Raging Bull (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Raging Bull' (directed by the great Martin Scorsese) is one of the best boxing biopics put to celluloid and, offers one of Robert DeNiro's very best performances. The movie tells of the violent & troubled life of Jake La Motta (DeNiro) -- nicknamed the Raging Bull. It is a brutal film about a sadistic, self-destructive man who rages with jealousy & paranoia regarding matters in & out of the ring; including sex & marriage. This film opens in 1941 when up-&-coming La Motta is battling his way to the upper tier of the Middleweight Class. He wins several bouts, including one against arch-nemesis, Sugar Ray Robinson; but his reluctance to surrender with the local mobster godfather keeps him from a great opportunity to partake in a championship match.
All the while, La Motta falls in love with 15(!) yr. old Vicki (Cathy Moriarty), who he marries after dropping his peevish 1st wife. Vicki becomes Jake's greatest prize & the source of his greatest pain. His own insecurity is so massive that he will not accept that a woman as strikingly beautiful as Vicki could ever be faithful to him. Consequently, he is haunted by the idea that she is sleeping with someone else; even his brother/manager (Joe Pesci) -- explosive violence ensues. In 1949, Jake gets his 1st shot at a championship fight, but under one condition ... he must take a fall. He executes it so badly that an investigation launches & his boxing career suffers. 2 yrs. later, he wins the title, only to lose an ensuing bout to Sugar Ray. By 1964, Jake had become a pathetic figure -- a bankrupt, obese loser who spent time in a Miami jail on a morals charge, lost his wife & kids, and tried making $$ in stand-up comedy. Quite the fall from grace.
Biopics tend to be either overelaborate hero-worshipping movies OR dry, Wikipedia entry-like affairs. 'Raging Bull' bucks both of those. Director Martin Scorsese takes the adult life of La Motta {not his entire life} and develops one of the more compelling character studies of a real-life celebrity that I've seen. This ain't Rocky (1976), I'll tell ya that. This film takes a cold, unflinching look at violence in & out of the ring; showing the seedy, greedy underbelly of a sport where high stakes gambling & unsavory gangsters force skilled boxers to 'throw matches' in order to keep on fighting for titles. Scorsese mesmerizes us for nearly all 129 min. of the run time; showing us a lead character who is, by turns, pitiful, sorrowful, yet also utterly horrifying.
Robert DeNiro is outstanding as our Raging Bull; bringing as level of acute, primal intensity that is unwavering. He's a monster but, while we could never fully sympathize with him, Scorsese at least makes us understand the forces that drive him to be how he is. DeNiro always brings the acting chops, but he also brought a shocking physical transformation the likes that had never been seen before in Hollywood. As younger Jake, DeNiro is trim & fit {having trained with actual prize-winning fighters}. As older Jake, DeNiro gained nearly 60 lbs. to turn into the grotesque failure that he becomes. Scorsese was actually concerned for DeNiro's health during his transformation. You can't take your eyes off of DeNiro from start to finish. Great performance.
DeNiro rightfully won Best Actor at the Academy Awards and, both Cathy Moriarty & Joe Pesci rightfully received noms for lending their own raw energy to their roles. Pesci is a liiitttllle more subdued than in his other Scorsese films, but he still brings the heat; as evidenced in a scene where he snaps on a mobster. And Cathy Moriarty rivets as the virginal seductress who later turns mournful & fearful as the battered wife & mother. Other than acting, I praised the film's stunning look. Cinematographer Michael Chapman brings stark black-&-white visuals to the intense, multi point-of-view perspectives during the fight scenes, as well as the domestic scenes. To that, Thelma Schoonmaker's editing of those carefully-choreographed fights is scintillating.
