Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Fantastic!

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

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.

To begin with, I had long intended purchasing the Anchor Bay DVD of this one and the same director's TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971) but, after they went out-of-print, I was given a copy of COCKFIGHTER by a local friend (to which he had been drawn in view of its controversial nature)! Amazingly given the film's reputation as one of his best, in the accompanying Audio Commentary, Hellman states to not being fond of it as some of his other work because he was assigned to it by producer Roger Corman (with whom he had worked a number of times in the past) practically at the last minute, which consequently limited his involvement in the pre-production stage! In the face of this, Hellman chose his chief collaborators wisely i.e. leading-man Warren Oates (this was possibly the beloved character actor's very best role) and cinematographer Nestor Almendros (who captures the mainly rustic locales via warm hues but, at the same time, an unsentimental veracity); also notable in this regard is the jaunty/wistful score by one Michael Franks.The narrative deals with the titular sport which, deemed the most violent, had been rendered illegal in most American states; watching the film, one realizes just how many enthusiasts it has and, though the events are set in the South, in the Commentary it is inferred that the practice of cockfighting is spread wide across the country! In a typically quirky touch, here Oates does not speak a line of dialogue throughout until the very last moments of the film – having 'shot his mouth off' and subsequently lost a bet as well as his chance to win a prestigious medal, he vows to remain silent for as long as it takes him to be named "Cockfighter Of The Year"! This obsessive attitude ultimately jeopardizes his relationship with the two women the protagonist is involved with (in his defense, however, such idiosyncratic behavior seems to be common to most game-cock owners!), but he is nonetheless aided in his endeavors by manager Charles B. Shull and keeper Robert Earl Jones (father of James!). Incidentally, the script was written by Charles Willeford (reportedly a popular crime novelist) – who not only wrote the novel on which it was based but actually landed a key role in the film itself! The supporting cast, then, includes faces familiar from Hellman's previous efforts (Laurie Bird, Millie Perkins and Harry Dean Stanton), as well as past-his-prime heart-throb Troy Donahue and newcomers Ed Begley Jr. and Steve Railsback.The DVD extras also include the theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots, where the film's "naked" look at competitiveness is likened to that of the classic pool-hall expose' THE HUSTLER (1961); of course, parallels can also be drawn with TWO-LANE BLACKTOP itself, which involves drag-racing, not to mention THE GREATEST (1977), the biopic of boxing champ Muhammad Ali which Hellman completed after the premature death of original director Tom Gries! To be honest, I am not a sports fan myself and, while I can be partial to the excitement inherent in a heavyweight bout (the cinema has returned to this milieu often enough), I would normally never dream of finding a fight-to-the-death between roosters engrossing viewing (and not merely because I consider myself an animal lover). That said, Hellman employs several devices in order to garner audience interest in the proceedings: Oates' intermittent narration explaining the breeding process of the cocks themselves, the preparation that goes into these matches, and the extensive gambling that is the ultimate raison d'être of it all; the viciousness of the fighting is amplified (indeed rendered almost unwatchable at times) both by the spikes that are tied to the cock's heels – causing blood to spurt onto the shoes of their handlers, anticipating the graphic bouts in Martin Scorsese's boxing drama RAGING BULL (1980) – and the occasional use of slow-motion; and also the sheer diversity of venues in which these contests are organized (ranging from arenas to private barns and even hotel rooms, where the film also displays a welcome sense of irony with the takings of the night being instantly 'lost' in a hold-up!). The shock ending (which was not in the original script) did not go down at all well with producer Corman who, in an attempt to keep his unbeaten track record of "never having lost money on any of his pictures" on track (pardon the pun), subsequently re-released the film under various aliases, namely BORN TO KILL, GAMBLIN' MAN and WILD DRIFTER!

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!

