Comic book 80's action schlock with Sly Stallone
The Story goes that the Stallone's script for "Cobra" was to be "Beverly Hills Cop" with Stallone in the role that Eddie Murphy played in that 1984 movie, but Stallone dropped out two weeks before shooting because the producers insisted that his ideas were over-budget. A couple days later, Eddie signed-on, which resulted in massive rewrites to include his witty comedic flair. Despite these last-minute changes "Beverly Hills Cop" was a great mid-80s cop thriller and the #1 film in the USA in 1984 and #2 worldwide.
So, Sly took his script and made "Cobra," which simply isn't in the same league as "Beverly Hills Cop." It has a palpable comic book schlock tone and pales in comparison to all five of the Dirty Harry flicks, as well as "The Gauntlet." This is surprising since Stallone was riding a wave of success at the time with "Rambo II" and "Rocky IV" being massive hits a year earlier.
This isn't to say that there aren't any entertaining aspects to "Cobra," because there are several. For one, Cobretti is the epitome of cool. Secondly, Brian Thompson plays a great villain frothing at the mouth with malevolence. Thirdly, there are some thrilling action sequences, overdone though some of them are, like the ridiculous car chase. Fourthly, the climax in the factory is so effective that "Terminator 2" ripped it off five years later.
And, lastly, the role of Ingrid (Brigitte Nielsen) is tastefully done. She doesn't get naked once and there's no gratuitous sex scene, plus they try to give her a personality and she gets in on the action at the end. She's a pretty good "damsel in distress" and it's cute seeing the chemistry of Nielsen and Sly as they were a couple in real life, married from 1985-1987.
While these positives may make "Cobra" an 80's cult flick or guilty pleasure, they don't turn it into a good movie. It's too Grade 'B' schlocky for that. Just because you like it doesn't mean it's a good movie.
It was shot in the Los Angeles area; and is short 'n' sweet at 87 minutes.