Stone Cold Dead
{{Infobox film
| name = Stone Cold Dead
| image = File:Stone Cold Dead (1979) Film Poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = George Mendeluk
| producer = {{plainlist|
- George Mendeluk
- John Ryan
}}
| writer = George Mendeluk
| based_on = {{based on|The Sin Sniper|Hugh Garner}}
| starring = {{plainlist|
}}
| music = Paul Zaza
Guidonna Lee
Alexis Radlin
| cinematography = Dennis Miller
| editing = Martin Pepler
| studio =
| distributor = Dimension Pictures
| released = {{film date|1979}}
| runtime = 97 minutes
| country = Canada
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Stone Cold Dead is a 1979 Canadian film directed by George Mendeluk and starring Richard Crenna and Paul Williams.{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b772af62d|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505221421/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b772af62d|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 5, 2016|title=Stone Cold Dead (1979)|work=British Film Institute|accessdate=2016-04-07}}
Premise
A Toronto detective (Richard Crenna) searches for a serial killer who shoots prostitutes. The detective is also determined to arrest the pushy pimps, and a few undercover cops get killed as they try to infiltrate the hooker trade.
Cast
{{castlist|
- Richard Crenna as Sergeant Boyd
- Paul Williams as Julius Kurtz
- Linda Sorenson as Monica Page
- Belinda Montgomery as Sandy MacAuley (credited as Belinda J. Montgomery)
- Chuck Shamata as Sergeant Tony Colabre (credited as Charles Shamata)
- Alberta Watson as Olivia Page
- Monique Mercure as Dr. Bouvier
- George Chuvalo as Frank
- Andrée Cousineau as Bernice Carnival
- Jennifer Dale as Claudia Grissom
- Frank Moore as Teddy Mann
- George Touliatos as Inspector Webb
- Dennis Strong as Danny De Lion
- Michael Ironside as Murdered Police Detective
- Lesleh Donaldson as Girl In Police Station
- Lynette Louise as Prostitute (uncredited)
- Linnea Quigley as First Victim (uncredited)
}}
Production
Crenna said he was drawn to the film partly because his character survives the events of the plot, something that few of his characters had done recently.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19781214&id=yH0xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5aEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4066,618598&hl=en|title=Crenna in Toronto Gets to 'Live a Little'|author=|work=The Montreal Gazette|agency=The Canadian Press|date=1978-12-14|page=52|access-date=2016-04-08|archive-date=2024-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520003838/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19781214&id=yH0xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5aEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4066,618598&hl=en|url-status=live}} Mendeluk used both actresses and real-life Toronto prostitutes during filming. Shooting took place during November and December 1978 in Toronto,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19790102&id=Ujg0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=X_UIAAAAIBAJ&pg=975,363193&hl=en|title='Unique' Thriller Set in Toronto|author=|work=Ottawa Citizen|agency=The Canadian Press|date=1979-01-02|page=59|access-date=2016-04-08|archive-date=2024-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520003841/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19790102&id=Ujg0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=X_UIAAAAIBAJ&pg=975,363193&hl=en|url-status=live}} and production ended in February 1979.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19790212&id=-IYqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c1kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7247,3492693&hl=en|title=Heart Portrayal Draining for Actress|last=Beck|first=Marilyn|authorlink=Marilyn Beck|work=The Victoria Advocate|agency=Associated Press|date=1979-02-12|page=10C|access-date=2016-04-08|archive-date=2024-05-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520004341/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19790212&id=-IYqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c1kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7247,3492693&hl=en|url-status=live}} It was based on the novel The Sin Sniper by Hugh Garner.{{cite book|title=The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film|last=Goble|first=Alan|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|year=1999|isbn=9783110951943|page=966|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yyqc0Qa6b60C&pg=PA966|access-date=2016-04-08}}
Reception
TV Guide rated it 1/5 stars and called it a "typical crime thriller".{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/stone-cold-dead/2000278216|title=Stone Cold Dead|work=TV Guide|accessdate=2023-12-12|archive-date=2023-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212212523/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/stone-cold-dead/2000278216/|url-status=live}}
Crenna later said that he thought the content was not Canadian-specific enough.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2007/07/26/best_bets.html|title=Best Bets|last=Bawden|first=Jim|work=The Toronto Star|accessdate=2016-04-07|archive-date=2016-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419100432/http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2007/07/26/best_bets.html|url-status=live}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title}}
- {{TCMDb title}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
{{George Mendeluk}}
Category:1970s English-language films
Category:1979 directorial debut films
Category:Canadian crime drama films
Category:Dimension Pictures films
Category:English-language Canadian films
Category:Films directed by George Mendeluk
Category:Films scored by Paul Zaza
{{1970s-Canada-film-stub}}