Warren Oates anchors this violent exploitation film, in a rare true leading role with his frequent collaborator Monte Hellman ("Two-Lane Blacktop"). The character he plays is mute, so we get a chance to savor Mr. Oates' wonderful talent of facial expressions and his special empathy without any of the usual filters. The story is fairly routine, I suppose, considering that this is the only cockfighting movie I've heard of -- Oates plays Frank Mansfield, a man so obsessed with winning an award for the cockfighter of the year in America that he takes a vow of silence until he achieves it. Patricia Pearcy is his lady love, who does not understand the addictive appeal of the bloodsport and its place in Frank's heart. Harry Dean Stanton plays Jack, his major rival in the ring of battle, who embarrasses the glib Frank to the point where he takes the vow.I think that this is going to be a "love it or hate it" movie, because first of all the violent cockfighting is not faked, and it is shown in close detail and slow motion. Also we have a very coarse looking film, full of grime and dirt. The very first scenes of the movie I knew I was going to like it, because here's the great Oates driving a dirty old RV and rolling his own smokes. Oates' character is fascinating, and he's the entire reason for this movie's existence. He lives by the code of a gentleman and is trusted by everyone else in his sport. For him the business of it and the actual conduct in the cockfighting ring are equally bound in honor, and for him the battles are a display of grace and existential victory (presumably this is why we have the battles in slow motion).It's a little meandering, and I didn't find the very ending of the film to be as satisfying as it could be. But this is an absolute joy for fans of Oates, and I also thought it was a good example of Hellman's sort of detached and pseudo-documentary style. It's a gritty film about a nasty sport that few might want to explore, but I think most will find the journey worth the trouble. As a historical note, this was the last film that Hellman made for Roger Corman, a partnership that went back to 1959's memorable B horror film "Beast from Haunted Cave."

Being a major fan of American movies of the 1970s 'Cockfighter' has been like a Holy Grail for me for as long as I can remember. When I finally got a hold of a copy I'm happy to say it more than lived up to my expectations. I think it's one of the most extraordinary movies of the decade, and further proof that Monte Hellman is one of the most underrated directors of all time. Hellman, like many other film makers, got his first big break working for Roger Corman, directing 'Beast From Haunted Cave' in the 1950s. He then went on to work on Corman's 'The Terror' alongside Coppola and Jack Hill, and edited the biker classic 'The Wild Angels'. Hellman never became a Hollywood legend like Coppola, or a much loved exploitation cult hero like Jack Hill, and has always had difficulties getting his movies made. Why, I really don't know, just watch 'The Shooting', 'Two-Lane Blacktop' and 'Cockfighter' back to back and tell me that he isn't a major talent. After going their separate ways for some time Corman and Hellman reunited for 'Cockfighter'. Apparently Corman hated the ending and the movie is supposedly one of the very few that lost him money, but I think it's an amazing achievement. The controversial bird fighting sequences are very brutal and very beautiful. Animal lovers will abhor the movie for this reason. The morality of filming them is very problematic, even Hellman admits he was disgusted doing it. Aside from that can of worms 'Cockfighter' features a superb performance from Warren Oates, one of his very best ever, so if you are an Oates fan you MUST try and see this movie! Hellman and Oates worked on four movies altogether, and the supporting cast also includes Harry Dean Stanton and Millie Perkins, who had three Hellman movies apiece, and Laurie Bird who co-starred in 'Two-Lane Blacktop'. On top of that you have some strong performances by a whole bunch of character actors like Warren Finnerty ('Cool Hand Luke'), Ed Begley Jr, Steve Railsback (in one of my favourite scenes) and - one of the biggest surprises - Troy Donahue, who has a memorable cameo as Oates alcoholic brother. Richard B. Shull is great as Oates' partner, as is Patricia Pearcy who plays his love interest. Even Charles Willeford who wrote both the movie script and the original novel it was based on has a great bit as a fight official. 'Cockfighter's explicit fight sequences will repel most people but if you persevere you'll witness some brilliant acting, especially from Warren Oates. 'Cockfighter' has immediately rocketed into my all time favourite movies list.