Made for two reasons one feels, the first was an attempt to elevate then Gridiron star Brian "Boz" Bosworth into a movie star, the second was to hopefully take a bite of the action cake whipped up by Arnie, Sly and Bruce et al. The first thing didn't happen, Bosworth has languished in low grade schlock ever since, but in spite of its low rating on internet forums, Stone Cold is a gloriously over the top action movie that wouldn't have looked out of place on either of Arnold and Sly's resume's.
It's pretty standard in plotting, Bosworth is a no nonsense cop on suspension who gets thrown a bone by way of an undercover operation. His task is to infiltrate a gang of Hells Angels type bikers who are basically killing big suits and running amok. The gang is led by Chains Cooper (Lance Henriksen) and his second in command is Ice (William Forsythe). Proving his metal as a tough biker dude, Bosworth gains their trust but plots to bring them down with help from one of the "lady" bikers who clearly doesn't belong in such company. Cue carnage, fights, stunts, wonderful bikes, cheese laden dialogue, nudity, ridiculous mullets (Bosworth winning the award for worst mullet of the 90s) and a finale so over the top it's as thrilling as it is daft.
Acting wise? Bosworth is wholly unconvincing but it scarcely matters in a production such as this, and surprisingly he's not the worst actor on show. No I'm not talking about Henriksen and Forsythe, both of whom are perfectly cast and playing it with a glints in eyes, but the supporting cast leave the most to be desired, with Richard Gant particularly struggling to pitch the tone right. But does it matter in the grand scheme of things? If you are rolling up to watch Stone Cold then you really should have some idea of what sort of film it is. Artistically it's on a straight to video level, but as an action film pulsing with 80s type muscle? It delivers entertainment once the brain is put on snooze for 90 odd minutes. 7/10
It's pretty standard in plotting, Bosworth is a no nonsense cop on suspension who gets thrown a bone by way of an undercover operation. His task is to infiltrate a gang of Hells Angels type bikers who are basically killing big suits and running amok. The gang is led by Chains Cooper (Lance Henriksen) and his second in command is Ice (William Forsythe). Proving his metal as a tough biker dude, Bosworth gains their trust but plots to bring them down with help from one of the "lady" bikers who clearly doesn't belong in such company. Cue carnage, fights, stunts, wonderful bikes, cheese laden dialogue, nudity, ridiculous mullets (Bosworth winning the award for worst mullet of the 90s) and a finale so over the top it's as thrilling as it is daft.
Acting wise? Bosworth is wholly unconvincing but it scarcely matters in a production such as this, and surprisingly he's not the worst actor on show. No I'm not talking about Henriksen and Forsythe, both of whom are perfectly cast and playing it with a glints in eyes, but the supporting cast leave the most to be desired, with Richard Gant particularly struggling to pitch the tone right. But does it matter in the grand scheme of things? If you are rolling up to watch Stone Cold then you really should have some idea of what sort of film it is. Artistically it's on a straight to video level, but as an action film pulsing with 80s type muscle? It delivers entertainment once the brain is put on snooze for 90 odd minutes. 7/10