Review of Raging Bull (1980) by Jj M — 19 May 2011
'That's entertainment!' Jake/Jack LaMotta's muddled attempt at poetry at the beginning sums his story up in a paradoxical way. This film is not entertainment and LaMotta was not a poet.
Scorsese sculpts an uncompromising and brutal portrayal of a champion fighter and a desparate, reclusive man. DeNiro plays him to passionate perfection with utmost dedication to his uglier sides, and Joe Pesci provides excellent support as his slightly-more-affable brother.
When viewed in b/w, you can sense that Scorsese was paying tribute to the way movies were made in the 40s and 50s and for that I can appreciate a sort of authenticity, but I couldn't warm to the material in the same way as Goodfellas or Taxi Driver.
Something deeply negative pervaded every scene. 4 stars.
This review of Raging Bull (1980) was written by Jj M on 19 May 2011.
Raging Bull has generally received very positive reviews.
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