Cockfighter (1974)

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Monte Hellman is probably one of the most subtly brilliant and profound American movie directors who ever lived, but definitely also the most underrated and shamefully overlooked one. The reasons why Hellman is so under-appreciated are actually not even that difficult to guess. Even though his films seemingly revolve on accessible and crowd-pleasing topics, the director somehow turns them into challenging, complex and implicit allegories. His westerns "The Shooting" and "Ride in the Whirlwind", for example, deal with ordinary topics like bounty hunters and lynch mobs and yet Hellman achieves in making them existential. The genius "Two-Lane Blacktop" could have been an exhilarating contemporary road-movie, but instead Hellman decided to make it into a bleak and atypical portrait of a simplistic culture. And then there's this "Cockfighter". Presumably the only movie about this controversial topic ever made, and Hellman still didn't turn it into a provocative and action-packed trash movie but a gloomy and integer portrayal of a clandestine tradition. I once read a statement about director Monte Hellman which said that he totally isn't interested in fame or recognition. Instead, he's a director whose repertoire continuously flirts with self-destruction. His movies defy audiences to turn their backs against him. After seeing three of his films in one week, I'm definitely concurring with this statement. "Cockfighter" is an extraordinary film from more than just one viewpoint. Charles Willeford's authentic script and Hellman's carefully researched preparations catapult you straight back to the gloomiest regions of the contemporary America's deep south, where sleazy Georgia locals gather around cheering and money-waiving to witness two animals fight to the death. It's basically a repulsive topic, and also one of the main reasons why the film was a tremendous box office flop at the time, but only through actually making the effort of watching "Cockfighter", you will notice the film does not primarily handles about animal cruelty and clandestine sports. "Cockfighter" depicts the story of one man's obsession and how he will stop at nothing to accomplish a pre-determined goal. Frank Mansfield is a natural born cock-fighter. Throughout all of his life, he trained cocks and was considered the best in business. A couple of years earlier, he became overly haughty and lost his biggest prize fighter over a stupid and meaningless bet. Since then, Frank took a vow of complete silence and dedicates his entire existence to the training of new cocks so that he will eventually regain the medal of best cock-fighter. His obsession slowly costs him everything, including the house where his brother lives, his old friends and even the love and respect of the one woman he cares about. Referring to the above statement; the urge for self-destruction can even be found in Monte Hellman's leading characters. The animal fight sequences are harsh and uncomfortable, but not the least bit exploitative or sensationalist. I can understand that animal rights foundations were against this film, but portraying these moments are simply a necessity, so they better be thankful that Hellman reduced them to a minimum and certainly didn't glorify the "sport" aspect. "Cockfighter" owes at least half of its success to the astounding performance by Warren Oates. This man already was one of my favorite actors, based on such films as "Dillinger", "Race with the Devil" and "The Wild Bunch", but he truly surpasses himself here as Frank Mansfield. Oates is one of the rare actors who look enormously charismatic and imposing even without saying ten lines throughout the entire film. He frequently collaborated with Monte Hellman, like also in "Two-Lane Blacktop" and "The Shooting", and delivered some of his best work. Here in this film he also receives excellent support from respectable B-movie actors such as Harry Dean Stanton, Steve Railsback Ed Begley Jr. and even Troy Donahue. "Cockfighter" is a largely unpleasant movie because of its subject matter, but it's honestly also one of the most absorbing and paralyzing cult movies of the 1970's, and that means a lot because that decade is literally stuffed like a Christmas turkey with classics. Watch it, if you can!

The subject of cockfighting may be unsavory to many, but Monte Hellman built around it, with the help of writer/actor Willeford, a very pleasing piece of cinema. One gets into the underworld of cockfighting (still legal then, in some US states) with characters, situations and fates that are as close to real life as one could imagine.Speechless Warren Oates radiates as an unlikely hero, dominating the scene with Hellman's complicity. And the outstanding cinematography work by Almendros delivers an impressive image quality, with particular praise for the virtuoso capture of the highly shifting fights.Hellman likes challenges and excels in his trade.

