Stone Cold (1991 film)

Last updated

Stone Cold
Stone-Cold-poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Craig R. Baxley
Written by Walter Doniger
Produced byYoram Ben Ami
Starring
Cinematography Alexander Gruszynski
Edited by Mark Helfrich
Music by Sylvester Levay
Production
companies
Stone Group Pictures
Vision International
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • May 17, 1991 (1991-05-17)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million [1]
Box office$9.1 million [2]

Stone Cold is a 1991 action film directed by Craig R. Baxley, starring American football star Brian Bosworth in his acting debut. [3] [4] [5] [6] The film's story centers on a biker gang that tries to assassinate the district attorney and free one of their members who is on his trial for the murder. The film performed poorly at the box office, grossing $9 million on its $25 million budget. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

Joe Huff is an Alabama cop who has been suspended for excessive violence. After stopping a supermarket robbery, he is summoned by FBI agent Lance Dockery, who takes him to meet with special agent Frank Cunningham. Cunningham blackmails Joe by threatening to turn Joe's three-week suspension into six months without pay.

Cunningham wants Joe to go undercover in Mississippi and infiltrate "The Brotherhood", a white supremacist biker gang linked to the murders of government officials and suspected of dealing drugs to the mafia. The Brotherhood is led by Chains Cooper.

Joe goes undercover as "John Stone". Tasked with killing a man as his initiation, Joe enlists the FBI's help to fake the murder and is accepted into the Brotherhood. However, Chains's right-hand man, Ice Hensley, does not trust Joe and tries to expose him, leading to Ice's death in a high-speed motorcycle chase.

Joe learns that the Brotherhood's goal is to eliminate Brent "The Whip" Whipperton, a district attorney running for Governor of Mississippi, who has promised to crack down on crime. They plan to use stolen military weapons to storm the Supreme Court at the Mississippi State Capitol, where one of their own is on trial for murder, and assassinate Whipperton and the judges.

When Chains's girlfriend, Nancy, accidentally learns about Joe's identity, he offers her immunity if she cooperates with the FBI. Though reluctant at first, Nancy accepts his offer, but they are discovered when the man Joe had supposedly killed as an initiation returns. Chains shoots and kills Nancy, then straps a bomb to Joe's chest and has him tied up in a helicopter on its way to the Capitol.

Joe escapes and seizes control of the helicopter. Inside the courtroom, Chains retrieves a hidden automatic rifle and uses it to kill a government agent, two security officers, all of the justices and Whipperton.

Joe overpowers Chains and hands him over to the authorities. Chains frees himself and steals a revolver from an officer, aiming for Joe. However, Lance intervenes and shoots Chains twice, sending him tumbling over a railing to his death.

The film closes with Joe exiting the courthouse as SWAT officers storm the building.

Cast

Production

The original cut of the film was given a rating of NC-17 because of the violence. In order to aim for an R rating, edits were made. [7] An uncut version was never released and no information about what was cut is known.

In a 2014 Q&A with an audience after a special 35mm screening of the film in Austin's Alamo Drafthouse, Brian Bosworth talked about how the original director (Bruce Malmuth) of the movie was fired due to some "personal issues that he couldn't control which poured out on set", and his firing caused all the original backstory (with the working title "Heart of Stone") for Bosworth's character to be removed and changed after Craig R. Baxley was hired to direct, which namely involved stunts, explosions and little else. About four weeks of filming were therefore spent on scenes with Bosworth's character and his family (wife, child, and sister), which in the end were completely removed, with $4 million being spent on production expenses due to the footage apparently being unusable. [8] Michael Douglas served as an uncredited producer, which kept Bosworth from leaving the film. Henriksen later stated that he wrote his own dialogue due to the original script had his character speak only in quotes from the Bible. [9]

Filming was done on location along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in and around Mobile, Alabama. The climactic scene was scheduled to be filmed at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson. The location was changed to the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock, although it was still identified as the Mississippi Capitol. The change was made when the State Capitol Commission refused to allow producers to remove several trees on the Capitol grounds for filming. The officials at the Arkansas State Capitol apparently did not know about the stunts that would be done during filming, which involved a motorcycle getting launched into a helicopter.

Reception

The film garnered poor reviews from critics. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] Rotten Tomatoes reports a positive score of 30% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. [15] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on scale of A+ to F. [16] Brian Bosworth's performance in the film earned him a Razzie Award nomination for Worst New Star.

