gorf
It's sad that Cobra is so darn violent, because it has a lot of good stuff in it, stuff like:1. How Cobra feels like something out of an old pulp magazine, like The Spider. The tough vigilante gunslinger dressed in black, a secret society of villains that are pure evil, helpless police, a super-fast car, a damsel in distress. It's a low budget movie that feels so big and epic. "Cobra" even sounds like the title of a pulp magazine. If you changed a few things, this could have been a pretty good Spider movie.2. The villains are scary, and believable. A secret society based on Darwinian principles. One can easily imagine a group of psychopaths inspired by someone like Richard Dawkins or Peter Singer kill off of people they deem "weak". And Brian Thompson is great as the boss. Almost makes me forget his role in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.3. Robert Tepper's music sets the mood.4. Stallone as Cobra. He's a tough guy with a heart of gold. It's amazing that they didn't make more movies about this character. The matchstick, the sunglasses...he's so cool and tough that it becomes hilarious.5. Surprisingly, no unnecessary sex scenes/nudity. There is, however, some disturbing references to sexual violence, and the movie is pretty violent and gritty. I know, I know...it's an action movie where Rambo fights a gang of dangerous serial killers, but still. It is possible to make dark and gritty movies without all of the gory violence. And then there's the language. Had they toned it down a bit, I would have liked it much better.But, for all it's faults, I'll admit that Cobra still is a pretty exciting movie. A combination of pulse pounding action and chilling horror. If you like pulp magazines, you will probably like Cobra. And if you like Cobra, maybe you should check out some pulps?
MarkAmovie
A brutal movie with one of the best and most original deaths of a villain. The film does not have much going for it both from the story or characters but it still manages to be a great 80's action. It is by no means Stallone's best work, however, the dark tone is surprisingly fresh when you consider that Lethal weapon, Robocop and Beverly hills cop, were released a year later. There's just something about this movie that is so good that one can only understand once you've watched it. A must see for any Stallone fan, as I feel this one is a truly unique action film.
Predrag
I had almost forgotten what a great simple thriller this was. Simple plot, maverick cop Marion Cobretti (Stallone) is assigned to protect a beautiful female witness from a cult of Neo-Nazi style supremacist bikers who are terrorising Los Angeles with a spate of brutal murders - You get it all here; a scene reminiscent of Halloween 2, where the cult leader (a monster of a man known as The Night Slasher) goes on a Michael Myers style killing spree at the City's hospital, plenty of bloody shootouts and fights and a couple of superb Car & Bike chases that are second only to the Mad Max movies, in terms of violence and spectacle. Really, really good stunt work and special effects! Also, there's lots of firearms, including Cobretti's hi-tech, laser sighted Jatimatic sub-machine gun, well deployed throughout the many chases and firefights!The tension throughout the film is well sustained and it is superbly atmospheric, creepy at times, but always entertaining and gripping one way or another. Brigitte Nielsen is also terrific as the model witness who they are forced to protect and she is convincingly terrified a lot of the time. Brian Thompson plays the killer in no doubt one of his first roles, and he of course later went on to play the bounty hunter in The X Files. The direction is top notch, and it was a shrewd idea, possibly by Stallone to bring in George P Cosmatos who Stallone had previously worked with on Rambo 2. Stallone is as good as ever, and if your a fan, I'm sure you've seen this a dozen times anyway. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
Mr-Fusion
I've gotta be honest, I thought that disappointment was imminent, but "Cobra" is one of the more entertaining Cannon flicks I've seen. It's no secret this is Stallone's "Dirty Harry" (the opening, the politics, even recycling some of the same actors) but there's a self-awareness here that makes it palatable. Stallone's that great '80s badass, shooting first, taking the law into his own hands . . . and yet you can't help but laugh at the getup (those jeans, that matchstick hanging out of his mouth). And who eats pizza with gloves on? Really, I've got nothing bad to say about this - it knows how absurd all of this is and I enjoyed it. The pacing's good, the one-liners are hammy, and I love Stallone's distaste for ketchup.Ain't bad at all.7/10
AD
