Cockfighter (Born to Kill)

Cockfighter (Born to Kill) (1974)

  • 100% of critics liked it
    (5 reviews)

  • 78% of users liked it
    (708 ratings)

Frank Mansfield (Warren Oates) is a game cock trainer who has taken a vow of silence; he once bragged too loudly about his cockfighting prowess and ended up losing his best fowl in a drunken, late-night match before an important tournament. To regain his pride after such hubris, Frank refuses to… More

Play Trailer

R, 1 hr. 23 min.
Directed By
Monte Hellman
Written By
Charles Willeford
Genres
Drama, Classics
In Theaters
Dec 31, 1974 Wide
On DVD
Mar 29, 2005
New World Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    This is a blood and guts art film with unforgettable intensity and stark scenes that few films have managed to capture with such fervor.

  • Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner

    A great film with a masterful silent performance by Warren Oates.

  • Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner

    Both beautiful and grotesque.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Reid V


    I cannot decide why I think Hellman is in many ways a genius. Is it because he managed to make an existential drama out of a movie about something so violent & arcane as cockfighting? Or is it due to the fact that he managed to see the brilliance of both Warren Oates & Harry… More

  • Eric B


    In theory, "Cockfighter" has plenty in common with director Monte Hellman's earlier classic "Two-Lane Blacktop." Warren Oates has a prime role in both films, and both stories follow a nomadic anti-hero who drives around the country making bets on his own… More

  • Patrick D


    The second film I've seen by Hellman, and the second one that is a comment on a popular genre of the time. This one is is about sport films. The narrative is set up like alot of sport films, and what's brilliant is that on one level plays out like a brilliantly directed… More

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