COCKFIGHTER (1974)
I watched COCKFIGHTER today.
It was not what I expected.
Warren Oates (THE WILD BUNCH, STRIPES) plays Frank. Frank is a man who superficially resembles a young Tom Waits and has a serious interest in the "sport" of cockfighting. As in, he travels around the country in his RV and "trains" roosters to fight other roosters in underground death matches for money. Frank is obsessed with winning cockfighting matches to the point that he's willing to bet his RV, sell the family home, and sacrifice all of his personal relationships in order to win the dubious "Cockfighter of the Year Award." He was a contender to the throne once, years ago, and he's inability to stop boasting lost him his chance. Thus, he has taken an Oath of Silence like he's a Shaolin Monk or something. He won't speak again until he gets that coveted cockfighting medal, and this is his last shot at glory. COCKFIGHTER also stars Ed Begley Jr (A MIGHTY WIND) and Harry Dean Motherfuckin' Stanton (ALIEN, REPO MAN).
OK. For starters, let's get this out of the way first: All available information indicates that real roosters were put into real cockfights and really died during the shooting of this film. It's a grim thing. I am desensitized to violence in general and animal related violence doesn't cause me much alarm, but I was wincing through the final match in particular. It's gross. There's a reason why this movie was banned all over the place in its day. I've known some folks who hinted/implied/outright bragged that they knew a thing or two about the world of underground cockfighting, and I've known for a long time that such a thing exists and people make lots of money from it. It is particularly common in rural areas of the south and midwest where folks have easy access to animals and hard-to-find locales. A bunch of folks get together in a remote place, fasten these crazy looking metal claws/spurs to a rooster's legs, make the birds fight, and make bets on the winners. The losing roosters usually die. That happens fairly regularly throughout this movie.
The cockfighting minutia loaded into COCKFIGHTER is actually pretty interesting if you're into esoteric criminal Americana. You get some bits of history, and you get the idea that people of all walks of life are into this kind of thing when a Senator is actually the sponsor of the final "derby." You also get some surreal shit, such as when we get a whole scene about a rookie cockfighter who puts his finger up his fighting rooster's ass because it gives him some sort of advantage. From what I could tell, you're allowed to do this but not if your fingernail is past a certain length? Debate among the cockfighters ensues and a fight breaks out.
(It was at this point in the movie that I did actually pause and have a good long think about myself and the choices I have made in life)
So, yeah. Cockfighting. It goes there. And it's kinda fucked up. It took me a long time to figure out what the fuck I was even watching, because this movie defied all my expectations. At first, it seemed like we were absolutely in for an OVER THE TOP experience, especially when Frank's ponderous narration kicks in and it's clear that he sees himself as some sort of romantic outlaw figure when in reality he is kind of a pathetic bastard. This movie never really goes into the territory of unintential comedy, although there are definitely moments. Then for a long time I figured that we were in for a good old fashioned CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST style transgression-fest. The poster and the subject material certainly scream exploitation movie. But that never really happens either. I mean, there are certainly some extremely exploitive elements, but the vibe never clicks. So right up until the last 20 minutes or so, I figured we were watching a particularly weird version of one of those 70s macho outlaw action-dramas.
You know what those are: some scraggly man does horrible things and people hero worship them for it. It's like a Bukowski thing or even a Sam Shepherd thing. Only the most masculine and worthy men are willing to become outlaws/unlikable bastards to thumb their noses at society. The alcoholic, the gambler, the assassin, the drug dealer, the vigilante. I'm talking about something like DEATH WISH, WALKING TALL, or one of Clint Eastwood's movies. Those can be pretty bad, or they can be really fun. But they're all fundamentally the same: The unwritten laws of masculine behavior dictate that I must act like an absolute prick in order to forge my own path in life because nothing is less desirable than living under the oppressive laws of a society that won't let me do things like shoot criminals myself or force animals to fight to the death. Those craggy-faced, gruff heroes are always clever and strong and tough and just do what they think needs to be done regardless of the consequences, and people get hurt and the rest of the world has to deal with that because the individual tough guy macho man reigns supreme. That's what I thought COCKFIGHTER was, because it was checking all those boxes. But that description didn't really satisfy me and I don't think it applies 100% to what this movie is.
COCKFIGHTER is a subversion of the 70's macho man action/drama. Early on, it seems like Frank is being portrayed as a heroic, romantic figure. He's tough, seedy outlaw cutting his own path against all odds. As the film goes on and the losses mount, it becomes clear that Frank is a loser. He's obsessed with gaining the respect of a niche subculture to the point that it's destroying him. He can't stop. He's sad. He's lonely. There are no bright lights or giant stakes or glorious victories to be had in the world of cockfighting. It's all penny-ante bullshit with the same 6-8 guys showing up all over the place to abuse animals and watch them die in dirty barns and cheap motels. Frank and his boys can win a lot of money, but they can lose it all just as fast. Members of their clique who show empathy (such as referring to their rooster as a pet) are ridiculed for being losers. They're all losers. None of them trust each other. It's just an endless parade of pathetic activities that get more and more destructive right up to the end. Frank doesn't get a Karate Kid comeback. Even when he wins, he loses. It's like if Karate Kid ended with Daniel-san winning the tournament but then failing high school and becoming homeless because he spent all his time waxing Mr. Miyagi's car and seeking a violence-based solution to his problems instead of doing his homework and learning conflict avoidance skills. It's fucking WILD that they did this.
COCKFIGHTER was kinda brilliant, y'all. I'm sincere about that. I didn't pick up what it was doing until well past the halfway point. It sets up a world where a man is trapped in "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" style thinking and it destroys him without shattering his delusions and leaves him to continue suffering with no lessons learned. I'm still thinking about it. It's a thinking movie. But a lot of chickens probably died to make it.
So, yeah. Not what I expected. I'm not sure I can reccomend watching it. I'm not sure about anything anymore. I give COCKFIGHTER 10/10 unexpected bouts of existential pathos.
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