Review of Raging Bull (1980) by Kenneth B — 16 Jun 2012

I've always had problems with Raging Bull and I still haven't resolved them. In a technical sense I can see why it receives the praise that it does. Aside from Taxi Driver I'm not sure whether Scorsese has made such a distinct film and the performances of De Niro and Pesci stand out as strong ones, although I still feel as though too much stock has been placed in De Niro's use of The Method.

The problem I have with Raging Bull is that La Motta is portrayed as such a reprehensible man yet the conceit of the film is that we should feel sorry for him. It's downright ludicrous, the minimalist approach brings La Motta uncomfortably close to the audience so to then ask the audience to empathise with him is a step too far.