Film Review : RAGING BULL * * * *

Submitted by jblack on Wed, 03/28/2001 - 13:29
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Raging Bull (1980)

CAST Robert DeNiro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colosanto

DIRECTOR Martin Scorsese

"Raging Bull" is the kind of film that can be watched over and over. Martin Scorsese opted for black and white for this film and homered with it.

Robert DeNiro plays Jake LaMotta, a up and coming middle weight who eventually becomes the champion only to see his personal life diminish to nothing before his own eyes. His brother Joey (played by Pesci) is his manager. After one marriage fails, Jake falls for Vicky (played by Cathy Moriarty), a local teenage girl he meets at a public swimming pool. They get married and have a couple of kids in the time Jake rises to the top. He is very jealous of her. Even accusing his brother of sleeping with her. This jealousy is what eventually destroys his life, both in and out of the ring.

The wonderful thing about this movie is not the action inside the ring. But to let you know, what action there is happens to be brutal. The black and white photography helps give a morose look to the spraying blood, enhancing the brutality of the fight scenes. The real drama of this film lies in the self of Jake LaMotta, the man. He is so insecure and jealous that he constantly worries and this detours him from his primary career focus.

There are many great scenes and wonderful shots pulled off by Scorsese in this film. The highlight is the development of the main characters. We Know them all so well by the end of the film. Especially Jake, who for some reason, we still feel sorry for even though he put himself in the position he is in. You can credit a lot of that to the performance of Robert DeNiro, who put on sixty or so pounds for the part. Joe Pesci gives the best performaance of his career, as the brother who really loves Jake, but just cannot deal with him anymore. This film lost the best picture oscar to "Ordinary People, another of one of the greatest films ever made, so it's hard to debate the decision. But looking back, maybe this picture deserved it a little more, because this is the film that will transcend time.