Cobra (1986)
Cobra is a 1986 American action film directed by George P. Cosmatos and written by Sylvester Stallone, who stars in the titular role. The film, loosely based on the 1974 novel A Running Duck by Paula Gosling (later published as Fair Game and filmed under that title in 1995), co-stars Reni Santoni, Brigitte Nielsen and Andrew Robinson. Cobra follows Los Angeles police Lt. Marion “Cobra” Cobretti, who investigates a string of crimes and also protects a witness targeted by the perpetrators. Cobra is the final film which featured the collaboration between Stallone and Nielsen after Rocky IV (1985) and until Creed II (2018), and the only film the pair are both featured in while married to one another in real life, before their divorce a year later.
Plot:
When a mass shooting at a Los Angeles supermarket evolves into a hostage crisis, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) summons Lieutenant Marion Cobretti of their elite Zombie Squad, to resolve the incident. Cobretti, nicknamed Cobra, confronts the shooter, who espouses social Darwinist ideals and mentions a New World. Cobretti kills him before he can execute a group of hostages. Detective Monte reprimands Cobretti for disregarding police procedure and Cobretti admonishes a group of reporters for not prioritizing the safety of potential victims.
Unbeknownst to the authorities, the supermarket incident is part of a string of violent crimes committed by The New World, a social Darwinist cult that despises modern society and believes in killing the weak, leaving only the strongest and smartest to rule. Ingrid Knudsen, a local model and businesswoman, becomes the New World’s priority target after she witnesses the group and their leader Night Slasher on a killing spree. Knudsen is placed under the protective custody of Cobretti and his partner Sergeant Tony Gonzales following an attempt on her life.
