Cobra
Short description
Cobra is an action crime thriller set in Los Angeles, where a wave of brutal killings has left the police struggling to respond. The violence turns out not to be the work of a single killer but of a group of fanatics with wider plans. Lieutenant Marion Cobretti, nicknamed Cobra, is a hard-edged officer known for methods his colleagues would rather avoid; he is handed the case when no one else wants it. When a young woman named Ingrid survives an attack and becomes the only witness to the group's crimes, Cobra takes on her protection while hunting those who want her silenced.
Sylvester Stallone stars as Cobretti and also wrote the screenplay, with Brigitte Nielsen as Ingrid and Reni Santoni, Brian Thompson, Lee Garlington and Art LaFleur among the supporting cast. George P. Cosmatos directed, following Rambo: First Blood Part II the previous year in a run that also includes Of Unknown Origin and later Leviathan and Tombstone. The film was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures with Cannon Group and Golan-Globus Productions on a budget of about 25 million dollars, and it took roughly 49 million dollars worldwide.
Reception has been mixed. On IMDb it holds 5.8 out of 10 from around 85,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 out of 10 from about 2,000 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 3.3 out of 10 from 23 reviews, a clear gap between professional and audience response.
What's left behind the scenes
- Filming of the movie took place from October 23, 1985, to January 17, 1986.
- There are 52 corpses in the film.
- Stallone personally insisted that Brigitte Nielsen play the leading female role. He also insisted on George Pan Cosmatos as the director.
- The film is based on Paula Gosling's novel "Fair Game".
- A sequel was planned, but the project was never realized.
- Stallone used some ideas from script drafts for the film "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984).
- The film grossed $12.6 million on its opening weekend, which was the most successful premiere for "Warner Brothers" studio at the time.
- The film is only partially based on Paula Gosling’s novel, as Stallone stated that the book lacked enough action for an action movie.
- In the American comedy "Beverly Hills Cop II" (1987), a poster of the film hangs on the wall in detective William "Billy" Rosewood's apartment.
- "Cobra" received very negative reviews from critics, but was a hit with the general public. Notably, the film was remarkably popular with post-Soviet audiences, and posters from "Cobra" and the iconic sunglasses became commonplace.
- In the Soviet film "Day of Love" (1991), there is a scene where the characters are watching "Cobra." Near the end, one of them kills one of his daughter's attackers in a similar manner.
- The weapon memorable for its appearance in Cobra's hands is the Finnish Jatimatic.
- At that time, Nielsen and Stallone were married.
- The main character's car is a 1950 Mercury Monterey, or more precisely, a Ford Mercury. Stallone also owned the car in real life. Nine years later, in 1994, the car was stolen from his garage. Fifteen years later, in 2009, Stallone learned that the Mercury had been sold at auction to a company providing vehicles for film shoots, and he sued the recovered thief, who turned out to be an antique collector, for $3 million, which he ultimately received. And the car was returned to the actor.
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