Review
Raging Bull
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Year
- 1980
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Tuesday, August 07, 2001
The story is about the difficult and conflictive LaMotta, whose career was at times brilliant and at times bumpy, and whose personal life was mostly disastrous on account of his voluble personality. The scope of Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin’s script is very intimate, focusing on LaMotta’s personal conflicts more than in his career, yet giving the latter the deserved importance it should. As a matter of fact, Jake’s personal ways sort of paralleled those on the ring, as he seemed to be a bull (nicknamed “The Bronx Bull” in fact) that charged when least expected, filled with a blinding rage that turned uncontrollable just like that.
The result is surprising. The overall plot is difficult to swallow, but it’s refreshing since it’s sprinkled with awesome boxing scenes and poignant vignettes at every turn. The story spans some decades, yet it never becomes tiresome though the protagonist gets more self-destructive as the years pass. In the end, he’s a mess, but it’s never regretful that his story has been told, because of the way the filmmakers chose to do it.
It’s a combination of things, really. It’s not only the well-distributed script, but also the way it’s shot and edited. Both departments are completely admirable and certainly some of the best examples of each in cinema history. Michael Chapman’s cinematography is mostly black-and-white, except in some home movie sequences that are so poignant they easily bring tears to the eyes. Overall, it’s exquisitely photographed, with the look matching the mood and accentuating the passion of the procedures scene by scene. On the other hand, Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing work is nothing short of perfect, not only at the boxing matches but everywhere else; her choices are unsettling but highly effective, and the result is inventive and dynamic. Her work is probably the aspect of the film that I enjoyed most… but it’s so hard to choose. Pietro Mascagni’s classic Intermezzo from his opera “Cavalleria rusticana” completes the emotional wallop.
Headlining are Joe Pesci as Jake’s brother/manager Joey and Cathy Moriarty as LaMotta’s wife Vicki. Though Pesci is a particular standout, both are perfectly cast and completely unforgettable. De Niro however is simply beyond words: passionate, amiable and disgusting, all at once, and showing an amazing devotion to his work through a physical change that’s simply unbelievable and made history. They say he doesn’t like to talk about it and no wonder: it must have been the most draining effort an actor can make.
A difficult film if there ever was one, yet one that’s easy-going once the ride is bought, and completely addictive afterwards, Raging Bull is nearly a mystical experience, and though it’s needless to say, it’s a must-see.
“Come on, hit me. Harder. Harder.”
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Other reviews of Raging Bull (1980): Morris
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Review
Raging Bull
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Year
- 1980
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, August 04, 2005
Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro) was a middle-weight boxer whose biggest battle wasn’t inside the ring, but with himself. Raging Bull tells the story of his rise and fall. It also depicts his life along his wife (Cathy Moriarty), his brother (Joe Pesci), and ultimately, his temperament.
Biographies are always a hard task to bring to the big screen. Some are filled with sappy melodrama, others just can’t attach with the viewer. So the fact that a bio about such a repellent man could achieve such greatness and be so compelling should be credited to the collaboration between director Martin Scorsese, actor Robert De Niro, and scribes Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin.
The movie is a meticulous character study of an unappealing man who led himself to his own destruction. Always impulsive, jealous, egoistic, he was a rather complex man. And his life was fascinating. The movie shows it all with great attention to detail and character development.
It also helps that Raging Bull is one of the best crafted motion pictures ever. Shot in beautiful black and white, it contains some of the most harrowing boxing matches ever committed to celluloid. That’s what editing is all about! Besides, it all moves at a nice pace even though it is a difficult movie to digest. And it contains a memorable segment at the middle that shows extracts from Jake’s life using color home videos intertwined with his victories at the ring.
Robert De Niro won a well-deserved Oscar for his outstanding portrayal of this man. There’s always an underlying sense of pity and sadness beyond his acting that pays off admirably to make a better portrait of what Jake was all about. He also went through one of the most impressive physical transformations an actor has ever done to portray a character accurately. His fat persona is unbelievably shocking.
Lending great support are Cathy Moriarty, as Jake’s fragile yet strong wife who, like many women, get attached to a man who is not worthy of her and who gives her quite a hard time along the way. Joe Pesci is also a standout in a role that fits him perfectly and makes a great counterpart to De Niro’s Jake.
Raging Bull is, without any doubt, one of the best movies of the 80’s. It feels like something completely different and represents a remarkable achievement in every aspect!
“You didn't get me down, Ray.”
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Other reviews of Raging Bull (1980): Groucho
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Groucho wrote at 6/22/2002:
I so love this movie! I remember how marveled I was at first by its beauty, especially in that segment showing home-videos in color. Man, what poignancy! This is a terribly beautiful movie about a horrible man, that's the secret of its success!