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Customer Reviews of Cockfighter (Ws)

Vanishing Ways
This is not an exploitation film, nor is it hard to watch, as some would have you believe. Yes, it depicts real cockfights, but that is what this is about- cockfighting and the men who love(d) it... This film is graceful, lovely, and goes down quite easily. It's one that you can finish and then watch again right away. <
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>I'm not going to address issues of morality here, because if you have problems with the subject matter then why are you even reading reviews on this. I'm also not going to recap the plot, as that can be found elsewhere. I just wanted to write and say how really magnificent this work is, and if you have a love of vanishing Americana, then you must check it out.

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Cockfighter
W. C. Fields had a notorious and well-documented loathing of children and small animals. There's nothing innately evil about children and small animals, but they tend to be small and cute and have been known to steal an audience's attention and sympathy without breaking much of a sweat. Roosters tend to be small, if not terribly cute. They're capable of diverting an audience's attention, though. Would Fields have envied COCKFIGHTER'S Warren Oates? After all, Oates not only gets to (really) kick a feathered, five-pound scene-stealer, but also, in a continuous, uncut shot, gets to stretch its neck out and chop its head off. <
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> Animals WERE harmed during the making of COCKFIGHTER and anyone who might find graphic scenes of violence upsetting or repulsive are strongly urged to let this one pass by. Built on a small ($400,000) budget and shot on a tight, four-week schedule by Monte Hellman for producer Roger Corman (Hellman, on the commentary track, claims this is one of only two movies Corman never made a profit on) COCKFIGHTER is a quickie/cheapie that cuts deep against the grain by exploring more than exploiting. Shot in Georgia and wisely going for a run-down, lived-in, authentic look, COCKFIGHTER introduces us to Frank Mansfield (Warren Oates) at what seems a typical point in his life. He's making an outrageous bet with Jack Burke (Harry Dean Stanton) and we're soon to see minus truck, trailer, and live-in girlfriend. Flashbacks teach us that it's not the first time he's made a wager he can't afford and won't back down from. One of those ill-timed bets inspired a mocking `Look where your big mouth got you!' And so Frank takes a vow of silence, a self-imposed penance that speaks volumes of Frank's stubborn sense of honor. <
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> The vow is maintained throughout the movie, save for the intermittent voice-over narration. It's a vow Frank will keep until he's able to redeem himself to himself. Of course, redemption comes in many guises. For Frank, it may be finding the right bird - a white rooster named White Lightning, for instance - and riding him to the Championship, or it might be establishing a solid relationship with the woman he loves, Dody White Burke (Laurie Bird.) The emotional meat of this one is carried in the scenes between Oates and Bird, a relationship that probably should have been fleshed out some. If there's a flaw in this movie it's that it doesn't allow us into the triumphs and setbacks on the road to the Championship, and, it doesn't spend enough time with Dody and Frank. Still, the movie spends a lot of time in the ring, and the down-home earthiness filmed in a quasi-documentary style delivers a powerful punch. On the c-track Hellman says they considered using an amateur cast. There are an awful lot of barking amateurs populating the screen, but Oates, the last American actor for all seasons, fits smoothly into this environment. Some movie stars we admire because they do things that we wish we could do. Oates is that rarer, much rarer, bird who we relate to because they're us. That he delivers a powerful performance without uttering a word is little short of astounding. <
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> Master cinematographer Néstor Almendros captures perfectly the furtive beauty of cockfighting. Oates is perfect. Stanton, Bird, and the rest of the cast acquit themselves with honor. Hellman gives the subject a down-home feeling that fits well. The story may be a little undercooked and the Laurie Bird character underdeveloped, but this is certainly better than the typical drive-in, exploitation fare Corman was specializing in at the time. A very good film and worth a view. <
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"Winning is the name of the game."
Warren Oates plays Frank Mansfield in 1974's "Cockfighter." Although outlawed in most states, cockfighting was legal in Georgia, and Oates portrays a top trainer. However, Mansfield is also a deeply flawed man whose success leads him to recklessness. On the night before a major fight, he impetuously enters a cockfight that ends badly. At that moment, he takes a vow of silence, which he will not break until he can regain his position in the sport. Throughout most of the movie, therefore, Oates is mute, with his thoughts serving as narration. <
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>Warren Oates is truly great in this role. His weathered face and ability to portray unsympathetic characters in a likeable manner bring great authority to this film. Although perhaps best known for his appearances in Peckinpah films (The Wild Bunch, Ride the High Country), he also did extraordinary work in a number of lesser known 1970's films: Two-Lane Blacktop, Badlands, Rancho Deluxe. He's not as well known as his peers Pacino or DeNiro, but his fans would argue that he's every bit as talented - count me as one of his devotees. <
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>Director Monte Hellman was a collaborator with legendary producer Roger Corman, and he's simply one of the most underappreciated filmmakers of the 1970s. He specialized in spare, low-key character studies, such as "Two-Lane Blacktop" (1971). This film is so vibrant because of his talent for using naturalistic settings and minimalist direction. His style is perfectly suited to this script, which was adapted by Charles Willeford from his novel of the same name. The book is out-of-print, but Willeford is a marvelous writer of noir and gritty fiction, such as "The Burnt Orange Heresy." <
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>Despite being a solid character study, the film is probably of limited appeal. For the most part, the sport of cockfighting (if you consider it a sport) serves only as the background, and the characters drive the film. However, the sport is presented in an unflinching manner. The bloody and violent aspects of cockfighting are not glossed over in any way. Thus, this film is definitely not for people who are squeamish or extremely passionate about humane treatment of animals. In ways, though, the film is reminiscent of Peckinpah, who made violent deaths in "The Wild Bunch" seem almost operatic in their grandeur. Watching the cockfights depicted here is almost sickening, but Hellman manages to capture their bizarre magnificence as well. If you can set aside your distaste for the topic matter, then you will be treated to some great acting and directing and a truly unique cinematic experience. <
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>DVD extras: For a DVD release of a fairly obscure 1970s film, this package is pretty terrific. Monte Hellman provides an interesting commentary that really could serve as a primer for 1970s indie film. A documentary about the work and life of Warren Oates is also included. <
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