I have felt a little bit of burnout when it comes to watching things lately. I am not quite sure what I feel like watching most of the time, and the idea of watching things when the days are bright and the temperature is warm seems almost like a waste. It is hard to escape this feeling sometimes, and usually it means I have to mix things up a bit and finding something that suits the general mood I have in the moment rather than forcing myself into the usual slow arthouse film that's over two hours in length.
It is times like these where I go back into the past and find a film that is just, well, stupid. Something that is far from serious but still entertaining. Something that does not require much, if any, thought to process at all. Usually, this is the action genre, but truthfully I despise the action genre -- more so if it is a more modern film of the action genre. The older ones are much different, and the personality in them, while not actually being good films, gives them some aspects of uniqueness among a sea of similar flicks.
Stone Cold is something I came across on the Internet a few weeks back but completely forgot about until today. It is an action film I feel I have seen before, but did not really remember all that much. I chose to check it out, knowing precisely of what I should expect going forward. Though, I have to admit I did enjoy it. As mentioned above, there is a lot of personality to this film despite its many weaknesses; and those weaknesses are something the film is fully aware of, but it just does not care.
Stone Cold
It would come as no surprise that Stone Cold is a film in which very little emotion is displayed. A film where there is very little to care for in its characters and narrative. Where all that matters are subcultures, strange hairstyles, and guitar riffs. Slapped between each of those is a love for explosions and guns. The story is simply a bridge to connect each of these elements and ultimately none of it really matters.
Our protagonist, a lone wolf Alabama police officer is placed on suspension given his rich violent history when dealing with criminals. His tough-guy approach makes Stone a man of his own rules with very little regard for much else. Rocking a crazy hairstyle and being pure muscle, he dresses like a villian more than a protagonist. And that adds to his character as nothing more than a man of muscle and not a care in the world.
Stone, with his history and suspension, is called back into business in order to deal with a rampant biker gang that has gone off the rails and needs to be stopped. This biker gang is becoming a massive crime syndicate and removing anyone that steps in their way; as you can expect, this subculture biker gang parties hard, loves leather, and are always met with rock music.
And, well, that is all there really is to the story. There is some minor events here and there to add to it, but these moments and characters are more filler just to give the whole story a little more weight to justify the moments of intense action and to maintain the early 90's audience. Funnily, it all comes together quite well. The film is far from amazing, but the way it is put together is particularly impressive in parts.
It is strange to see for a film that is mostly unheard of, but it contains a lot of creative filmmaking techniques that certainly managed to catch my attention throughout its runtime. It was through these techniques that I found some appreciation for Stone Cold. For a film that had a decent budget, but ultimately was just another action flick that came and went going into the era of action films.
Though, it worth noting that Stone Cold's performances are also pretty good. For a film of its age and the budget it had, where much of it went into funding explosives!
Stone Cold's Impressive Cinematography
As you may have noticed in this review, not a single image I have used actually shows the characters of the film. Each screenshot is itself a photograph. Utilising many elements of creative photography. Whether it is the rule of thirds, or through the use of symmetry when framing the shots. Though, it goes beyond simple photography techniques in parts. Stone Cold utilises the camera's ability to push and pull focus in really creative ways throughout the film. In fact, I recall a moment where the camera shows an up-close perspective of a character's face as they wear sunglasses. The camera pulls focus and reveals the reflection in the sunglasses that then we, the audience, are given context to.
These little pieces of attention to detail were great. Even in the film's final moments we get a great steadycam shot of Stone as he walks out of a building. The depth of the shot is utilised, showing the expressions of all those around him. Those in sheer shock and tears, however Stone's expression, no pun intended, remains nothing more than cold.
It is through the use of cinematography that we get placed deeper into the narrative that is otherwise not all that interesting in Stone Cold. Where the film's biggest strength is actually its heavy focus on subcultures that have otherwise came and gone in more recent times. It adds to the personality of the film for sure, but those techniques to immerse us with attention to directing is what amplifies the film and pushes it forward into something that isn't just a film you can pay zero attention to, but actually come to appreciate by the time the credits begin to roll.
It surprised me, that is for sure. I had nothing to expect, and was ultimately given a fun experience from an era that is no longer. It actually led to me having the question: just what happened to subcultures? Without subcultures, this film certainly would not have had such an appeal. Part of what makes it so great is the styles of the characters and how they're presented to us. Over-the-top hairstyles and beards, nationalism, biker bars, and rock riffs wherever possible. You certainly won't find such a combination these days.