The film was a box office flop, drawing $2.8 million in its first week. [17] It eventually made $9 million domestically. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aryan Brotherhood</span> Neo-Nazi prison gang and organized crime syndicate

The Aryan Brotherhood is a neo-Nazi prison gang and an organized crime syndicate that is based in the United States and has an estimated 15,000–20,000 members both inside and outside prisons. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has characterized it as "the nation's oldest major white supremacist prison gang and a national crime syndicate" while the Anti-Defamation League calls it the "oldest and most notorious racist prison gang in the United States". According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Aryan Brotherhood makes up an extremely low percentage of the entire US prison population, but it is responsible for a disproportionately large number of prison murders.

<i>Mississippi Burning</i> 1988 American crime thriller film by Alan Parker

Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Chris Gerolmo that is loosely based on the 1964 murder investigation of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Mississippi. It stars Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe as two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of three civil rights workers in fictional Jessup County, Mississippi, who are met with hostility by the town's residents, local police, and the Ku Klux Klan.

<i>Basic Instinct</i> 1992 film by Paul Verhoeven

Basic Instinct is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. Starring Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Wayne Knight, the film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Douglas) as he investigates the brutal murder of a wealthy rock star. During the course of the investigation, Curran becomes entangled in a passionate and intense relationship with Catherine Tramell (Stone), an enigmatic writer and the prime suspect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Forsythe (actor)</span> American actor

William Forsythe is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of tough-guy, criminal characters, and has starred in films such as American Me (1992), Raising Arizona (1987), Dick Tracy (1990), Gotti (1996), The Rock (1996), and The Devil's Rejects (2005). He has also played recurring characters in television series such as Boardwalk Empire (2010) and Justified (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Ferlito</span> American actress

Vanessa Ferlito is an American actress. She is known for playing Detective Aiden Burn in the first two seasons of the CBS crime drama CSI: NY, as well as for her recurring portrayal of Claudia Hernandez in FOX drama 24, and for her starring roles as FBI Agent Charlie DeMarco in the USA Network series Graceland and as Tammy Gregorio on the CBS crime drama series NCIS: New Orleans.

<i>Millennium</i> (TV series) American television series

Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, which aired on Fox from October 25, 1996, to May 21, 1999. The series follows the investigations of ex-FBI agent Frank Black, now a consultant, with the ability to see inside the minds of criminals, working for a mysterious organization known as the Millennium Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Bosworth</span> American actor and football player (born 1965)

Brian Keith Bosworth, nicknamed "the Boz", is an American actor and former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. A two-time Dick Butkus Award winner during his college football career at the University of Oklahoma, he also achieved notoriety for his outspoken comments and antics. Bosworth was selected by the Seahawks in the first round of the 1987 NFL supplemental draft, but his professional career was cut short by injury. After retiring as a player, Bosworth pursued an acting career. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tionne Watkins</span> American singer (born 1970)

Tionne Tenese Watkins, also known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer. Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy Awards for her work with TLC.

<i>Chain Reaction</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Andrew Davis

Chain Reaction is a 1996 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz, Fred Ward, Kevin Dunn and Brian Cox. The plot centers on the invention of a new non-contaminating power source based on hydrogen and the attempts by the United States Government to prevent the spreading of this technology to other countries. The film was released in the United States on August 2, 1996.

Diabolical Tales is an American sci-fi/comedy multimedia franchise produced by Cosmic Control Productions. Three short films follow the continuing adventures of the heroic FBI Agent Cooper and his efforts to save the United States from evil men from within the earth. The series presents a fictional alternate history based around conspiracy theories that involves some notable figures from the recent world history, yet has very tongue-in-cheek dry humor based partly around the low-budget limitations the series was obviously produced with.

<i>Torque</i> (film) 2004 film directed by Joseph Kahn

Torque is a 2004 American action film directed by Joseph Kahn, written by Matt Johnson and produced by Neal H. Moritz. The film stars Martin Henderson, Ice Cube, Monet Mazur, Adam Scott, Matt Schulze, Jaime Pressly, and Jay Hernandez. Its plot follows Cary Ford, a biker discovers and stows away motorcycles filled with crystal meth, but a gangster, Henry James, has plans to recover his drugs. He frames Ford for the murder of his rival Trey's brother, who heads the Reapers, a biker gang. Ford goes on the run in an attempt to clear his name, while the FBI and multiple groups of motorcycle-mounted marauders chase after him.

<i>Desperate Hours</i> 1990 film by Michael Cimino

Desperate Hours is a 1990 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Michael Cimino. It is a remake of the 1955 film of the same name and an adaptation the 1954 novel by Joseph Hayes, who also co-wrote the script with Cimino based on a treatment by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Cimino was not credited as writer on the finished product. The film stars Mickey Rourke, Anthony Hopkins, Mimi Rogers, Kelly Lynch, Lindsay Crouse, Elias Koteas and David Morse. It marks Cimino's third collaboration with Rourke, having previously worked with him on the films Heaven's Gate and Year of the Dragon.

