Il giorno del Cobra

My review was written in February 1985 after watching the film on Media Home Entertainment video cassette.

"The Day of the Cobra" is a pleasant surprise: an effective Italian action film, shot in 1980 and imported as a video cassette, bypassing U. S. theatrical release.

Picture harks back to a very fine decade-earlier opus, "Detective Belli", with star Franco Nero comfortably essaying another Bogart-styled police detective on a big narcotics case. Both features include solid acting and action sequence plus serviceable storylines.

Working as a private eye in San Francisco, Larry Stanciani (Nero) is summoned by Goldsmith (Wiliam Berger) of the narcotics bureau to go on a mission to his hometown of Genoa in search of drug kingpin Kandinsky. Unofficial assignment holds the promise of getting Stanciani his police job back -he lost it and was sent to jail years back in a frameup engineered by Kandinsky.

Amidst a series of doublecrosses, solid fight scenes and chases, Stanciani has a run-in with glamorous disco deejay Brenda (Sybil Danning) and disco owner Lola, who turns out to be a transvestite in an effective plot twist, the clue for which is that Lola is the tallest thesp in the cast.

Nero is very good in this role, his hard boiled personality balanced by sentimental scenes with his cute young son. Both Nero and Danning so their own English dialog in a generally well-dubbed (articulation is in English) soundtrack. Pic is a welcome change of pace from director Enzo G. Castellari, who has been making numerous imitative fantasy and science fiction films lately.

Being a Poliziotteschi-buff and a great fan both of director Enzo G. Castellari and leading man Franco Nero, I still only had mediocre expectations for "Il Giorno Del Cobra" aka. "Cobra Day" of 1980. And while "Cobra Day" is certainly no masterpiece of Italian Crime cinema I have to say that my expectations were slightly surpassed, as this is a very entertaining film. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the pleasure to see the two foregoing Poliziotteschi from the director/leading man team Castellari/Nero, "High Crime" (aka. "La Polizia incrimine la legge assolve") of 1973, and the supposedly excellent "Street Law" ("Il Cittadino Si Ribella"/"The Citizen Rebels") of 1974, but I sure intend to. When "Cobra Day" was made in 1980, the heyday of the Italian Poliziottesco was already over, and the film does indeed not bring up anything new. Yet Franco Nero makes up for the lack of originality, and everything is delivered with style, even if some of the 'twists' are more than a bit predictable. Nero plays Larry Stanziani, an Italian private eye in San Francisco, who is sent back to his hometown Genoa by his former employer - the head of the narcotics department. Stanziani, who is nicknamed the 'Cobra', is to detect a homosexual drug dealer and murderer named Kandinski. Not only is Kandinski a ruthless criminal, however, he is also responsible for what earned Stanziani a three-year stay in prison, which makes the whole thing personal... As said before, "Cobra Day" delivers little that is new, but the good old formula is delivered stylishly. Nero fits greatly in his role of the slightly scruffy but tough and super-cool private eye. Sexy Sybil Danning makes a great female lead, and the cast furthermore includes the great late William Berger as the head of the narcotics department. The action sequences and photography are well-done and the film has a very cool and catchy theme song that proclaims: "I don't give a damn I am the Cobra". The teaming of Nero and Castellari sure has brought better films than this one (the awesome Spaghetti Western "Keoma" is just one of them), but this is not to say that "Cobra Day" is not an entertaining film itself. In case the expectations are not too high, this is a worthwhile and entertaining film, which I recommend to my fellow fans of Italian Crime flicks.

This Eurocrime is simply amazing. Not because its violence as it nearly tops a Terrence Hill & Bud Spencer-movie, but because of the bad acting of Franco Nero which is so hard to believe that this is one of the funniest movies you can imagine. The story is your usual Eurocrime-stuff, but it kind of works and it was great to see Sybil Danning as well.

The Poliziottesco AKA Eurocrime was in last breath period, even so the Italian producers team up Franco Nero and the iconic director Enzo G. Castellari in this weirdo offering entitled Il Giorno del Cobra, unfortunately the screenwriters draw up a far-fetched plot on sugary American oriented when the hero meets his young son at Genoa in Italy playing baseball together in a lovely homecoming with the right to a kiss on the mouth, well the audience has to stand such foolish moment.

The plot broke the boundaries of sanity when a former cop Cobra (Nero) was in jail framed by his superior has to survives as cheap detective in San Francisco, out of the blue the poker face Chief is back offering to Cobra his old position at Police department if Cobra accepts a hard assignment in Italy to struggle with a strong organization of drug dealers and smuggling trying get a double key of safe-box whereby holds the money of the criminals, thus Cobra has to fight with skilled woman-men or whatever they calling it at early eighties, to relief such suffering entering the gorgeous Sybill Danning daintily in sexy outfits on the story, aftermaths it became better.

Certainly Franco Nero wouldn't proud for this weak flick, let's say bearable just for Nero, Danning and Castellari memory at all, the music score is another low point, the outcome is rather beyond of unsatisfying upon any point of view whatsoever.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1997 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.

The glory years of the Italian Poliziottesco (cop/crime thriller) were actually already over in 1980, but we gladly make an exception in case director Enzo G. Castellari and actor Franco Nero team up for another cult effort together. The luscious as always Sybil Danning addresses to Franco's character as Humphrey Bogart at one point, and a more accurate description I couldn't possibly give! At the start of the film, Larry Staziani is a sleazy San Franciscan private eye occupied with stalking unfaithful housewives and locating rich women's lost dogs, but he's called back to his home country of Italy to help arrest a homosexual super-criminal by the name of Kadrinksy (or something). It quickly becomes obvious that Larry also has a personal score to settle with this obscure individual, as his corruptness caused Larry's career downfall and even an imprisonment. Oh well, at least by traveling voluntarily to Italy to settle the vendetta, Larry re-earns his trademark nickname of "The Cobra". This primarily is a film to please Franco's many avid fans, and undeniably he's cooler than cool as the Cobra. He continuously bounces a little toy ball against the heads of his opponents, deliberately ruins millions worth of cocaine right in front of the dealers' eyes, sticks him gum on people's foreheads, slaps women in the face and yet still they throw themselves at his feet not even a mere two minutes later! Nero's vivid performance makes you forget that the plot is actually just mediocre and nothing you haven't seen a dozen times before. There are some occasional flashes of sheer eccentric brilliance, like the Cobra's Kung-Fu battle with a transvestite for example! The dialogs are fluently written and Nero receives excellent support from Danning, veteran actor William Berger and Ennio Girolami (the director's brother) as a sinister killer. There's a fair amount of action, though sadly nothing really sadistic, and the film comes the obligatory catchy theme song entitled "Don't Give a Damn, I am the Cobra". Hell yeah you are, Franco!