I always knew Warren Oates was a great "thinking man's" actor - huge dynamic range, believable in an amazing range of roles - but it took seeing "Cockfighter" to make me realize how exceptional he actually was. This is an amazing performance that absolutely carries the movie. (Everyone here is good-to-great, in fact).
I was interested in seeing "Cockfighter" because I am a fan of Charles Willeford, and I wanted to see what someone did with this (even though I've never managed to snag a copy). And I have to say - this is practically an "art house" film. It tackles the presentation of a seemingly un-filmable story, breathes life into it, and makes the viewer a part of the proceedings. It seems at least as much of a character study as anything else, and of a quirky, broken man who pursues his seemingly pointless goal with the dedication of a Catholic martyr.
Now the problematic part: if you have a problem with cruelty to animals, I don't see how you're going to be able to watch this film. There is a lot of cock-fighting staged here, and the violence and death seem quite real. (I'm sure there was some wrangling and makeup involved, but there's no way all of this could have been faked.) This isn't gratuitous - the attitude of the characters towards the birds is woven into the fabric of the story, and faked, sanitized violence wouldn't have worked. But it does make the movie hard to watch at points.
Your choice. I tried to watch with the intention and POV of the people it portrays and found it a fascinating slice of life and culture.
I was interested in seeing "Cockfighter" because I am a fan of Charles Willeford, and I wanted to see what someone did with this (even though I've never managed to snag a copy). And I have to say - this is practically an "art house" film. It tackles the presentation of a seemingly un-filmable story, breathes life into it, and makes the viewer a part of the proceedings. It seems at least as much of a character study as anything else, and of a quirky, broken man who pursues his seemingly pointless goal with the dedication of a Catholic martyr.
Now the problematic part: if you have a problem with cruelty to animals, I don't see how you're going to be able to watch this film. There is a lot of cock-fighting staged here, and the violence and death seem quite real. (I'm sure there was some wrangling and makeup involved, but there's no way all of this could have been faked.) This isn't gratuitous - the attitude of the characters towards the birds is woven into the fabric of the story, and faked, sanitized violence wouldn't have worked. But it does make the movie hard to watch at points.
Your choice. I tried to watch with the intention and POV of the people it portrays and found it a fascinating slice of life and culture.