The definition of a “Hidden Gem”, 1991’s Stone Cold explodes its way onto 4K from Kino Lorber!
There are some action movies that get their flowers, their deserved accolades, their place in culture. There are some that maybe came out a bit too early or a bit too late, and fall somewhere between obscure and cult. Then there are some that, even though they include killer bikers, motorcycle chases, an entire court slain by MP5, a fist fight in the back of an actively flying helicopter, constant fire ball explosions and gallons of squib blood, an all star character actor cast, and the world’s greatest mullet, are relegated to the dust bin of action history, viewed more as a “joke”, instead of the masterpiece that they are.
That film, 1991’s Stone Cold, makes its way to 4K, and into your hearts.
Stone Cold really is an absolute blast. Right from the top, you know exactly the type of action film you’ve signed on for; big, violent, and earnest (it opens on a totally serious “clean-up on aisle 3” guitar riff bit. How could you not love that?!). The action never really lets up, as we follow former professional football player Brain Bosworth (The Boz; as I will be referring to him here on out) as he infiltrates an Aryan Nation biker gang. The film goes from set piece to set piece, be it The Boz getting into a pool hall fight, or squaring up one on one with a mountain sized biker, or speeding his way through Little Rock, Arkansas on a suped-up motorcycle. He is constantly in motion, his genuinely elegant Mullet blowing in the breeze behind him.
All of this really doesn’t work, though, without its top tier villains, made up of two of the finest character actor. Right at the top you’ve got Lance Henricksen, right at the peak of wild eyed DTV years. He spends the entire runtime with a shit eating grin plastered across his face, spouting insane nonsense that he apparently wrote himself (favorite line for me is: “you know, it’s at moments like this that I think of my father’s last words: ‘Don’t son, that gun is loaded!’”). Along for the ride William Forsythe, who is at his grungiest looking here, who spends his entire runtime just mean mugging The Boz. Additional kudos to Gregory Scott Cummins, aka Mac’s Dad from Always Sunny In Philadelphia, who pops up in a LOT of these straight-to-video action programmers from the era.
The real selling point, though, is that 3rd act, when this thing goes 100% off the rails. Without spoiling anything, the showdown that had been foreshadowed since the beginning, between the bikers and the federal government, specifically the judiciary, shifts into a level of violence and mayhem that these films rarely go, becoming all out war on the streets of Little Rock (standing in for Mississippi). It is a finale that is filled to the rim with squibs, gunfire, and explosions, culminating in The Boz wandering through the halls of the high court, blasting fools off of motorcycles with a streetsweeper shotgun. Pure insane action bliss, the only kind director Craig R. Baxley (Action Jackson, Dark Angel) could provide.
Specs:
The Boz’s Komodo Dragon has never looked better, with a new HDR/Dolby Vision Master, from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. Seeing films that so quickly got relegated to the dust bin when the video store era ended getting such beautiful restorations is one of the best parts of being a cinephile in the modern era.
For special features, this is one incredibly loaded release. There are 2 audio commentaries, one with director Craig R. Baxley, and one with action film historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. There are 5 interview featurette’s, with pretty much the entire main cast (The Boz, Henricksen, Forsythe, Holzbog, and McMurray). There is also a whole collection of different trailers, TV spots and VHS release ads.
I really can’t overstate how much this movie kicks ass. There is never a dull moment, from the opening grocery store stick up, to the biker gladiator games, to the full government building siege. This is just white knuckle action, all tightly packed into 90 minutes. If you consider yourself an action fan or a fan of breathtaking mullets, run, don’t walk, to see Stone Cold.
