Stone Cold Dead

This movie actually had some money behind it. It had name stars and could pay for the music rights to "Fire Down Below" by the Silver Bullet Band. It's too bad they didn't spend more money on scriptwriters, because the plot is truly muddled.

Richard Crenna plays a cop driven to clean up the city's drug and prostitution rackets, facing off against Paul Williams as the least intimidating pimp in the world. The movie is supposed to be about a sniper who is picking off prostitutes, but that character disappears for about 40 minutes of the film, shows up again briefly, and then disappears again until the climax.

The film goes for maximum gritty with ample violence and nudity, but they could have focused it into a more coherent plot.

Within the dark wet streets of any city, there lurks the criminal thoughts of any of it's equally dark inhabitants. Some are good, others bad and still others are downright lethal and often lead to murder. This black 1970's murder, mystery was originally written by Hugh Garner and directed for the screen by George Mendeluk. It's the story of Decective Sgt Boyd (Richard Crenna) who despite his years of police service to the Dept. cannot fathom the endless violence which continues night after night. In this latest crime spree, there seems to be a night-time sniper who is killing ladies of the night or prostitutes for no apparent reason. In addition, there are suspicious characters like a local drug lord named Julius Kurtz (Paul Williams) who also has a stable of Whores and secret ties to the police. Personal involvements to several women in the stable makes the case difficult for Boyd as he is interested in helping them. The movie is slow to develop and the audience is thrown more than it needs when it comes to trying to pinpointing the killer. Still with Williams and Crenna playing off one another the film makes for interesting viewing. Recommended to mystery buffs and fans of both stars. ****

Richard Crenna is once again solid as a rock, playing a dedicated police sergeant named Boyd. Working the mean streets of Toronto, he has a distaste for the way the world has gone to seed. He also has a vendetta against slimy, diminutive pimp Julius Kurtz (an oddly, but amusingly cast Paul Williams), and would love nothing more than to pin SOMETHING on him. When a rooftop sniper begins methodically taking out hookers, it's up to Boyd to solve the case. Giving him assistance are veteran prostitute Monica Page (Linda Sorensen) and sassy undercover detective Sandy MacAuley (Belinda J. Montgomery).

"Stone Cold Dead" is based on the novel "The Sin Sniper" by Hugh Garner, and written for the screen by George Mendeluk, making his filmmaking debut. It's particularly interesting for a Canadian audience, to see the sleazier sights and sounds of late 70s Toronto. In general, it doesn't tell a *great* story, necessarily (some people will likely figure out the identity of the sniper ahead of time), but it *is* entertaining, offering a fair amount of grit. It combines elements of the Italian murder mysteries known as "Gialli", crime dramas, and exploitation cinema, and viewers will delight in the abundant nudity and sordid (ultimately sad) aspect to the tale being told. It's greatly enhanced by a fine score by under rated Canadian composer Paul Zaza. There are even some nice little touches here and there, such as the ice skating sequence, and Boyds' method of feeding his fish at scheduled times by phoning his own number.

Crenna is well matched against Williams, who gets to play his slimy role with a bit of nuance and humour. Sorensen is well cast as the potential love interest for Boyd, and Montgomery is a real ball of fire as the female cop. She even gets to belt out two numbers. There are various other familiar faces present to any veteran viewer of Canadian cinema: Chuck Shamata, Alberta Watson, Monique Mercure, Jennifer Dale, Frank Moore, George Touliatos. Legendary Canadian boxer George Chuvalo has a brief cameo; also look fast for a young Michael Ironside at around the 82 minute mark (he's not seen clearly, but that voice is unmistakable).

Trashy, and pretty violent, "Stone Cold Dead" is very fine entertainment for people eager to check out some Canuxploitation.

Seven out of 10.

Richard Crenna and Paul Williams are excellent, a few supporting actors are also outstanding. The photography is occasionally too gimmicky, but is mostly good to exceptional. The music is great, even when it's not music I love it fits. It establishes a mood, time and place (It's Very, Very Toronto, not NYC or LA...) nicely. There's some lovely editing, lighting and the sound design and recording is vastly above par for the era, and pretty good for today's technology and sensibility.

A lot of it is filmed in real locations, and it's a lovely slice of 70's TO. Sets stick out like a sore thumb, and the occasional covering of a brand with gaffer tape is too obvious also. The snowstorm seems like a mistake as well they had to go with for budget/schedule, and there are a few radio VOs to explain things that are just very oddly/badly done. Some key supporting actors are just awful and similarly stick out, which is all too bad.

But most disappointingly, for much of the film there's no plot to speak of, and the story rambles for no good reason.

The serial killer plot is poorly done, unlikely, and while the ending is somewhat interestingly done, in the final analysis I think unnecessary and too clever by half. I feel instead that this film would have worked much better with Richard Crenna going after a single murder in the same awful place full of crime and the immorality that eats at him, and trying to pin it on Paul Williams much as he does already.

The late 70s and early 80s single-handedly brought forward a unique sub-genre of exploitation cinema, namely that of the misogynic serial-killer on the prowl in the sleazy back alleys and red-light districts of big cities; - preferably in and around 42nd Street in New York. William Lustig's "Maniac" is the obvious example, of course, but there are also more obscure titles like "Delirium", "Bloodrage", "Night of the Juggler", or "The First Deadly Sin". They are also known, among cult fanatics at least, as North American gialli.

"Stone Cold Dead" perfectly fits into the list as well, what with its grisly plot of a sniper, active in sex district of Toronto and exclusively targeting prostitutes. The underrated Richard Crenna plays the fatigued but dedicated Police Sgt trying to stop the killer, and he has plenty of potential culprits to suspect.

The opening sequence, in which a showering call girl is shot death through her bathroom widow is really brute. In fact, all sequences involving the serial killer stalking, photographing, and cold-bloodedly gunning down the victims are very suspenseful. The only problem is this only happens four or five times throughout the movie, and everything else is quite dull and very derivative. Most of the film is just very dark and difficult to follow, and several of the red herring and sub plots are too extended and distracting, like all sequences with the bizarre pimp (played by Paul Williams of "Phantom of the Paradise") and the police corruption.

Finally, but worth mentioning for sure, the most misfit but memorable part of the film is Sgt. Boyd's ingenious method to feed his fish at home. Since he's almost never at home due to his demanding street job, he developed a way to feed his fish by dialing a private phone number that sets in motion a sort of Rube Goldberg machine. It's a pretty cool gimmick, I admit, but since there isn't the least bit of humor in the film otherwise, it feels somewhat improper.