Movie Poster

You didn't get me down, Ray.

Past Martin Scorsese film reviews:

• Goodfellas
• The Departed
• Shutter Island
• The Wolf of Wall Street

# Review

In this black and white biopic, Robert De Niro plays Italian American boxer Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta. The film follows LaMotta's career as a boxer and his life outside of the ring.

I couldn't help but compare this film with Rocky as both films feature a boxer who is persistent but is an underdog and both films focus on the boxers outside of the ring and use the fights as both a catalyst and a mirror for character development. Despite this, Raging Bull feels like an anti-Rocky in many respects; while Rocky is uplifting and sentimental, Raging Bull is intentionally cold and abrasive. While the audience cheers for Rocky, De Niro's jealous and insecure LaMotta can be described as an antihero at best.

De Niro's performance is intense and he portrays very effectively LaMotta's rage and self-destructiveness. Joe Pesci's Joey LaMotta and Cathy Moriarty's Vickie/Vikki LaMotta both serve as foils for Jake's character development. This film is masterfully crafted and aspects of the film, such as the contemplative mirror shots and the tasteful classical music, really stuck with me.

# Conclusion

A well-made boxing film that focuses on the boxer and is uncomfortably unsentimental.

# Overall rating: 8.0

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