Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Cobra Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson January 25, 2019

Cobra (1986) was made at a time when Sylvester Stallone was Hollywood's highest paid actor, America's top box-office draw, and a global superstar. It arrived during a period when the Italian Stallion was coming off two huge commercial hits, Rocky IV and Rambo: First Blood Part II, the latter of which he worked with George P. Cosmatos for the first time. Along with Clint Eastwood before him, Stallone became famous for a series of vigilante roles he played. That trend continued in Cobra where the Oscar winner portrayed Det. Marion "Cobra" Cobretti, a specialist in the LAPD's Zombie Squad. The poster image of Cobra with steel-blue shades, a submachine gun with laser sight, and a Diamond matchstick in his mouth always caught my attention whenever I visited a video store and spotted the VHS cover. To play Cobra's chief nemesis, the Night Slasher (who's called "Baddon" in the screenplay), Stallone cast Brian Thompson, a young actor who had a very small but notable part as a punk in The Terminator (1984). The very muscular Thompson looks like he's on steroids and speaks with an ultra-masculine deep voice. The Night Slasher heads a underground cult known as the New World Order, which is intent on ridding the earth of all weaklings. Sixteen murders have been traced to the Night Slasher and while no initial pattern for the slayings is established, the most recent victims have been younger women. Ingrid (Brigitte Nielsen), a fashion model, happens to drive by one of the Night Slasher's killings and becomes his next target. She goes to the police and Cobra is assigned to protect her.

Warner Bros. did not provide any press screenings of Cobra for critics probably out of fear that they may give it poor reviews and spread bad word of mouth. Instead, journalists saw it with a live audience in a sneak preview on Thursday, May 22. The movie played well with audiences. Marsha McCreadie of the Arizona Republic recalled that she saw it with "a packed 10 p.m. preview filled with enthusiastic applauders." The Chicago Tribune's Gene Siskel reported that the opening sequence in the supermarket where Cobra is sent in to stop a deranged killer (Marco Rodríguez) was greeted with enthusiasm. "The Thursday night crowd at Chicago's Esquire Theater gave that scene the movie's loudest applause." Many critics were put off by the vertical editing which they thought catered too much to viewers of MTV (clearly the intended demographic). Scott Cain of The Atlanta Journal Constitution felt that it played like an extended music video with something missing in the center to guide it. He wrote: "Stallone has an eye on cash flow and he insisted that 'Cobra' be kept to 90 minutes, thereby giving theaters time to have one extra show per day. The problem with this is that director George P. Cosmatos clearly had more footage than 90 minutes and was forced to leave vast quantities of key scenes on the cutting-room floor. A chase through city streets consists only of highlights. There's no continuity and, consequently, you can't take any interest in the participants. It's just a collection of stunts." I've read Stallone's final draft shooting script and can vouch that there are several scenes not in the final release version. The most important absence is a ferryboat sequence in the middle that gives Cobra the sustained suspense that the resultant film lacks. While there are some other smaller scenes in the script not included in the theatrical cut, Cosmatos largely follows what Stallone had on paper.

"Call the Cobra."

I echo the criticisms of actors featured on this Scream Factory disc that character development is virtually non-existent. We have no clue as to why the Night Slasher and his band of psychos go on this rampage other than their hegemonic argument that "only the strong can survive." Stallone litters his script with one-liners that while quotable, don't carry much substance. I did like the way he and Cosmatos borrowed from Halloween II by showing the killer's undetected entry into Los Angeles Central Hospital and the way he skulks before hitting his next victim. Cross-cutting between the Night Slasher's movements and Cobra's protracted trip to the hospital was the most effective editing in the entire film. The antagonistic relationship between Cobra and Det. Monte (Andrew Robinson) works on the same level as Rambo and Murdock's recalcitrant relationship because it demonstrates a vigilante's unwillingness to let a petty bureaucrat intrude on matters he truly doesn't have experience. As an eighties action thriller, Cobra is a mixed package but does have its moments where it really cooks.

Cobra Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory brings Cobra to Blu-ray for the second time, nearly eight years after the Warner Bros. debut. Scream advertises this as a new 2K scan of an archival interpositive created at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging on the Lasergraphics Director scanner. Fotokem's Steve Peer presided over color timing while Duplitech conducted the restoration. Cobra appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. The encode and compression is an upgrade over Warner's BD-25, which uses the VC-1 encode. The Warner boasts a mean video bitrate of 19941 kbps while the Scream sports an average of nearly twice that (35000 kbps). I own the Warner and have interleaved a graphical comparison between the two editions (Screenshot #s 23-30; Warner on top). The Warner has overblown white while Scream has added red tint (e.g.., see the difference in facial complexion between captures 29 & 30).

