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The Bizarro Blogathon: Operation Cobra (1997)

Note to the readers: The following post is written in the spirit of the Bizarro Blogathon held at Lazyeye Theatre. This article and the facts mentioned in it are for the purpose of humour only and not to be taken seriously. With that being said- Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson is the true Dragon!

There is no introduction required for Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson: an ex-kick boxing champion, a martial arts master, a highly passionate actor and most importantly a hero. It’s hard to say how many kids take his example as a tall walking lion heart because so far there have been none who disagree his talent. He is a shining example of a true artist who strived to keep the ‘art’ alive when other lesser mortals like Bruce Lee sold out to temptation of riches. Indeed, Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson and to a lesser extent Jean Claude Van Damme are the only two true martial arts heroes that we ever had in cinema.

‘Operation Cobra’ is a 1997 film directed by the legendary Fred Olen Ray and stars Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson in the lead role of an Interpol Agent Kyle Connors who travels to the land of India on the trail of the killers who killed his best friend. What follows is a film set at breakneck speeds with action so incredible that it’ll leave you panting for breath. Shot entirely on location in Hyderabad, India (which co-incidentally happens to be my hometown) this film is set in lavish and exotic locations and intricately constructed sets that re-define the term ‘Intricate’. The film also stars the undeniable Tane McClure as Callista the femme fatale-double crossing agent, Madhavan as Agent Connors’ trusty sidekick Inspector Ravi and ex-Miss India Dipti Bhatnagar as the mysterious love-interest Shalimar.

Blinded by his mission and his will power to bring down the men who killed his best friend, Agent Connors goes on a rampage against the villainous men of an unknown conspirator. His pursuit also results in a series of chance encounters with a mysterious woman known only as ‘Shalimar’. His trusty sidekick and new best friend Inspector Ravi joins him in his investigation actively but later falls victim to the same man who had earlier murdered Connors’ best friend. Unable to cope with the Déjà vu and now enraged three-fold, Agent Connors unleashes a force of fury on the bad guys only to discover that Agent Callista whom he had thought to be on his side is actually a double-agent who had been reporting his progress to the unknown conspirator all along. Disappointed by his new discovery and trapped in the hands of his very enemy, Agent Connors brings out a thunderstorm with the help of the local Maharaja (who also happens to be Shalimar’s father).

All in all, Operation Cobra is a film that will only be made once in a generation. It stands on its own as a film that redefined an era of cinema. Much like what ‘Enter the Dragon’ did in the 1970s (with Bruce Lee the untalented sell-out) and what ‘Citizen Kane’ did even before that, with expert cinematic execution and an Oscar-worthy performance by Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, ‘Operation Cobra’ remains a film that is ‘an important classic’.