Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 13, 2026

Watching Cold Steel in 2026 is like stepping into a time machine. It's a relic of its time and probably more of an interesting piece today for its cast and crew rather than anything particularly memorable about the story or the film itself. Directed by first-timer Dorothy Ann Puzo (who is the daughter of Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather, and who would not direct another film) and starring a very young Sharon Stone ( Basic Instinct) alongside Brad David (Midnight Express) and Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad), Cold Steel sees the convergance of one of the more structurally uneven but bizarrely entertaining and strangely magnetic films of the decade. Its desire seems to be to rise above its weight in terms of substance and genre placement, which it cannot achieve, but as a gritty period piece with some exploitative elements, it's a solid bit of era nostalgia that holds serve well enough to warrant a revisit every now and then.

Cold Steel follows LAPD detective Johnny Modine (Brad Davis), a cop who is bent on catching the man who murdered his father at all costs. Along the way, it's revealed that the murder was part of a much larger plot and not a random act of violence. In fact, it's the brainchild of a demented and disfigured former cop known as "Iceman" (Jonathan Banks), who blames Johnny for his physical problems. Johnny's quest to track the killer also leads him to the beautiful Kathy Connors (Sharon Stone), whose involvement in the plot runs deep. The film also stars Jay Acovone as Johnny's colleague, "Cookie."

Cold Steel is a peculiar film in that it's not particularly good, but it certainly has some good points. The acting is one of them. Brad David really gives his all in the lead role, plunging into the character with an eagerness, depth, and intensity that is far more pronounced than the film's narrative demands or deserves given that it's not exactly overflowing with dramatic excellence or writing depth. Sharon Stone delivers a sharp edged preview of the star she'd become in the years to follow, playing the part with a kinetic confidence and alluring mystery about her. While Banks never foreshadows the great work he will do literally decades later in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, he does show his prowess as an excellent actor, even if he plays his part with a strangely magnetic psychopathic lust, giving all he's got to the darkly quirky character that feels like someone, or something, from another dimension.

While the film earns high marks for its enthusiastic performances that teeter on over-the-top but play well within the context of the larger picture, the script itself is underwhelming to say the least. The "revenge" angle feels trite and never developed with the sort of depth to match the gusto playing out on the screen. The character depth and motivations lack firmness, though not for lack of trying from the main cast. It's technically sound, at least, though the action and car chases could stand some more character and verve to match the acting. The film plays like a weird combination of aggressively acted and underwhelming in its construction in every other area. It does stand out today as a curious bit of period nostalgia, given its aggressive edges that almost hearken back to more of a 70s rather than 80s vibe, but at the same time there's an unmistakably 80s feel to the aesthetics. It's a film that just never seems to jive together, working well here but not making much sense there. It's a real curiosity, and it's well worth a watch; just go in expecting something that's all over the place, and I think most who approach it with an open mind and a big bag of popcorn will enjoy it a whole lot in 2026.

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Alliance delivers Cold Steel to Blu-ray with a fine 1080p transfer that is neither top of the line for a vintage 80s catalogue title nor in any way egregiously poor. The image actually retains a natural grain structure, giving it a pleasantly filmic veneer, aside from some examples of obvious clumping. Overall detailing is very sharp with no obvious signs of grain reduction, artificial sharpening, or any of those maladies that deteriorate image integrity. No, detail is quite solid, with the usual elements like skin textures and fabric definition looking quite hearty in close and medium distance shots, while some of the gritty surface location textures spring to life with appreciable and tangible complexity. Colors aren't ridiculously bold, but some of the cityscape tones and neon colors are suitably loud, while general color accuracy rates as "decent." Black levels are solid if not prone to a bit of overwhelming crush. Whites tend towards a cream color. Skin tones look good enough. This is hardly a world beater of a transfer, but the overall vintage look and grittiness helps give the film its character. No doubt it's rough around the edges, but overall I liked the look and it suits the movie well.

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack is serviceable but hardly noteworthy. The 2.0 constraints do no harm to the experience, even if there are times the listener will be left wanting for just a little bit extra. It's perfectly fine with front-center imaged dialogue and a decent sense of space to musical elements, which are adequately detailed. The track definitely misses a low end just to give some more weight to action and music, but the track is certainly not tiny as it is. Likewise, there are some elements -- a car chase comes to mind -- where surround channels would have helped to amplify the experience, but again the 2.0 track does a good enough job of presenting the sound elements with enough verve and detail to earn a passing grade.

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As is the norm for Mill Creek/Alliance "Retro VHS" releases, no supplements are included. This release does not include DVD or digital copies, either, but it does, of course, include the namesake slipcover meant to imitate the look of an old rental store cassette tape.

Cold Steel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cold Steel is reasonably entertaining and well performed. It's imperfect in a whole lot of ways, but it's also perfectly enjoyable, perfectly nostalgic, and perfectly worth checking out. I think it would pair really well with another recent Alliance "retro VHS" release, Relentless, that film also featuring some great acting and the "killer/revenge" angle but with a bit more meat on its bones. Like most Mill Creek/Alliance "retro VHS" release, this one is featureless and delivers solid but unspectacular video and audio. Definitely recommend on the cheap; it's well worth a $10-$15 price of admission, but hold off until then.