I have made it a mission to complete the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, there are many titles in it I never would have heard of before, and this French film is one such title, and I hoped one that deserved to be in the book, directed by Claire Denis (Beau Travail). Basically Dah (Isaach De Bankolé) from Benin and Jocelyn (Alex Descas) from the Caribbean are two young men who decide to work together to gain quick cash. They team up to organise illegal cockfights, the blood sport between two cocks (roosters), held in a ring called a cockpit. Dah is responsible for the financial transactions while Jocelyn trains the animals. Jocelyn has a special attachment to one of the champion roosters, he has named it No Fear, No Die. Dah and Jocelyn have a third partner, Pierre (Jean Claude Brialy), who owns the space where the cockfights take place, he and Jocelyn have known each other since Jocelyn and his mother immigrated to France. However, Pierre constantly haggles with the two men over money and insists that the cockfights become more violent urging the men to use razor blades and steel spurs instead of small horns on the birds, he also insinuates after one fight that he slept with Jocelyn's mother. Jocelyn is disgusted and starts drinking, he becomes more and more dejected, he develops an obsession with Pierre's wife Toni (Solveig Dommartin), and names one of the roosters after her. One night, Jocelyn gets drunk and releases the roosters from their cages, afterwards he and Dah learn Pierre has been locking them in and insists on using steel spurs. Enraged, Jocelyn breaks out and flees to Paris, Dah manages to track him down and convinces him to return for one final night to the cockfighting ring. At the final fight Toni asks Jocelyn to take her with him, but he refuses, meanwhile Pierre organises a fight between the rooster named after Toni and one brought in by his gypsy business partners. Jocelyn is unable to watch his rooster die, so he jumps into the ring to rescue his bird, but before he can flee, he is stabbed by Michel (Christopher Buchholz), Pierre's son and Toni's lover. Dah prepares and cleans Jocelyn's body before being arrested, along with Toni, Michel and other members of the cockfighting ring, after Dah is released, he packs his possessions and finally leaves. Also starring Christa Lang as Toni's mother. The cast all do their parts fine, and it is certainly an interesting story about illegal business, the most memorable moments are pf course the cockfighting sequences, which are brutal, even the roosters being prepared and exercised makes for uncomfortable viewing, I wouldn't be surprised if there were complaints of animal cruelty at the time, nevertheless it is a fascinating drama. Good!
Review of No Fear, No Die
