In the early '90s, Brian Bosworth made the seamless transition from football bad boy to onscreen bad ass. In Stone Cold, the Boz plays cop Joe Huff, a brute force specialist. The FBI contracts him to take down a biker gang known as the Brotherhood, who have been implicated in drug trafficking and several murders. Joe assumes the personality of John Stone and goes undercover. His mission seems not to bust the gang but rather to kill with excessive force. Before he can take the law into his own hands, however, he has to get in with the gang's leader, the impressively tough Chains. The Boz doesn't disappoint, and he gets his chance in the final confrontation where he takes on several score of the Brotherhood in the street battle to end all street battles. ~ Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
lost interest.
On the surface, Stone Cold might seem like a throwaway action film built around a sports personality but it's actually much more. In fact, this is a model b-movie: the storyline offers a barrage of action in a unique setting and simple but effectively-drawn characters that keep the audience involved between the setpieces. Brian Bosworth acquits himself well as the hero, underplaying the role while delivering on the fighting skills and macho attitude the viewer expects. However, it's the supporting cast that really shines:
Lance Henriksen is charming and chilling by turns as the biker gang's smart yet sociopathic leader and
William Forsythe delivers a feral, rip-snorting turn as the temperamental biker who suspects Bosworth is up to something. Finally and most importantly, stunt coordinator-turned-filmmaker Craig Baxley does an excellent job in the director's chair. He gives the story a lean, vigorous pace, makes the visuals as colorful and comic-bookish as possible and handles the frequent action scenes with kinetic flair. The best example of his skills in the latter department is the bombastic finale, which takes place in a highly unusual location and involves everything from fisticuffs to helicopter stunts -- it is one of the best action sequences ever in a b-movie. In short, Stone Cold is a premiere example of the action b-movie and twice as much fun as a lot of higher-budgeted action films. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide