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|

}}

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}}