Stone Cold Dead (1979)

Sergeant Boyd's police search to find a sniper who has been shooting hookers.

Director:

George Mendeluk

Writers:

Hugh Garner (novel), George Mendeluk

Stars:

Richard Crenna, Paul Williams, Linda Sorensen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Crenna	...	Sgt. Boyd
Paul Williams	...	Julius Kurtz
Linda Sorensen	...	Monica Page
Belinda Montgomery	...	Sandy MacAuley (as Belinda J. Montgomery)
Chuck Shamata	...	Sgt. Tony Colabre (as Charles Shamata)
Alberta Watson	...	Olivia Page
Andrée Cousineau	...	Bernice Carnival
Monique Mercure	...	Dr. Bouvier
George Chuvalo	...	Frank
Jennifer Dale	...	Claudia Grissom
Frank Moore	...	Teddy Mann
George Touliatos	...	Insp. Webb
Dennis Strong	...	Danny De Lion
Miles Potter
Marie Clark

Storyline

Sergeant Boyd's police search to find a sniper who has been shooting hookers.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a nude woman | murder of a policewoman | female nudity | policewoman | murder | 

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Taglines:

A lady of the night can sell anything...even her life.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les clichés de la haine

Filming Locations:

Times Square, 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ko-Zak Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Bellevue Pathe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in November and December of 1978.

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Goofs

Obvious red ring around Paul Williams' left ring finger left by the actor's wedding band. His character is single.

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Quotes

Julius Kurtz: Oh, hello, officers. I see the Mayor's annual clean up campaign is in full swing. I must commend him in the morning.
Sgt. Boyd: [the other officer starts to frisk him] Alright, take it easy, take it easy.
Julius Kurtz: [the officer finds a gun] Voila! Magique - ze gun permit. Signed by the Mayor.
Sgt. Boyd: Pimp!
Julius Kurtz: No, no, not really, more of a traffic cop. I mean I direct people to things that they're looking for. For this, they love me. Mason, here, he prays for me. Would you like Mason to pray for you? He'd do that you know - if I...

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Connections

Referenced in Deadly Eyes: An Interview with Lesleh Donaldson (2014)

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Soundtracks

The Fire Down Below
performed and composed by Bob Seger
courtesy of Capitol Records

User Reviews

Moody but muddled thriller

It's a rare thing for a Canadian film to be released on the Blu-ray format, and it's even rarer when it's an older movie such as this one. If you do see this movie on the Blu-ray format (as I did), you will see that unlike a lot of other Canadian movies of its era, it's pretty well made on what wasn't a lavish budget. There is some genuine atmosphere here, coming from well chosen creepy locations, skillful lighting, and clever camera angles. The acting is also pretty good, not just with Crenna and Williams, but also by the unknowns in the cast. As a bonus, there is also some good music on display.

Unfortunately, despite these good ingredients, the movie stumbles enough in a key area that as a result it doesn't work. And that is with the script. The narrative of the movie is frequently at a muddle. The story seems to be starting at chapter two or three instead of right at the beginning. There is also frequently juggling between many characters and various plot threads, so sometimes there is a long time before one particular plot thread is returned to. Another problem with the story is that it's pretty easy to figure out who the "Sin Sniper" is long before the "surprise" reveal.

While this isn't a terrible movie, it's too muddled to be as effective as it wants to be. I would only recommend the movie to (very) forgiving people who are fans of grindhouse B movies from this era.