For the longest time, I refused to watch this movie purely because I thought that was Vanilla Ice on the poster. I mean, just look at it and tell me that you’re not thinking the same thing. Even the title of the movie suggests that. However, upon further inspection, I discovered that I was wrong. The guy on the poster is actually Brian Boz Bosworth, a former NFL Seattle Seahawks linebacker. And one hunk of a man in his first acting role after an injury forced him off the field. He appears to be a better actor than a linebacker. Stone Cold is an old-school cheesy action movie about a tough cop trying to infiltrate a biker gang.
It is deliciously entertaining and very much so tongue-in-cheek. Offering cool action scenes, and a familiar cast and story, it’s an experience requiring zero brain effort. It is also Boz’s best movie to date. Just one year later we got Beyond the Law starring Charlie Sheen and featuring pretty much the same story. However, that movie took itself way too seriously unlike this one. Stone Cold knew exactly what it was doing and it executed it flawlessly. You’ll know what’s up as soon as you see that classic 80s/90s opening scene. You know the one I’m talking about, where a bunch of criminals are robbing a store and our hero casually fucks them up.
He usually leaves by dropping a cool one-liner like Keep the change or Clean up on aisle 4. Right after that little gem, we’re off to meet our biker gang led by none other than Lance Henriksen. These scenes feel quite authentic and entertaining. And they also remind me of another cool nineties biker movie Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man. William Forsythe actually looked like a real biker and we’ve also got Sam McMurray whom I’m sure you’re going to recognize from countless other movies. Smoking hot Arabella Holzbog was excellent as Boz’s love interest and the big man himself was just as good.
Boz is actually a biker, among other things, and he personally built the bike you see him riding in this movie. Additionally, he sports one of the best mullets of the nineties, tastefully bleached to perfection. You can also count on his bold fashion choices. From an extravagant leather coat over a sleek white t-shirt to revealing vests, Boz is triumphantly chewing up every scene he’s in. Moreover, he did most of his stunts and you can clearly see this in most of the scenes. Stone Cold was filmed in 1991 all over the United States. To be more precise: California, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi. Most of the footage was taken in and around Mobile, Alabama.
The over-the-top and almost surreal finale of the movie was filmed at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock. Apparently, the people in charge didn’t know just how many stunts, vehicles, and explosions there would be. The helicopter scenes were simply stunning showing an amazing level of control stunt pilots had over their choppers, pun intended. Just like in Blue Thunder, almost ten years earlier. All of this makes Stone Cold one hell of a guilty pleasure. The director is Craig R. Baxley, the guy behind one of the most entertaining movies so bad they’re good, Dark Angel. He actually replaced Bruce Malmuth and changed the entire tone of the movie.
The introductory section featuring Boz’s family was cut as Baxley was focusing solely on the action. This was the right decision as the movie got that much-needed jolt of energy. The end result is the trashy and cheesy masterpiece we have before us. Oddly enough, this isn’t a Cannon Group (Enter the Ninja, Missing in Action, Lifeforce) movie. Although it certainly feels like it. So, if you’re looking for similar movies, I suggest you check out their catalog.
Director: Craig R. Baxley
Writers: Walter Doniger
Cast: Brian Bosworth, Lance Henriksen, William Forsythe, Arabella Holzbog, Sam McMurray
Fun Facts: Apparently, none other than the actor Michael Douglas was the executive producer of the movie. Perhaps because he shot Black Rain just two years earlier, a movie featuring a similar plot but with Yakuza as the bad guys. He didn’t want any credit and he received none.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102984/
