Cockfighter
United States
1974
83 Min
Color
1.85:1
English
Synopsis
Cockfighter (or Born to Kill) takes place in the Deep South of the USA, in the small, underground world of illegal cockfighting. Frank Mansfield is a lonely guy who lives for his passion. After losing his best cock in an impulsive bet, he takes a vow of silence until he has won the medal for Cockfighter of the Year. Frank travels to the lost corners of Georgia, working for his own personal redemption and increasingly trying to win over the girl of his dreams. Hellman and his cinematographer Nestor Almendros delve into the landscape of small towns, gas stations and the deserted ruins of Georgia. They paint a realistic portrait of a clandestine sub-culture. The film was released in drive-ins (amidst protests by animal welfare organizations) but never saw much success with US audiences. In Europe, however, Cockfighter has been shown in multiple festivals and was even named one of the best films of the year. An absolute must for fans of Warren Oates, who delivers an incredible performance. —Offscreen
Director
Monte Hellman
Monte Hellman (born July 12, 1932, in New York City, New York) is an American film director, producer, and film editor.
Hellman is among a group of directing talent mentored by Roger Corman, who produced several of the director’s early films. Hellman’s most critically acclaimed film to date has been Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), a road movie that was a box office failure at the time of its initial release but has subsequently turned into a perennial cult favorite.1 Hellman’s two acid westerns starring Jack Nicholson, Ride in the Whirlwind and The Shooting, both shot in 1965 and released directly to television in 1968, have also developed cult followings, particularly the latter. A third western, China 9, Liberty 37 (1978), was far less successful critically, although it too has its admirers, as do Cockfighter (1974) (aka Born to Kill) and Iguana (1988). In 1989 he directed the straight-to-video slasher film Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch… read more
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Konrad Szlendak
24Apr12
I guess I expected something more... it's not a bad film, but falls short to "Two-lane Blacktop" in my opinion.
Cbarky99
29Mar12
Really torn on this one: Some great performances, and an interesting take on the world of cockfighting, but I couldn't get past the chicken-on-chicken violence
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curmudgeon pudding
29Mar12
I hear the authentic chicken-on-violence was put it on the insistence of Mr. Corman.
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sammy
16Aug10
I think Hellman was sorta asleep at the wheel on this one, but lucky for him (and us!) it's got: Warren Oates killing it in every scene, a script by Charles Willeford, authentic rural Georgia locations, awesome supporting actors Stanton, Bird, Willeford, Jones (James Earl's brother), Bagley jr(his first role-playing an inbred moron), the sleaziest Steve Railsback ever, and Almendros shooting the whole thing. Gold.
Robert W Peabody III
10May10
Hellman + Oates = doesn’t get any better and those satisfactions are permanent
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Articles
Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
Monte Hellman's "Road to Nowhere" (and More)
By David Hudson on June 8, 2011
Updated through 6/10. To Hellman and Back: An Evening with Monte Hellman is set for this evening at the Walter Reade Theater, and here's how
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Stick out this cock, man!
By Konrad Szlendak on May 11, 2012
One of the most uncommon New World Pictures projects was exclusively Roger Corman’s idea, adapted from a rather obscure novel by Charles Willeford. And though it was meant to be someting of an artistic… read review
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