 1986 featurette
- Trailers and TV spots
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
- Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by film critics Clem Bastow, William Bibbiani, Priscilla Page, and Ariel Schudson
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
I mean, look at it! There is literally everything you could want from a physical release here. I enjoyed the two visual essays discussing the film and although some of the interviews are from the Shout! Factory Blu-ray release, I never got that so this was all new to me. Yes, we all want the full uncut version, but like I said it’s not happening so enjoy what we get here.
Brian Thompson always makes for a great interview and he talks about working on The Terminator and this including meeting Stallone for the first time and how he felt like Sly was trying to be intimidating.
Overall, Cobra is classic 80’s action and Arrow have done one of the year’s best 4K releases here packed with features and perfect picture and sound making this a must-have for physical media collectors.