Cockfighter, another Roger Corman/Monte Hellman collaboration, explores the popular but mostly illegal "sport" of cockfighting (it is banned in 48 states). The film was marketed under several different titles but it never caught on and was virtually unseen until the Anchor Bay DVD release in 2001. Based on a novel by Charles Willeford, the film contains one of Warren Oates' best performances as Frank Mansfield, a trainer of prize cockfighters. Since he was disqualified for the "Cockfighter of the Year" award for excessive drinking and talking during a fight, Frank has taken a vow of silence and refuses to talk until he wins the medal. Filmed in actual outdoor arenas in Georgia (cockfighting was legal in Georgia) by cinematographer Nestor Almenderos (Days of Heaven, Kramer Vs. Kramer), the crowds at the matches consist of real fans and people who have participated in this brutal spectacle, giving the film a documentary look and feel.In Cockfighter, we are privy to a world that none of us will probably ever see or ever want to see, a world where roosters are bred and trained to engage in a deadly battle with other birds for the benefit of gamblers and spectators. With cocks equipped with little metal hooks attached to their feet to make them more deadly, Cockfighting is shown for what it is, a violent bloody business filled with sleazy operators who have no feeling for the life and death of the animals. Though the roosters in the film were destined to be killed in matches anyway, there is animal violence in the film and those that object to this should be forewarned. I personally had to turn away from the screen on several occasions.As the film begins, Frank has lost a match with his friendly adversary Jack (Harry Dean Stanton) and has to give up his truck, mobile home, and his girlfriend Dodo (Laurie Bird). Without wheels or money, he sells his house where his brother (Troy Donahue) and his sister-in-law (Millie Perkins) had been living and visits fiancée Mary Elizabeth (Patricia Pearcy). Mansfield is a driven man, yet also one who is thoughtful and gentle and the scenes with him and Mary "talking" about their future with a glittering lake in the background are unforgettable. Mary loves him and wants to get married but is clearly put off by cockfighting and will not go to a match. To shore up his finances, Frank goes into partnership with Omar (Richard B. Shull) and his luck seems to turn for the better. Like most films about sports or competition, the adversaries end up in the big match, in this case, the Southern Conference finals.While Cockfighter contains some sports clichés, it is not a soap opera in any sense. Rather it is a thoughtful character study of a man on the edge, caught between the only profession he has ever known and a chance to escape a lifetime of loneliness. Although Oates says only a few words during the film, his facial expressions and hand gestures leave little doubt about what he is thinking and feeling. Hellman, true to the standard he set in his earlier films, has created a gritty and involving film that deserves a wider audience and Oates gives the film true character.

"Cockfighter" is one of a number of collaborations between Monte Hellman and Warren Oates, with a brilliant, austere script written by Charles Willeford (also author of the book) and equally simple yet elegant cinematography by Nestor Alemendros, D.P. of Malick's "Badlands" and "Days of Heaven".This film really captures an emerging respect and relationship between Hellman and Oates, who barely utters a word through the whole film. Like "The Shooting", "Ride in the Whirlwind" and "Two-lane Blacktop", Hellman turns to Oates for a unique and character-driven performance. It's qualities envoke a very specific 60s and 70s motif of existentialism, a rambling from place to place and between relationships. Oates' stoicism really carries the feel of the film, with very honest performances from supporting actors Harry Dean Stanton, Richard B. Shull and Laurie Bird. While not wanting to ruin the plot, it must be stated that the "sport" of cockfighting, while playing a part in the plot and cinematography, is really the backdrop of the story. Oates' Frank Mansfield is the true subject of the film, who, from the beginning, is a broken man on a mission, willing to keep going against the odds for his small piece of redemption. His path is very idiosyncratic, yet empathy for his positions and desires is universal. From the cover and other reviews, it may seem that "Cockfighter" is an adventure film, rife with shock value and violence. While there are distinctly beautiful and poignant images of cockfighting (animal lovers beware), it's pace and personality are more like that of an "art film". In an effort to market the film by famed "shock" producer Roger Corman, posters and alternate titles ("Born to Kill") depict a film for a mass, Middle-American audience ready to see blood drawn. As a huge fan of Hellman and Oates, especially Cockfighter, my opinion is that the marketing of the film and it's outer "cover" (literally and figuratively) were designed to get it seen at any cost. This is Independent Film before it had a name, when it was simply at any cost and by any means. "Cockfighter" is a film full of philosophy, humility and respect, underrated if one ever was.