Martin Scorsese is without a doubt one of the most celebrated and talented filmmakers of the 20th century and beyond. With such classics as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Casino, Scorsese has always delivered and his films are still beloved today. He’s probably one of the few directors to come out of the New Hollywood Movement with continued success. However, despite his critical acclaim, there were still some dark periods in his career. After making his biggest hit at the time, Taxi Driver, things weren’t looking too great for him. His follow-up film, 1977’s New York New York, was both a critical and commercial failure, which sent him into depression. At the same time, Scorsese had a massive cocaine addition that left him hospitalized and in poor health. Luckily, his friend and fellow collaborator Robert De Niro managed to get him back on his feet with Raging Bull.
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The film is a somewhat loose biopic of real-life heavyweight boxer Jake LaMotta, here played by Robert De Niro. We follow his life story from his early days as a boxer to his later life as a stand-up comic. We see him in his biggest bouts with heavyweights like Jimmy Reeves, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Tony Janiro. While he’s a champion in the ring, his violent temper destroys his personal life. He leaves his first wife Lenore (Theresa Saldana) for a woman named Vickie (Cathy Moriarty). Once married, Jake on occasion beats her and accuses her of sleeping with other men. At the same time, his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) tries to help, but he’s often pushed aside. Jake starts accusing his brother of having an affair with Vickie, and he even accuses her of sleeping around. Eventually, things go downhill leading to the end of Jake’s boxing career.
Given when this film came out, it’s easy to make comparisons between this and Rocky. While both are boxing movies that are more so character studies, they are quite different. In Rocky, the main character is flawed and not-too-bright, but he’s good at heart and the movie is very up-lifting. Here, the main character is abusive to his wife, turns away people trying to help him, and things end badly. It’s a very down and dirty film that doesn’t have very many bright spots and shows a real dark side. Even still, Jake LaMotta is a character who, while not the best, is still engaging to watch. Robert De Niro does an excellent job, especially considering how much time and effort he put into his performance. The rest of the cast, particularly Joe Pesci and newcomer Cathy Moriarty, are excellent and work well opposite De Niro.
Considering how reluctant Scorsese was in making this film, his direction here is phenomenal. With its black-and-white photography, it really makes the boxing matches all the more vicious and visually interesting. It also helps to cement the film in the time period it’s set, giving a somewhat film noir look. While not a huge hit with critics and audiences at the time, it eventually was cemented as a certified classic. Some people might be put off by its grim tone, hard-hitting violence, and its not-so-good lead character. But for others, Raging Bull stands as a perfect example of an exceptional actor-director powerhouse with Scorsese and De Niro.
