BADass SINema Unearthed - Blu-ray 4K UHD Review

Crime is a disease.  He is STILL the cure.  That’s right, Marion “Cobra” Cobretti is back on the streets!  This time in stunning 4K thanks to Arrow Video, who have remastered and restored this 1980’s classic from the original 35mm negative and given it a sun-kissed audio uptick as well!

Wearing his Judas Priest-styled sunglasses - a must for ANY badass in the 1980s - and taking out any number of axe-swinging maniacs, Cobra’s beat on the street is a memorable journey thanks to director George P. Cosmatos’ flair for the absurd. Start flexing now, friends.  Your night just got a whole hell of a lot better thanks to this new 4K scan. 

Emotionless and all about bringing the pain, even the feminine charms of Brigitte Nielsen can’t get Marion to take his eyes off all the shapes and sounds of the heaving and grunting criminals around him.  This city is crawling with them and Stallone must whip them all.

And he, being the fascist that he is, will make them pay dearly.  PUNISH THEM ALL.  Finally, Los Angeles has the murdering hero that it can get behind.

Cobra.  You know this movie already and fans of Stallone’s vanity project also know that it kicks major ass as only these homoerotic actioners produced in the 1980s could.  Blue Oyster Club?  Who needs it when you have these leather-clad psychos running through the night in tight muscle t-shirts and biker gear?!

Born out of the angst Stallone felt when he wanted to make Beverly Hills Cop more action-oriented than comedic, Cobra opens with a hostage situation in which the Zombie Squad is called in.  The threat?  The New World and Cobra, as a member of the Zombie Squad, has no patience for such radical ideas as killing the weak . . . so he kills the criminal.  So much for police procedurals!

Soon enough, after getting roasted by his boss and the media, Cobra finds himself chasing after this strange (and strong) group of radicals.  Kill, kill, and kill again; that’s the name of this game.  The trail of crime, led by the fierce beast that is The Night Slasher (Brian Thompson) leads him right to head to head conflict, but it is first through the tasty looks and business smarts of Ingrid Knudsen (Nielsen) before Cobra even gets a clue as to the extremes of what they are willing to do.

Panned my critics and loved by fans, Cobra is a movie that has earned its cult classic status.  The film, giving the conventions of the time the middle finger, is a fierce rebuttal of all things law and order.  It is Dirty Harry on steroids (acknowledging this is the fact that both Reni Santoni, and Andy Robinson are cast in this film) and, as it owes its existence to The Cannon Group and to Stallone (as he wrote the screenplay), it definitely delivers a ‘roided-out message to the masses about not giving two shits about protocols and standards.  You gonna break the law?!  Well, here’s a knife to the stomach!  Happy Death Day, asshole.

The violence is over the top and quite silly (but still cool) and the tropes of the genre are well-worn throughout, still Cobra delivers a spitfire of a Hollywood gem that B-movie aficionados are STILL digging, man.  My proof?  Shout! Factory’s efforts to give his cool-ass flick an HD polish AND a Collector’s Edition, with brand new interviews from its cast.

Cobra is still bad for your health, and that is what makes it so damn good.  The film, warts and all, is now available on 4K thanks to Arrow Films.

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition

Home Video Distributor: Arrow Films
Available on Blu-ray - July 22, 2025
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Video: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; single-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free

A crazed killer. A woman in danger. A city in fear. Lt. Marion "Cobra" Cobretti (Stallone) is the man the LAPD calls when standard police procedure isn't enough. Witness to a bloody murder, Ingrid Knudsen (Brigitte Nielsen) finds herself a target and is placed under Cobretti's protection. But repeated attempts on her life lead Cobretti to believe it's not just the work of one lone psycho wreaking bloody havoc across LA, but a murderous cult with plans for a new world order.

VIDEO

The NEW 4K Scan of the interpositive achieves a remarkably fresh look for this film.  Cobra is presented by Arrow Video with a detailed 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode. Talk about an enhancement. The print has been cleaned up to preserve the grain structure and enhance the colors – which pop with dynamics – and the shadows as they are now seen with more purpose instead of murky corners. Thick lines engage the vision with crispness previously unseen in any version. Shot in Los Angeles, the transfer presents the city with a nice fluidity of crisp, criminal intent.

AUDIO

With a 1.85:1 ratio and an excellent DTS-HD MA soundtrack, in either 5.1 surround sound, 4.0 or 2.0 stereo, the blistering griminess of the busted city at the heart of this movie is still present.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• See the Special Features for the breakdown!

Special Features:

Fresh from the global success of Rambo: First Blood Part II, Sylvester Stallone and director George P. Cosmatos re-teamed for the iconic 80s action-thriller Cobra, this time waging a one-man crusade against crime on the streets of Los Angeles.  An era-defining example of glossy high-octane Hollywood cinema, Cobra arrives on Arrow Video in a sparkling new restoration with a wealth of new and archival extras.

• Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless stereo 2.0, 4.0 and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by film critics Kim Newman and Nick de Semlyen
• Brand new audio commentary by film scholars Josh Nelson and Martyn Pedler
• Archive audio commentary by director George P. Cosmatos (1998)
• TV version of the film featuring deleted and alternate scenes, presented for the first time on home video (standard definition only)
• Slashing the Night Away, a new interview with composer Sylvester Levay
• Dark Glasses, Violence & Robots, a new visual essay by film critic Abbey Bender on Cobra and 80s maximalist cinema
• White Line Nightmare, a new visual essay by film critic Martyn Conterio on Cobra and the “Maverick Cop” genre
• Stalking and Slashing, an archive interview with actor Brian Thompson
• Meet the Disease, an archive interview with actor Marco Rodriguez
• Feel the Heat, an archive interview with actor Andrew Robinson
• Double Crossed, an archive interview with actor Lee Garlington
• A Work of Art, an archive interview with actor Art LaFleur
• The Making of Cobra, 1986 featurette
• Trailers and TV spots
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
• Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by film critics Clem Bastow, William Bibbiani, Priscilla Page, and Ariel Schudson
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 87 mins
Director: George P. Cosmatos
Writer: Paula Gosling; Sylvester Stallone
Cast: Sylvester Stallone; Brigitte Nielsen; Reni Santoni
Genre: Action | Crime
Tagline: Crime is a Disease. Meet the Cure.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Hey dirtbag, you're a lousy shot. I don't like lousy shots. You wasted a kid... for nothing. Now I think it's time to waste you."
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Official Site: https://www.arrowvideo.com/cobra-limited-edition-4k-uhd/16553802.html
Release Date: may 23, 1986
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 22, 2025.
Synopsis: A tough-on-crime street cop must protect the only surviving witness to a strange murderous cult with far-reaching plans.