<i>Back in Business</i> (1997 film) 1997 American film

Back in Business is a 1997 action thriller film starring Brian Bosworth and Joe Torry. The film revolves around two policemen, Joe Elkhart (Bosworth) and Tony Dunbar (Torry) and their pursuit of drug runners and dirty cops. Bosworth's character is an environmentalist, similar to Steven Seagal's character in "Fire Down Below."

Mississippi Cold Case is a 2007 feature documentary produced by David Ridgen of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation about the Ku Klux Klan murders of two 19-year-old black men, Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, in Southwest Mississippi in May 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement and Freedom Summer. It also explores the 21st-century quest for justice by the brother of Moore. The documentary won numerous awards as a documentary and for its investigative journalism.

<i>The Informant!</i> 2009 film by Steven Soderbergh

The Informant! is a 2009 American biographical black comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh. Written by Scott Z. Burns, the film stars Matt Damon as the titular informant named Mark Whitacre, as well as Scott Bakula, Joel McHale and Melanie Lynskey. It depicts Whitacre's involvement as a whistleblower in the lysine price-fixing conspiracy of the mid-1990s, and his embezzlement of millions of dollars from his employer. The film is based on the 2000 nonfiction book The Informant, by journalist Kurt Eichenwald.

<i>One Tough Bastard</i> 1995 American film

One Tough Bastard, also known as One Man's Justice, is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by Kurt Wimmer in his feature film debut, and starring Brian Bosworth, Bruce Payne and M.C. Hammer. It premiered in the United States on HBO.

<i>The Americans</i> 2013 American period spy drama television series

The Americans is an American period spy drama television series created by Joe Weisberg for FX. It aired for six seasons from 2013 to 2018. Weisberg and Joel Fields also served as showrunners and executive producers. Set during the Cold War, the show follows Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB intelligence officers posing as an American married couple living in Falls Church, a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C.. The couple combine their spying duties with raising their American-born children Paige and Henry.

Mindhunter is an American psychological crime thriller television series created by Joe Penhall, based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The series debuted in 2017 and ran for two seasons. Executive producers included Penhall, Charlize Theron, and David Fincher, the last of whom served as the series' most frequent director and de facto showrunner, overseeing many of the scriptwriting and production processes. The series stars Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv, and follows the founding of the Behavioral Science Unit in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the late 1970s and the beginning of criminal profiling.

<i>The Hot Zone</i> (American TV series) American TV medical drama series (2019, 2021)

The Hot Zone is an American anthology medical drama television series, based on the 1994 non-fiction book of the same name by Richard Preston and airing on National Geographic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broncos–Seahawks rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The Broncos–Seahawks rivalry is an American football rivalry in the National Football League (NFL) between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. The teams were AFC West divisional rivals from 1977 until 2001, after which the Seahawks moved to the NFC West. The Broncos lead the series 35–23. The teams have met twice in the playoffs, most notably the 43–8 Seahawks victory in Super Bowl XLVIII.

References

  1. 1 2 Weinstein, Steve (1991-03-03). "MOVIES : The New Land of Boz : Football wasn't big enough for Brian Bozworth, says sports agent Gary Wichard, but Hollywood is just the ticket". The Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  2. 1 2 "Stone Cold (1991)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ "The Boz Aims For Film Fame". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  4. ↑ Bates, James (1991-06-10). "But Spell the Movie B-O-M-B". The Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  5. ↑ Warren, James (1991-04-04). "Muscling in Brian Bosworth says it's time to retire Hollywood's over-the-hill gang". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  6. ↑ "Hollywood's New Action Toys". New York Magazine. April 1991. Archived from the original on 2022-06-11. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  7. ↑ Melzer, James (2023-06-03). "10 Long-Forgotten Action Movies from the 1990s". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  8. ↑ "Brian Bosworth is Not Stone-Hearted". The Austin Chronicles. 4 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Stone Cold". Bulletproof Action. 22 May 2023.
  10. ↑ "Stone Cold". Entertainment Weekly. 1991-05-31. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  11. ↑ "Stone Cold". Washington Post. 1991-05-21. Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  12. ↑ Holden, Stephen (1991-05-18). "Review/Film; A Football Star's Debut With Drug-Dealing Bikers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  13. ↑ Wilmington, Michael (1991-05-20). "MOVIE REVIEWS It's a Bad, Bad, Bad Movie as Boz Busts Up Bad Boy Bikers". The Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  14. ↑ Florence, Mal (1991-05-28). "He's on Different Stage, Reviews Are the Same". The Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  15. ↑ "Stone Cold (1991) Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  17. ↑ O'Neil, Danny (2010-08-14). "The search for Brian Bosworth". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2011-01-04. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  18. ↑ Meyers, Kate (1996-07-26). "No Boz Like Show Boz". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009-04-27. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.