Runtime: 129 minutes
Directed by: Marty Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto
From: United Artists
As I promised a few weeks ago, it was finally time for me to revisit this cinematic classic, via MGMHD. The only other time it was watched was years ago and it took a second viewing for me to fully appreciate this motion picture. After all, it's raw unflinching look at a real life boxer who was as savage outside the ring as in-that is not the easiest movie to watch, what with the abusive way he treated everyone... from his wife to even his own brother, who served as his manager.
Jake LaMotta was a great boxer, if not a great human being. I could eviscerate him but the movie presents all his flaws rather well, and does show him to be rather pathetic at times. I actually do have to give credit to him because Raging Bull is based on an autobiography that LaMotta wrote himself where he noted all the mistakes he made and how he was his own worst enemy. Apparently, the book is even more explicit and raw in noting all the misdeeds he engaged in.
The film covered Jake from the early 40's through the early 60's; besides the resolute look at his life, the sport of boxing was not portrayed as “the sweet science” but rather a brutal spectacle with plenty of blood and bruises. Clips from many fights are presented, all shot in a different way. Outside the way, his bully ways are presented; he is also incredibly possessive of his wife Vickie, where he loses his s--- if some other man even talks to her. His softer side is shown a few times, which helps explain why she would stick by his side for years. Of course, he first fell for her when she was only FIFTEEN years old and in the final act he has an unfortunate incident with a fourteen year old girl; even if I won't rip this guy to shreds, he did some deplorable things in his life.
This movie likely literally saved Scorsese's life; he had a bad cocaine habit at the time and De Niro wanted him to make this movie instead. He devoted all his energy to make the best possible film as he believed this may be the last one he ever did. Subsequently, this was a masterclass in such aspects as cinematography, acting, and (especially) editing; Thelma Schoonmaker with the latter has been said to be among the best of all time, and such lofty praise does make sense. De Niro as the lead did deserve the Oscar for Best Actor for playing what could have been a one note character with plenty of nuance; this brought Frank Vincent, Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty into mainstream Hollywood and all were unforgettable but Old Robert was the true highlight there.
In my review of Ordinary People from last summer, I noted how people in modern times are mad that it won Best Picture over this film; like I said there, at the time most movie awards that year preferred People to this; both are worth seeing but Bull is better, IMO. Even with its difficult subject matter, it should not have been so many years for me to finally realize what exquisite filmmaking this was, a searing look at how a man's sexual inadequacies played such a negative role in his life.
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