Cockfighter

"From Governor's Mansions to Cheap Hotels: The Big Money Sport that's Dirty-Violent and Outside the Law!"

1974 1h 23m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 64

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A man who trains fighting cocks vows to remain silent until one of his birds wins a championship.

“From Governor's Mansions to Cheap Hotels: The Big Money Sport that's Dirty-Violent and Outside the Law!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Warren Oates
Frank Mansfield
Richard B. Shull
Omar Baradansky
Harry Dean Stanton
Jack Burke
Ed Begley Jr.
Tom Peeples
Laurie Bird
Dody White Burke
Troy Donahue
Randall Mansfield
Warren Finnerty
Sanders
Robert Earl Jones
Buford

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Monte Hellman
Writers: Charles Willeford
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Monte Hellman, shot by Néstor Almendros. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Franks. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Monte Hellman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Warren Oates and Richard B. Shull and Harry Dean Stanton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "From Governor's Mansions to Cheap Hotels: The Big Money Sport that's Dirty-Violent and Outside the Law!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Monte Hellman directs. Néstor Almendros behind the camera. Michael Franks scores. Monte Hellman cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
352 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Monte Hellman, shot by Néstor Almendros. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Franks. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Monte Hellman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Warren Oates and Richard B. Shull and Harry Dean Stanton carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "From Governor's Mansions to Cheap Hotels: The Big Money Sport that's Dirty-Violent and Outside the Law!".
9IMDB entry: tt0071338 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 64 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Néstor Almendros
Original score: Michael Franks
Editing: Monte Hellman
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $400,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Cockfighter (1974)

Also by

Monte Hellman

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Chandler Danier2026-02-19
★ 5/10
I've never seen a cockfight and I want to. Even after seeing all the chickens die in this. Poor birds had to die for this piece of shit. At least it was filmed in interesting, rural locations. It's got a charm to it. Did everyone just suck back in the day? Why does everyone like this guy? "Oh wow. It's chicken guy! He doesn't talk and is an alcoholic gambling addict who sells all his shit just to keep killing birds. Golly. Everyone loves him!" This is just a series of chicken themed scenes stacked on top of each other. I like how he handles himself in some situations but it's all so awkward and hackey. Some fucking gigantic 19 year old farm boy biting your calf and you don't beat the shit out of him? He later comes at you with an axe, smashes your car window and all you do is dunk his face in water? What about the window? But you know, our guy is just so like ummm into chickens so he doesn't respond to people in real ways.

Production companies