A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Fred Williamson starred as Detective Robert Malone in a series of four Italian crime films. They are all testosterone films that ultimately defy logic and test an audience's patience to endure dumb plots and poorly executed action sequences. Williamson is a good actor but his ability to pick a project is poor. Actually I think his ability to pick up is quite good since he's constantly working.The first in the series is essentially a really poor retread of the Sylvester Stallone film Cobra. In it Malone must protect a photographer from a gang that is murdering and raping at will. Its an odd mixing of American establishing shots with Italian interiors and a cast that has a decided European look to them. You never believe any of it. I'm hard pressed to wonder which of the films is worse, this or the original Cobra. I'm leaning just a bit toward this since the original is funnier for all the wrong reasons. This film is also funny for all the wrong reasons, but Williamson is less serious and it takes the edge off some of the hilarity. I can't really recommend this even to bad movie lovers since its pretty awful

Okay, this is a VERY low budget thriller. It makes Williamson's 1970s B-films look like "Ben Hur," but if you're a fan of the Hammer, you might find some enjoyment in this Italian import. I picked up the entire Black Cobra series at Big Lots for three bucks, and this first installment is bad, but tolerable. Williamson is a tough cop who rubs nearly everyone the wrong way...except for his cat, Pervis. A gang of not-so-tough looking bikers terrorize the city, and a key witness to one of their murders has the good luck of being in Williamson's custody. Of course, anyone can figure out the rest. The movie looks like it was filmed on the cheapest film stock that was ever produced, and the synth soundtrack is right out of the John Carpenter book of film scores. Still, Hammer is the Hammer. Williamson is not the best actor but he manages to breathe life into this pile of cheese.

12-01-2005 I just finished watching "Black Cobra" for the second time. The first time I watched it was four years ago when a friend had taped it off the air on a blank video cassette. I only saw the last half of the movie then...but I really liked it. While it is clearly not in the genre of Eastwood's "Magnum Force" or "Dirty Harry" and probably is not as good as either Willis' "Die Hard" or Gibson's "Lethal Weapon", the film is still pretty good. The writing is not great but the "street action" carries the film well. Marian Cobretti and Martin Riggs could have learned some useful things. Mr. Williamson is good. Like Cobretti and Riggs, our Fred has "style".I happen to like Fred Williamson, the actor. I liked him in "Joshua" and paid fulI price for the video cassette. In my mind, you don't get a lot better than " The Snake scene" in "Joshua" or the final "You're yella" scene with Karl Malden, in "Nevada Smith". Both are great movies. Williamson is good. I'd like to see more of his work...in conjunction with good screen play writing.

Cobra Nero or The Black Cobra is more less like Stallone's Cobra although this film is trying to be like it.It's a B-movie story as Fred Williamson goes after a group of bikers who threatens a community.This film not only lacks characteristic wise, but it has its few dull moments. Fred Williamson's character Malone doesn't look too happy. The viewer knows he's tough but there's not enough life in this character.The music score is well.. not good. The acting's not really up to scratch, but scriptwise? (I'm shaking my head) Not my cup of tea.If anyone remembers seeing this movie, you could see it on a rainy day. I did. ..And I was slightly happy!