Cobra
Warner Brothers Pictures
CAST: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson, Lee Garlington,
John Herzfeld, Art Le Fleur, Brian Thompson, David Rasche and Val Avery
DIRECTOR: George P. Cosmatos
rating: R
running time: 87 minutes
1986
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The job of the costume designer ostensibly begins during the earliest stages of pre-production. After thoroughly reading the script and having detailed discussions with the director, the costume designer begins the arduous process of creating a distinct wardrobe for each of the film's individual characters. Oftentimes overlooked as an important ingredient to a film's success, the contributions of the costume designer are totally invaluable. Just as it's impossible to imagine Indiana Jones without his bullwhip and fedora, so is the case with Cobra costume designer Tom Bronson's memorable work for the title character: mirrored sunglasses, black gloves, match-pick, trench coat, cuffed 50's style blue jeans, and white ivory-handled .45 with etched Cobra design. Since the protagonist is severely underwritten, Tom Bronson is almost solely responsible for adding actual character depth to supercop Marion Cobretti . It's a remarkable achievement.
In the mid-80's Sylvester Stallone had reached the pinnacle of his popularity. Just as Steven Spielberg had an uncanny knack for picking blockbuster projects, so had Stallone when it came to creating roles that movie audiences worldwide would embrace. While his underdog Rocky Balboa tapped into the American zeitgeist of unrealized dreams, the unstoppable John Rambo was fueled by re-discovered patriotism. With Cobra, Stallone attempted to channel societal frustrations with the criminal system into a character that represented the ultimate strong arm of the law. It's unfortunate that the film only met him halfway.
Taken loosely from Paula Gosling's suspense novel Fair Game (which would later be adapted into the ridiculous Cindy Crawford action film), Cobra is a surface-level action film about a tough cop protecting a supermodel (an embarrassing performance by Brigitte Nielson) from an unrelenting gang of psychopaths. The film itself is ugly and violent, while the characters are repellent and totally unrealistic. This is mindless entertainment in every sense of the word.
But for all its violent gloss, there is a hidden heartbeat in Cobra. While the title character is a physical embodiment of ultimate justice, the core message of the film is about helplessness, loss of respect for life, and the eventual outcome of placing criminal rights higher than those that uphold the law.
The damaged criminal justice system is literally morphed into the Night Slasher, the film's genuinely frightening and unstoppable antagonist. Effectively played by Brian Thompson, the Night Slasher is a new breed of criminal that has been created because of an indifferent society. In several scenes the Night Slasher is shown surrounded by his disciples, many of who are lily-white businessmen. The connection between those particular men and the Night Slasher himself are not subtle, but they are effective. Whenever American culture turns its back on morality, a high price to society must be paid.
While taking the side of victims, Stallone makes the case in Cobra that criminals are being allowed to thrive because of a weak judicial system. That only when the police are given the opportunity to fight crime without restraints can peak results be achieved. “This is where the law stops and I start” is not just the protagonist's bravura mantra, but also the central theme of the script. Although a one-sided argument, Stallone does make an interesting case.
Imaginatively helmed by action vet George P. Cosmatos, Cobra is a lean action film that unfortunately falls short of making deep philosophical point on societal ills. But that's a tall order for even the most esteemed cinematic endeavor, let alone for a hero whose wardrobe comes across as more interesting than anything else in the film.
--Yim Kip
 
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