Director – Craig R. Baxley (Rose Red, Action Jackson)
Starring – Brian Bosworth (Virus, Lawless), Lance Henriksen (Pumpkinhead, Monster Brawl), and William Forsythe (The Devil’s Rejects, Raising Arizona)
Release Date – 1991
Rating – 3.5/5
Tagline – “He’ll burn you cold”
Biker flicks are popular now and I can safely bet that we have the popular FX show Sons of Anarchy to thank for that. Sometimes we get a biker flick that takes place in a horror setting but most of the time the biker flicks are action or crime oriented. Just like now, the late 80s and early 90s saw the rise of biker flicks when they made their mark in the action genre just like they did in the mid to late 70s.
One of those biker films from that time was the 1991 flick Stone Cold. The film is one I have wanted to see for sometime now and was recently released by the fine folks over at Olive Films on blu. I reached out to them for a review copy and they were kind enough to send over a review copy. Thanks!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a suspended cop, Joe Huff (Bosworth), as he is forced to go undercover to infiltrate an outlaw biker gang (1%’er) who are suspected of killing a judge. He is able to do so very easily to the dislike of one of the key members of the group named Ice (Forsythe). He continues to earn merit among them and soon discovers that they plan on killing the soon-to-be governor who plans on eradicating all biker clubs.
Soon his real identity is discovered by the old lady of the leader of the gang. She promises to keep her mouth shut but soon reveals it to the leader (Lance Henrikson) anyway earning her the death sentence. The leader of the pack kills her and then straps a bomb to his chest as part of their plan to kill the governor. He is able to escape and one hell of a showdown ensues.**Spoiler Alert**
Most of you may know this by now, but just in case you don’t, I am a huge fan of 80s action flicks that carried a portion of the way into the 90s. Sadly, these films soon gave way to the actions films of the 90s that were more about who was in the film than the film itself. This just happened to star many of the great stars of the action films from the 80s who have now developed a severe ego. Anyway, Stone Cold was a film I have wanted to see for some time but due to the fact it was made in 1991 turned me off a bit. With that being said, I am glad I took the chance and reviewed the Olive Films release because it is now one of my favorite action films…period. Don’t get me wrong, the film is bad but it is my kind of bad and I fucking loved it.
The acting in this one is on both sides of the fence. Genre favorites Lance Henrikson and William Forsythe are both fucking fantastic and once again show why so many fans of horror love them. With that being said, Bosworth delivered a very mundane performance which is laughable at times. As funny as that sounds, I found that to be the most entertaining part of the film.
The story for this one is not that original with so many other films following this same story. The film does not to set itself apart from the others story wise and relies heavily on the cast’s performance and the action scenes which are full throttle.
Also, the film has several on screen kills but they are what you would expect from an action flick. They have very few detailed kills with most involving gun fire and explosions. They are fun to look but they are not that blood and gory. Horror fans will not find their satisfaction in the carnage but they should not expect it from an action flick.
Finally, the film’s picture quality is great. The movie looks good and and is easily the standard when it comes to their releases. Sadly, this one does not have any special features which is a shame. This film is awesome and some content would have made this one a favorite.
Overall, the Olive Films release ofStone Cold is awesome. The movie is a must own if you are a fan of movies made for men to be enjoyed in the man cave. Though it lacked special features, it is still a great release so grab a copy now!