Black levels are pretty deep and this befits the bleak tone. Jacqui Tully of The Arizona Daily Star complained that the general look of the film was too dark: "Ric Waite has photographed this seediness in such dank, dark tones that often you can't see or even understand what's going on." Tully's colleague, the aforementioned McCreadie, was more specific: "Everything is grim and grimy in the angularly shot nighttime scenes, as if a cartoonist took over the camera of a German Expresionist film maker after seeing a lot of films noir." David Armstrong of the San Francisco Examiner observed that LA's skid row is suffused with "neon-washed footage." I also noticed the neons when I played the disc back and analyzed it.

Scream provides twelve scene selections, fifteen less than Warner's disc.

Screenshot #s 1-22, 24, 26, 28, & 30 = Scream Factory 2018 Blu-ray
Screenshot #s 23, 25, 27, & 29 = Warner Bros. 2011 Blu-ray

Cobra Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream supplies a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (4252 kbps, 24-bit) and the original DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (2038 kbps, 24-bit). (The Warner also has a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix [4230 kbps, 24-bit] but no English stereo.) I listened mainly to the 5.1 track and was very impressed with the ambience that was generated in the surround speakers. Dialogue often sounds mumbled or if it's delivered in broken English but that was the original intention of the filmmakers. Engine and exhaust sounds emanating from automobiles and motorcycles made their presence felt in the rears. Composer Sylvester Levay's electronic score has throbbing bass, steel guitars, and rhythmic synths that jive well with the on-screen action. The seven period songs exhibit some high beats that are well-balanced between the front channels.

The 87-minute feature has been encoded with optional English SDH.

Cobra Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director George P. Cosmatos - the late Cosmatos recorded this commentary circa 1997 for the inaugural Warner DVD. Unfortunately, he spends much of his time narrating the story and describing what's happening on screen. He discusses some of the locations that were originally considered and places ultimately chosen. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Stalking and Slashing – An Interview with Actor Brian Thompson (26:00, 1080p) - Thompson tells of his first auditions in Hollywood, working with Stallone and Cosmatos, and the difficulty he had performing stunts. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Meet the Disease An Interview with Actor Marco Rodríguez (24:05, 1080p) - Rodríguez gives a blow-by-blow account of the one scene he has in the film and also reads from a production draft of the script he was given. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Feel the Heat – An Interview with Actor Andrew Robinson (14:15, 1080p) - Robinson speaks about the tension and problems that occurred on set and a major creative decision that wasn't made to reveal his character's identity. He's very open about the movie's flaws. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Double Crossed – An Interview with Actress Lee Garlington (9:05, 1080p) - Garlington recalls the fun she had while making making Cobra and working relationships with several of the actors. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW A Work of Art – An Interview with Actor Art LaFleur (8:23, 1080p) - LaFleur shares fond memories about playing Captain Sears. He contributes the least out of the five interviewees. In English, not subtitled.

• Vintage Featurette (7:50, upscaled to 1080i) - an EPK making-of that shows B-roll footage on the set of Cobra.

• Teaser Trailer (1:20, 1080p) - a teaser for Cobra that depicts several shots from the post-titles scene in the supermarket. The trailer is in relatively good shape and presented in 1.78:1.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:55, 1080p) - a somewhat dirty trailer with song and voice-over. This isn't in quite as good a condition as the teaser and is also displayed in 1.78:1.

• Still Gallery: Photos (4:34, 1080p) - fifty-three high-quality images taken on the set of Cobra. Most are in glorious color.

• Still Gallery: Movie Posters and Lobby Cards (5:19, 1080p) - about sixty-two individual slides consisting of poster sheets, lobby cards, press kit photos, newspaper ads, and soundtrack album cover art. Majority are in color. The ad materials seem culled from US, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese publicity campaigns.

Cobra Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cobra is a flawed but efficient action thriller that presaged the urban doomsday and post-apocalyptic films in the years that followed. Discerning viewers may be torn between the brighter image on the Warner disc and this new transfer by Scream that was culled from original film elements. The Scream definitely has a redder tint to it but looks smooth in motion with pleasing grain. The lossless audio sounds great for a moderately budgeted, mid-80s production. The five new interviews add much understanding and context to the making of the film. RECOMMENDED to Stallone fans and to devotees of action thrillers from a bygone era.