Stone Cold (1991) Columbia/Action RT: 95 minutes Rated R (language, strong violence, nudity, sexual content, drugs, general mayhem) Director: Craig R. Baxley Screenplay: Walter Doniger Music: Sylvester Levay Cinematography: Alexander Gruszynski Release date: May 17, 1991 (US) Cast: Brian Bosworth, Lance Henriksen, William Forsythe, Sam McMurray, Arabella Holzbog, Richard Gant, Paulo Tocha, David Tress, Evan James, Tony Pierce, Billy Million, Robert Winley, Gregory Scott Cummins. Box Office: $9.1M (US)
Rating: ***
Although made and released in the 90s, Stone Cold is every bit the 80s action movie with its formidable hero (Seattle Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth in his acting debut) taking on an army of bad guys single-handedly. Like its cinematic kindred, I liked it then and still like it now. For me, it never gets old unlike the tough guys who starred in them.
Right off the bat, I’m going to say The Boz deserved more of a career as an action movie star. He’s so bad ass in Stone Cold! But can he act? I remember people asking the same question about Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Norris the previous decade. Does it really matter? It’s not like he’s doing Shakespeare or Ibsen. He plays a tough cop who doesn’t go by the book, not Hamlet. Nobody’s expecting Olivier. When it comes to kick-ass action flicks like Stone Cold, the only thing about the hero that matters is if he can kick ass. Bosworth can definitely do that. Check out the opening scene where he effortlessly takes down three armed punks trying to rob a supermarket. Naturally, his CO is none too pleased when he arrives on the scene since Boz’s character is currently on suspension. The ensuing dialogue exchange is priceless:
CO: “What do you gotta say for yourself this time?”
Boz: “You’ve got a clean-up on aisle four.”
Now that’s the way to open a movie!
Alabama cop Joe Huff (Bosworth), serving a three-week suspension for excessive violence (of course!), is recruited by the feds to infiltrate a vicious biker gang called “The Brotherhood”. The judge that sentenced one of their own to a long jail term for assassinating a priest is killed. Threats have been made towards the Mississippi District Attorney, Brent “The Whip” Whipperton (Tress, Missing in Action), who wants to retry the convicted killer so he can put him on death row. Huff accepts only after the lead agent (Gant, Rocky V) threatens to extend his suspension to six months.
It’s not an easy assignment. These are some really bad dudes, especially the leader Chains (Henriksen, Aliens) and right-hand man Ice (Forsythe, Extreme Prejudice). They’re planning something really big, something that involves selling drugs to the Mafia and a large supply of military-grade weapons. Huff, going by the alias “John Stone”, arrives on the scene claiming he can help them get their hands on a truckload of P2P, an organic compound common used in the production of crystal meth.
It all leads up to a violent finale where The Brotherhood storms the courthouse in an attempt to help their man escape. Huff/Stone, with some help from local police, takes on the gang after narrowly escaping being blown to bits by a bomb strapped to his chest. It’s a GREAT scene! The bikers ride their motorcycles through the halls. Dozens of people get shot. It’s absolute chaos! I love this kind of thing.
I really dig Stone Cold. The title alone is cool, perfect for a violent R-rated action flick. Boz sort of reminds me of Patrick Swayze in Road House. He has a cool, taciturn way about him. His hair and clothes are definitely unique. As an athlete-turned-actor, Boz ranks high above Dennis Rodman (Double Team) and far below Fred “The Hammer” Williamson (Black Caesar). Henriksen is great as the psychopathic main villain. Forsythe is also good as the equally psycho second-in-command. Sam McMurray (Christmas Vacation) contributes a funny supporting role as Huff/Stone’s germophobic FBI contact. Arabella Holzbog, who plays Chains’ old lady and Huff/Stone’s love interest, is as plastic as they come.
Stone Cold is basically an updated version of the biker movies of the 70s with a bigger budget and a tough guy actor other than William Smith. I like how director Craig R. Baxley (Action Jackson, I Come in Peace) takes us inside a culture that audiences presumably know little about. I can’t attest to how accurate a depiction it is, but it’s a far cry from how it’s depicted/glamorized in movies like Easy Rider and Mask. As an action flick, it ROCKS! Baxley has a real flair for the genre. After Stone Cold, he did mainly TV work. Too bad, I would have liked to see him helm more cool action movies like this. It’s totally bad ass! Lots of action, violence, mayhem and destruction, a decent storyline, a bad ass hero, crazy villains, Stone Cold has it all. You couldn’t ask for anything more.
