Review of Raging Bull (1980) by Quinn B — 20 Jul 2011

"Hey Ray, Hey Ray, you never knocked me down Ray, you never knocked me down".

That quote sums up Jake LaMotta. Never backs down, and never gives up, one thing is for sure, he will always give 100% no matter what.

Raging Bull is in my mind the best boxing film ever made. It follows Jake LaMotta (De Niro), a boxer from the Bronx who doesn't want anything other than a title shot. It follows him on his journey to be the best. Everywhere from training with his brother Joey, his epic fights with Sugar Ray Robinson, and how terrible a husband he was. Now the film starts of by showing Jake in the future, out of shape, and grieving on the past. It then flashes back to the first fight we get to see. From there, his journey begins.

There could have not been a better actor to have played Jake LaMotta in this, De Niro was spot on. Another outstanding performance, was performed by Joe Pesci, who is Jake's brother Joey, not only is he his brother but also his trainer.

It seems as if Scorsese can never do wrong. He has made classics, such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Departed, and Raging Bull. Not to mention many, many more. In my mind Raging Bull is in his top 3 films of all time. Ahead of Taxi Driver, but just behind Goodfellas and The Departed.

The black and white style for this film was the perfect choice. Nothing is in colour, and I mean nothing. When you the blood squirting out of a fighter it looks incredibly real, and I think a huge part of the visuals were because of the black and white screening.

Now this was one of the first films I upgraded to Blu Ray. And for a film that was made in 1980, I got to say, its visuals were amazing!

The first time I saw Raging Bull, I liked it, but I didn't love it. After viewing it again, I can honestly say it is incredible.

To me, it blows Rocky out of the park. No other boxing film has done what Raging Bull has. Which is incorporate life, and boxing all in one. Sure Rocky is inspirational, but Raging Bull not only shows how Jake LaMotta's successes and struggles in the ring, but also in his marriage, and in his life.

It shows how violent LaMotta really was outside of the rings, mainly to his wife, or brother. And how emotionally troubled he was. And I think that is a huge reason why he fell off the map. He literally went from first to worst. Throughout the whole film, it showed that Jake liked to eat. There would always be references of his eating habits, and how he had to cut it down. And at the end, you really saw how much he let himself go.

Raging Bull is a one of a kind film. Scorsese really made something special. Great direction, great plot, and great performances really drove this home. What is even better, it is based on the true story of Jake LaMotta.

My rating for Raging Bull is.

100%.