The Hunters of the Golden Cobra Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Hunters of the Golden Cobra Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 19, 2026

Antonio Margheriti's "The Hunters of the Golden Cobra" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with assistant director Edoardo Margheriti; exclusive new program with second camera assistant Davide Mancori; archival Q&A session with David Warbeck; new video essay by author Bob Hill; and remastered international trailer. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Some of the notorious Turkish superhero films reveal similar unbridled enthusiasm. However, they were not made with decent actors who could turn the bad into attractive and cool. Also, the Turkish superhero films could never infuse this unbridled enthusiasm into genuinely spicy and provocative material, producing memorable fireworks and edgy visuals to excite in unorthodox ways. In the Turkish superhero films, virtually all of this unbridled enthusiasm is absorbed by the silly comedy and kitsch. It is why they all look more or less the same.

The Italians infused their unbridled enthusiasm everywhere they thought appropriate, and once they realized they could make good money with it, they went berserk. They used unbridled enthusiasm to reinvent action, horror, erotic, comedy, and even sports material in the wildest ways possible. This is why they produced so many exploitation films that are now considered cult films.

There is something else that separates the Italians from everyone else. In post-war Italy, there was too much talent in front and behind the camera, and between the 1960s and 1980s, the various exploitation films successfully attracted most of it. The trend even brought to Italy various well-known international stars from neighboring European countries and America. This is the other big reason so many of the exploitation films turned out so well.

Antonio Margheriti’s The Hunters of the Golden Cobra would be a very, very different film without the unbridled enthusiasm that runs through it. It is a shameless copycat that steals so much from Raiders of the Lost Ark that it is hard to believe its creators were not taken to court, and yet it has an identity of its own. It is entirely because of the unbridled enthusiasm that affects Margheriti’s direction, the acting, special effects, and even editing choices, which is unmistakably Italian. If removed, The Hunters of the Golden Cobra would be absolutely unbearable.

At the center of it is Margheriti’s favorite international star, New Zealander David Warbeck, playing American mercenary Bob Jackson, who routinely risks his life searching for archaeological relics with his best pal, David Franks (John Steiner), a top British Intelligence agent, who enjoys a big paycheck as much as he does a proper adrenaline rush. Following a botched mission in Asia that separates them for an entire year, Jackson and Franks are reunited and hired to locate the Golden Cobra, a mysterious relic believed to have supernatural powers and worth a fortune. Before they return to the jungle, the two bump into the gorgeous blonde Julie (Almanta Suska), searching for her lost twin sister, and her aging uncle, Greenwater (Luciano Pigozzi), an overweight archeologist obsessed with the Golden Cobra, and let them join their expedition.

The first half is wild, the second half is insane, and in ways only Italian genre films can be. This is not a witty way to declare that The Hunters of the Golden Cobra is a masterfully done and undeservedly forgotten gem. It is a B-film with obvious flaws galore. However, Margheriti directs all of its stars as if it were a large-scale Hollywood production, without any filters for excess, and they respond with performances that are both admirable and surreal. The result is a delicious over-the-top genre film that makes any attempts to link it to Raiders of the Lost Ark utterly meaningless.

Of all the adventure films Margheriti directed, The Hunters of the Golden Cobra has the most impressive special effects. Margheriti’s director of photography was Sandro Marcori, who lensed the three famous Sabata films.

The Hunters of the Golden Cobra Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Hunters of the Golden Cobra arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release presents an exclusive new 4K restoration of The Hunters of the Golden Cobra, sourced from the original camera negative. The 4K restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release.

In our review of the combo pack release, I mentioned a few small color pulsations present on the native 4K and 1080p presentations of the new 4K restoration. These small color pulsations, plus a few blemishes and small vertical lines, are the only imperfections that kept me from giving the new 4K restoration a perfect score here and in our review of the combo pack. I have previous experience with The Hunters of the Golden Cobra, and I can categorically state that it has never looked this good before -- the new 4K restoration is very beautiful and very faithful. On my system, all visuals looked wonderfully detailed and vibrant, boasting density levels I thought were very impressive. Color reproduction and balance are outstanding as well. All primaries and supporting nuances are properly set, ensuring that the entire film has a proper period appearance. I did several comparisons between the native 4K and 1080p presentations of the new 4K restoration. On a big screen, both look equally satisfying. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Hunters of the Golden Cobra Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH (for the former) and English (for the latter) subtitles are provided.

I have viewed the 4K restoration in its entirety on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. The comments below are also included in our review of the combo pack release of The Hunters of the Golden Cobra.

The English Mono track is the original audio track. It is good. However, it has the same obvious limitations as the original English track included on the new release of The Ark of the Sun God. Because it utilizes overdubbing, it is quite uneven, lacking consistent roundness and depth. All of the action material sounds good, but a big-budget Hollywood production would have done a lot more there to create memorable dynamic contrasts.

The Hunters of the Golden Cobra Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Path of the Cobra - in this exclusive new program, assistant director Edoardo Margheriti, son of director Antonio Margheriti, confirms that The Hunters of the Golden Cobra was shot on location in the Philippines, and that it was part of a trend in Italian cinema during which American actors were cast to be the main magnets in various genre films. Margheriti's first such film was The Last Hunter, which united the two stars of The Hunters of the Golden Cobra, David Warbeck and John Steiner. Later in the program, there are interesting comments about the production limitations of The Hunters of the Golden Cobra and its surprisingly great special effects, as well as its marketing campaign abroad. In Italian, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Bloodline of the Cobra - in this exclusive new program, second camera assistant Davide Mancori, son of director of photography Sandro Marcori, recalls his first encounter with Antonio Mergheriti on the set of Web of the Spider. Mancori also comments on his responsibilities during the production of The Hunters of the Golden Cobra. Interestingly, Mancori confirms that The Hunters of the Golden Cobra was not shot in Palawan but in Pagsanjan, again in the Philippines, but over a thousand miles away. (The film's opening credits announce that David Warbeck and John Steiner are in Pagsanjan). In Italian, with English subtitles. (19 min).

• Q&A with David Warbeck - in this filmed Q&A session, David Warbeck explains how he entered the film business and comments on some of the genre films he made and why they are sought after and liked. The content was filmed at the Festival of Fantastic Films award presentation in 1996. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Video Essay - this video essay on the popularity of the Italian copycats and The Hunters of the Golden Cobra was created by Bob Hill, author of The Bad Movie Bible. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for The Hunters of the Golden Cobra. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

The Hunters of the Golden Cobra Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Collectors will always rediscover and fall in love with the various copycats Italian directors shot between the 1960s and 1980s because too many of them ooze pure, impossible not to admire enthusiasm. This is their secret. Antonio Margheriti's The Hunters of the Golden Cobra is a mad film because it has too much of this enthusiasm, and this is definitely a good thing. I had not revisited it in many years and was floored when I saw how beautiful it looks on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, after it was restored in 4K on behalf of Severin Films. The 4K restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.