Scorsese shows how the consequences of La Motta's actions directly led to his downfall -- it is startling to behold. Interestingly enough, though this film takes a fairly unsympathetic look at him, apparently, he was much worse than depicted! After reading the book from which this film is based, La Motta then realized just how awful he was; asking Vicki if he was 'really like that?', she replied, "You were worse" -- if that's the case, holy mackeral! Many people felt this should've won Best Picture at the Oscars over Ordinary People. I actually agree with the result; was moved greatly by that film. Still, this is an exceedingly well-made spectacle that shows how celebrities can still be, to a certain extent, idolized even after their savage behavior is noted.
All the while, La Motta falls in love with 15(!) yr. old Vicki (Cathy Moriarty), who he marries after dropping his peevish 1st wife. Vicki becomes Jake's greatest prize & the source of his greatest pain. His own insecurity is so massive that he will not accept that a woman as strikingly beautiful as Vicki could ever be faithful to him. Consequently, he is haunted by the idea that she is sleeping with someone else; even his brother/manager (Joe Pesci) -- explosive violence ensues. In 1949, Jake gets his 1st shot at a championship fight, but under one condition ... he must take a fall. He executes it so badly that an investigation launches & his boxing career suffers. 2 yrs. later, he wins the title, only to lose an ensuing bout to Sugar Ray. By 1964, Jake had become a pathetic figure -- a bankrupt, obese loser who spent time in a Miami jail on a morals charge, lost his wife & kids, and tried making $$ in stand-up comedy. Quite the fall from grace.
Biopics tend to be either overelaborate hero-worshipping movies OR dry, Wikipedia entry-like affairs. 'Raging Bull' bucks both of those. Director Martin Scorsese takes the adult life of La Motta {not his entire life} and develops one of the more compelling character studies of a real-life celebrity that I've seen. This ain't Rocky (1976), I'll tell ya that. This film takes a cold, unflinching look at violence in & out of the ring; showing the seedy, greedy underbelly of a sport where high stakes gambling & unsavory gangsters force skilled boxers to 'throw matches' in order to keep on fighting for titles. Scorsese mesmerizes us for nearly all 129 min. of the run time; showing us a lead character who is, by turns, pitiful, sorrowful, yet also utterly horrifying.
Robert DeNiro is outstanding as our Raging Bull; bringing as level of acute, primal intensity that is unwavering. He's a monster but, while we could never fully sympathize with him, Scorsese at least makes us understand the forces that drive him to be how he is. DeNiro always brings the acting chops, but he also brought a shocking physical transformation the likes that had never been seen before in Hollywood. As younger Jake, DeNiro is trim & fit {having trained with actual prize-winning fighters}. As older Jake, DeNiro gained nearly 60 lbs. to turn into the grotesque failure that he becomes. Scorsese was actually concerned for DeNiro's health during his transformation. You can't take your eyes off of DeNiro from start to finish. Great performance.
DeNiro rightfully won Best Actor at the Academy Awards and, both Cathy Moriarty & Joe Pesci rightfully received noms for lending their own raw energy to their roles. Pesci is a liiitttllle more subdued than in his other Scorsese films, but he still brings the heat; as evidenced in a scene where he snaps on a mobster. And Cathy Moriarty rivets as the virginal seductress who later turns mournful & fearful as the battered wife & mother. Other than acting, I praised the film's stunning look. Cinematographer Michael Chapman brings stark black-&-white visuals to the intense, multi point-of-view perspectives during the fight scenes, as well as the domestic scenes. To that, Thelma Schoonmaker's editing of those carefully-choreographed fights is scintillating.
Scorsese shows how the consequences of La Motta's actions directly led to his downfall -- it is startling to behold. Interestingly enough, though this film takes a fairly unsympathetic look at him, apparently, he was much worse than depicted! After reading the book from which this film is based, La Motta then realized just how awful he was; asking Vicki if he was 'really like that?', she replied, "You were worse" -- if that's the case, holy mackeral! Many people felt this should've won Best Picture at the Oscars over Ordinary People. I actually agree with the result; was moved greatly by that film. Still, this is an exceedingly well-made spectacle that shows how celebrities can still be, to a certain extent, idolized even after their savage behavior is noted.