Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Cockfighter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 9, 2022

Monte Hellman's "Cockfighter" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory. The only bonus feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In 1974, the marketing team at New World Pictures sacrificed a lot of precious brain cells while trying to figure out how to best promote Monte Hellman’s film Cockfighter. There are some pretty funny stories about what was considered, what was junked, and what ultimately survived. Unfortunately, in the end, producer Roger Corman played it safe and the trailers and TV spots that were cut for Cockfighter turned out extremely average, misleading too. The most popular original trailer for Cockfighter is included on Shout Factory’s recent release, and it is difficult not to describe it as underwhelming. Why? Because a narrator quickly announces that “what you are about to see is illegal in forty-seven states”, profiles Warren Oates’ character as a “professional with a passion for violence”, and then declares that “not since The Hustler has the violent underbelly of the gambling world been so nakedly exposed.” When merged, these statements prepare for a film that quite simply does not exist.

I would like to explain why because you must approach Cockfighter with the correct expectations and see it from the right angle to be able to appreciate its quality. Cockfighter is not a complex film, but it is not the film New World Pictures promoted.

Oates plays a man named Frank Mansfield who appears to have lost his ability to speak and makes ends meet as a cockfighter. Mansfield operates a motorhome with his younger female partner and travels to different gambling spots in the South, where small fortunes are made and lost. When his star cock is killed in a fight, and he loses his motorhome and savings to another professional cockfighter (Harry Dean Stanton), Mansfield abandons his partner and teams up with Omar Baradansky (Richard B. Shull), who just like him dreams of going to the championship fights and winning the top prize. On the way to the championship fights, the two acquire several potential superstar cocks and run into numerous colorful characters that sabotage their plan, but eventually reach their destination.

The ”passion for violence” that is highlighted in the trailer is actually a variation of the overpowering addiction that destroys junkies and gamblers. If you understand that it is so, then all the drama Oates is involved with becomes very transparent and easy to rationalize. Oates’ drug of choice is cockfighting, and when he is under its influence he behaves like a compulsive gambler. This is the main reason Cockfighter does not work as an exploitation film and is not comparable to The Hustler – it is focused on Oates’ misery, not the carnage around him.

Like Two-Lane Blacktop, the great cult film Hellman shot a few years earlier, Cockfighter is effective as a time capsule as well. While following Oates and Shull, Hellman’s camera produces visuals that make it incredibly easy to sample a very particular rural culture and rhythm of life. Admittedly, some viewers may find certain visuals difficult to endure, but the unfiltered realism is what ultimately makes Cockfighter such a striking film.

*Another unique film from the same period that features graphic cockfighting is Gus Trikonis’ Supercock. However, this film is populated with completely different characters and utilizes cockfighting to produce entirely different thrills. Also, Trikonis shot it in the Philippines, where cockfighting was essentially a national sport that was remarkably well organized. The late and great Ross Hagen, who is the star and producer of the film, had apparently seen Hellman’s film and liked it a lot.

Cockfighter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cockfighter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.

The release is sourced from a pretty underwhelming master. To be honest, the entire film has the type of look that telecines used to produce -- the surface of the visuals is very powdery, noise sneaks in, and the dynamic range is off. The good news is that there is still a decent amount of detail and occasionally some pleasing depth, but it is very easy to tell that the entire film can look a lot better. Also, the grading job is not very convincing. There is a noticeable shift toward cool primaries and nuances that affects the native temperature of the visuals. As a result, some areas look oddly desaturated and even flat. Elsewhere you will also see that highlights become problematic as well. (See screencapture #3). Indoor and darker areas struggle to reveal proper shadow nuances, too. (See screencapture #25). Image stability is good. I noticed a few tiny flecks here and there, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Cockfighter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

While free of serious age-related anomalies, the audio could use a solid remastering job. Some of the exchanges sound muffled and thin, though it has to be said that the original soundtrack has very prominent organic characteristics as well. I think that some rebalancing work can be done to make a noticeable difference, but the improvement will not be dramatic.

Cockfighter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Cockfighter. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for Cockfighter

Cockfighter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I must admit that this recent Blu-ray release from Shout Factory is seriously underwhelming. Monte Hellman's Cockfighter is one of the great American films of the 1970s, and its high-definition debut should have been vastly superior. It has a very dated and overall unconvincing appearance on this Blu-ray release, and I think that this is pretty sad because a film of this caliber deserves to be treated with much greater respect. In 2024, Cockfighter will celebrate its 50th anniversary, so perhaps a different party will manage to restore it and produce a better Blu-ray release.