Editing Cobra (1986 film) (section)

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 17% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 3.40/10. The website's consensus reads, "A disengaged Sylvester Stallone plays the titular ''Cobra'' with no bite in this leaden action thriller, queasily fixated on wanton carnage and nothing else."<ref name="tomatoes">{{cite web |url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1004407-cobra/ |title=Cobra |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] | work =[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=September 11, 2024}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 25 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/cobra |title=Cobra (1986) reviews |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date= April 4, 2019}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A to F.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title=COBRA (1986) B |work= [[CinemaScore]] |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= December 20, 2018}}</ref>

''[[TV Guide]]'' stated that "Stallone's character is an empty hulk...the few attempts to provide us with little insights into his character are downright laughable."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://movies.tvguide.com/cobra/review/111069 |title=Cobra: Review |publisher=[[TV Guide]] |access-date=December 15, 2010 |archive-date=April 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402234503/http://movies.tvguide.com/cobra/review/111069 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nina Darnton of ''[[The New York Times]]'' opined that the film "pretends to be against the wanton violence of a disintegrating society, but it's really the apotheosis of that violence....[it] shows such contempt for the most basic American values",<ref>{{cite news |date=May 24, 1986 |last=Darnton |first=Nina |title=Film: Sylvester Stallone as Policeman, in 'Cobra' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/24/movies/film-sylvester-stallone-as-policeman-in-cobra.html |newspaper =[[The New York Times]] |access-date=January 18, 2021}}</ref> and Vincent Canby called it "disturbing for the violence it portrays, the ideas it represents and the large number of people who will undoubtedly go to see it and cheer on its dangerous hero."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Canby |first1=Vincent |title=FILM VIEW; INSIDE 'COBRA' MAY DWELL A PUSSYCAT |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/01/movies/film-view-inside-cobra-may-dwell-a-pussycat.html |website=The New York Times |date=June 1, 1986}}</ref> Sheila Benson of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' panned the film, saying "''Cobra''<nowiki/>'s pretentious emptiness, its dumbness, its two-faced morality make it a movie that begs to be laughed off."<ref>{{cite web |date=May 24, 1986 |author=Sheila Benson |title=MOVIE REVIEW : THE 'COBRA' THAT SAVED L.A. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-05-24-ca-7438-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "a sleek, extremely violent and exciting police thriller" and compared Cobra favorably to [[Rocky Balboa|Rocky]] and [[John Rambo|Rambo]].<ref>{{cite web |date=January 1, 1986 |author=Variety Staff |title=Cobra |url=https://variety.com/1985/film/reviews/cobra-1200426955/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref>

[[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' compared Cobra to [[Harry Callahan (character)|Dirty Harry]] when giving the film 2 and 1/2 stars and summarizing it as "Filthy Harry". He wrote: "Whereas Clint Eastwood simply would have squinted at Robinson, Stallone takes a more violent approach. Maybe that's the difference between actors--Eastwood can be droll; Stallone more often crosses the border to primeval."<ref name="Siskel">{{cite web |date=1986 |author=Gene Siskel |author-link=Gene Siskel |title=STALLONE'S VIOLENCE LESS THAN CHARMING IN 'COBRA' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-05-23-8602070085-story.html |website=ChicagoTribune.com}}</ref> Siskel and [[Roger Ebert]] did not give the film a feature review on their TV show, but both gave it negative attention during a late-1986 segment on new video releases, in which Siskel noted that the film had a great opening sequence (the supermarket hostage scene) and couldn't maintain the momentum. Ebert lamented that Stallone was squandering his talent and vast potential.

In the 1996 movie guide ''"Seen That, Now What?"'', the film was given the rating of "C−", stating that the film is "a graceless vigilante thriller that's strictly for hardcore action junkies."<ref>{{cite book |last=Shaw |first=Andrea |author-link= |date= 1996|title=Seen That, Now What?: The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Video You Really Want to Watch|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vgVStU_SWRcC|publisher= Simon and Schuster|page= 43|isbn=9780684800110}}</ref>

Then-[[U.S. President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] viewed this film at [[Camp David]] on June 6, 1986.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sreference/films-viewed-by-president-and-mrs-reagan |title = Films Viewed by President and Mrs. Reagan {{!}} Ronald Reagan}}</ref>