Black Cobra 2, The (1989) Review

“The Black Cobra 2” Theatrical Poster

Director: Edoardo Margheriti
Cast: Fred Williamson, Nicholas Hammond, Emma Hoagland, Najid Jadali, Ned Hourani, Kristine Erlandson, Oscar Daniels, Mike Monty, Leopoldo Salcedo
Running Time: 94 min.

By Paul Bramhall

It’s questionable if anyone was clamouring to see more of Fred ‘The Hammer’ Williamson as tough New York cop Robert ‘Bob’ Malone after 1987’s lacklustre Italian action flick Black Cobra, but for anyone that was, a couple of years later their wish would be granted with The Black Cobra 2. It mightn’t have been cool back then, but with the benefit of 2021 hindsight, we all now know a franchise is extra cool if it gets prefaced with a ‘The’. This time, for reasons which are never explained, Williamson is now a tough Chicago cop, Purvis the cat is nowhere to be found, and the black leather trench coat has been replaced with black leather pants. Well, at least the cigar is still there.

Also gone is director Stelvio Massi, here replaced by Edoardo Margheriti (amusingly billed as Dan Edwards). The Black Cobra 2 was Margheriti’s directorial debut, with his biggest claim to fame being the 2^nd unit director for the parts in 1991’s Hudson Hawk that were filmed in Rome and Budapest. If Margheriti wanted to create his own take on the blaxploitation genre, then he earns instant good will through the fact that the first 5 minutes of The Black Cobra 2 contain more black actors than the entire runtime of the original (non-spoiler – Williamson was the only black actor in Black Cobra, a feat he’d actually recreate almost 30 years later in 2015’s Atomic Eden).

As expected, Williamson quickly gets himself into trouble after a cringeworthy foot chase, in which the visibly winded star struggles to tackle stairs regardless of if he’s going up or down them. Should have cut down on those cigars. Unlike the original there’s no swimming pool full of women being held hostage, instead putting a shot straight through the visor of a motorcycle helmet that would make Dirty Harry proud. It’s the shooting of the criminal that lands Williamson in hot water rather than his physical fitness level, but it just so happens that Interpol are running an international exchange program, so rather than being suspended his superior orders him to head to Manila. Despite Williamson declaring “I’m not going to no Philippines”, if this sequel has any chance of being better than the original (ok, admittedly it’s a low bar), then the Philippines is where it could happen.

Margheriti may not have been an experienced director, but at least he knew he was going to get more bang for his buck in Manila. Once there Williamson finds his wallet fall victim to a pickpocket before he’s even left the airport (although amusingly, the pickpocket at least takes the time to tell him that “It’s a beautiful country and the people are just wonderful.” Obligation to the Philippines Tourism Board complete!). If Black Cobra was a blatant rip-off of the Sylvester Stallone vehicle Cobra, then the sequel gives more of a hat tip to the buddy movie Lethal Weapon (and probably its sequel, which was released the same year, and isn’t outside the realms of possibility to have been an influence considering how quickly these flicks were cranked out). 

Williamson is eventually greeted by his Manila equivalent, played by the star of the 70’s Spider-Man TV series, Nicholas Hammond. Naturally, the pair initially don’t get along, with Hammond immediately confiscating Williamson’s trusty gun, telling him “Let me tell you something Malone, over here it’s not like back home, our agents do not use firearms unless it’s absolutely necessary.” Clearly anyone who’s lived in the Philippines under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte and his War on Drugs would find this to be the funniest line in the whole movie. It’s never exactly clear what Williamson is supposed to do as part of the Interpol exchange program, as out of these seemingly inconsequential events a half-baked attempt at a plot is born.

It turns out that the guy who pickpocketed Williamson is well known to Hammond and Manila Interpol, so much so that they even have his home address, so the pair head on over to pay him a visit. When they find him murdered, a plot is slowly (I mean this quite literally) uncovered involving the Islamic Liberation Front, a microfilm, and the pickpocket’s daughter. It turns out the pickpocket sent a letter to his daughter from the airport, with the code to a locker containing a briefcase the terrorists are after, which puts her in their crosshairs. Played by Emma Hoagland, she reveals to Williamson and Hammond how she always feared the day when she’d find out her father had been killed. His dream was to give her the world, but since he was a useless pickpocket, instead she became a singer in a nightclub. Naturally, only Williamson is up to the task of keeping her safe.

From the get-go, it’s clear that The Black Cobra 2 is going to be a rare case of a sequel which is more entertaining than the original. It may not be saying much, but it’s the small things that count. Williamson is clearly more into his role here, no longer dubbed, and with a lot more to do than he had in Black Cobra. No 80’s Filipino action movie (even one that’s an Italian co-production) is complete without the hero of the piece taking on a group of denim wearing Filipino lackeys, and Margheriti doesn’t disappoint, allowing Williamson the opportunity to bust out some of his legitimate martial arts moves. As legitimate as they may be, a screen fighter he wasn’t, probably being the only person on celluloid who’s capable of making Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson’s screen performances look like Jackie Chan in his prime.

Keeping with the Filipino vibe, the synthesiser soundtrack of the original is here replaced by heavy electric guitar riffs, and the incessant use of a cow bell on loop that may challenge even the most mentally sound of viewers. We do however also get a dreamy lounge number sung by Hoagland in the nightclub she works at, entitled ‘Stay Bobby Stay’ (I kid you not), which is filmed via the camera constantly panning up and down her body in close-up. Awkward, but in any case Williamson naturally enjoys it, all of which leads to an even more awkward hug between the pair. Perhaps realising it was going to be a struggle to fill 90 minutes, some major padding is introduced when we follow Williamson and Hoagland to a Filipino cultural show and practically watch the whole thing with them. Ever wanted to see Williamson do a traditional Filipino stick dance? Look no further.

Events eventually culminate in the terrorists (what appears to be all 4 of them) taking the school hostage that Hammond’s son attends (who deserves a special mention because he’s dubbed by a grown woman). Such details as the fact that the building doesn’t look even slightly like a school, and that we never see a single school kid, are deemed unimportant. The pair come up with a cunning plan to access the upper floors were the action is happening by using rope to ascend the elevator shaft. Cue an inordinately long sequence of watching alternate shots of Williamson and Hammond from the waist up apparently hauling themselves up the shaft. It at least gives way to some cool action, including a crotch shot that makes glorious use of a blood squib, and Williamson opting for the classic smash through a window from the outside and shoot everyone to hell trope.

The Black Cobra 2 is far from being required viewing, but for those fans of 80’s and 90’s Philippines shot action cheapies it contains a certain kind of charm, and everyone involved seems more invested than what’s on display in the original. In the final scene at the airport Hammond’s creepy son asks Williamson “You are coming back now aren’t you?”‘ Much like the original, it’s not a question most would ever have given any further thought to, but indeed he did come back a year later for Black Cobra 3: The Manila Connection. If anything, the sequel is at least good enough to make me want to track it down.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 5.5/10