Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty
‘A Remarkable Boxing Classic’
Few actors in Hollywood that achieved fame years ago are as beloved as Robert De Niro. Following rise to stardom during the 1970’s, De Niro has proven to be one of the finest actors in the film industry. Whether its stories of troubled taxi drivers, greedy gangsters or traumatized Vietnam war soldiers, De Niro has built an impressive career by playing a diverse range of characters. His strong commitment to playing characters through method acting has made him an icon in the world of entertainment. Through his ability to play empathetic characters, De Niro has become one of those actors that audiences can relate to. Despite reaching the age of retirement, De Niro has proven that he hasn’t lost abilities to portray compelling characters in entertainment. In light of his recent birthday, I decided to look back on the actor’s career today.
I’m a huge fan of De Niro and adore all the movies the actor has made throughout his illustrious career. However, “Raging Bull” stands out as his greatest career achievement. Released in 1980, Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning movie celebrated a real-life boxer with a lasting legacy. Scorsese painted a powerful portrait of a real-life boxer with a raging bull temper. Boasting breathtaking boxing sequences, sharp storytelling and phenomenal acting, it has stood the test of time as a boxing classic. At the centre of it all is Robert De Niro, who completely transforms into a real-life boxer in a career-defining performance. Despite focusing on boxing, “Raging Bull” is one of those rare movies everyone will find relatable. It delivers a strong message resonating with everyone bonding with brothers at an early age. Ultimately, it’s a breathtaking boxing classic and there’s several reasons why it’s the best movie Robert De Niro has ever made.
Set in the 1940’s, “Raging Bull” chronicles the real-life story of a powerful boxer with raging temper seeking to become successful. Robert De Niro embodies Jake LaMotta, a tormented boxer with charisma. Assisted by his inspiring brother Joey (Joe Pesci), Jake seeks to become a successful boxer in a competitive industry. However, Jake’s dreams of achieving success in the boxing ring are threatened by his raging temper affecting his well-being. Taking out his frustrations on his brother, Jake questions if he has what it takes to become a boxer. Under stress, Jake begins to question if he will ever make it as a boxer achieving success.
Martin Scorsese is fascinated with lives of conflicted men. Before making “Raging Bull”, Scorsese was known for making dark movies about troubled men. His iconic classic “Taxi Driver” investigated the life of a troubled taxi driver living in New York. With “Raging Bull”, however, Scorsese crafted his first ever boxing biopic. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to tell a true story about a real-life boxer with raging temper, but he succeeded tremendously. Through captivating cinematography, Scorsese captures a boxer with raging temper discovering his identity. Scorsese’s decisions to shoot the movie in black-and-white is risky but it works tremendously. The black-and-white visuals immerse viewers into the dark world of a broken boxer without any hope. Scorsese’s bold decision to shoot the movie in black-and-white allows viewers to empathize with obstacles Jack LaMotta has to fight. For instance, the black-and-white visuals elevate the opening fight scene in the boxing ring. During this unforgettable scene, the black-and-white captures Jake LaMotta’s plight. Through breathtaking visuals, Scorsese captures the raging world of boxing.
Another aspect of “Raging Bull” that’s worthy of appreciation is the production. For a movie made during the 1980’s, Scorsese’s boxing epic has aged incredibly over time. Scorsese effectively uses slow-motion to capture a raging boxer whose mental health faces deterioration. For instance, slow-motion elevates the opening fight scene. During this unforgettable scene, Jake LaMottta engages in a tense fight with an opponent in the ring. One admires slow-motion bringing to life a nerve-wracking fight. The slow-motion does an effective job of putting viewers into the conflicted mind of a boxer whose health faces deterioration. Slow-motion is a tricky technique to use in movies. When used excessively, it can often come across as a gimmick. However, it worked immensely in this movie. Moreover, the musical score is magnificent. Pietro Mascagni’s music is intense, gripping and suspenseful. It puts viewers into the headspace of a conflicted boxer. Through awe-inspiring production, Scorsese captures a boxer facing conflicted emotion.
Storytelling is one of the main reasons why “Raging Bull” remains a classic that’s compelling. Great movies about boxing are driven by engaging storytelling, and “Raging Bull” is definitely one of them. The film is beautifully written, and expertly uses silence to capture a boxer haunted by past incidences of violence. Paul Schrader’s screenwriting strength is capturing the negative impact of violence on the life of a boxer facing a dilemma through silence. Throughout the movie, Jake LaMotta adopts a silent attitude after witnessing traumatic incidences of violence in the ring. Whether he’s giving the cold shoulder to his brother or refusing to talk to his girlfriend, Jake deals with the challenges of boxing through being silent. Through this ingenious technique, Scorsese captures hardships that a real-life boxer seeking success went through. Silence is a complicated technique to use in movies. Most boxing movies are driven by loud noises. As Scorsese’s “Silence” demonstrated, sequences of silence elevate religious epics. However, it worked tremendously in this movie. Through a spectacular screenplay, Scorsese captures boxers facing a painful price to pay.
One admires astonishing performances. “Raging Bull” wouldn’t have become an enduring classic without the awe-inspiring acting.
Robert De Niro delivers a career-defining performance as Jake LaMotta. De Niro achieved appreciation for playing gangsters ruling Italian mean streets in Scorsese’s previous movies. With “Raging Bull”, however, he took on his first boxing role. It isn’t easy to embody a boxer with raging bull temper, but De Niro succeeded. Not only did he gain weight for the role but he completely transformed into Jake LaMotta. With mesmerizing expressions, De Niro captures the angst, fear and determination of a boxer determined to achieve success. It’s a phenomenal performance that launched the career of one of the world’s best actors today.
Joe Pesci is phenomenal as a compassionate boxing trainer seeking to assist his brother in becoming a successful boxer. While De Niro gets the showier role, Pesci is also excellent as a boxing trainer whose life spirals out of control. Pesci excels at using his commanding voice to portray a boxing trainer’s conflicted relationship with his brother. Whether he’s shouting at Jake to throw punches with power or silently advising him to control his raging temper, Pesci uses his commanding voice to capture persona of a boxing trainer. It’s a powerful performance from an actor that always stood out in Martin Scorsese’s movies.
Finally, “Raging Bull” remains a powerful classic worth watching for a message that’s relatable. Unlike most boxing movies, it’s one of those rare movies everyone would relate to. The film tackles universal themes such as anger, mental health and jealousy. Viewers aren’t required to be fans of boxing to appreciate the movie. It delivers a universal message about powerful bonds between brothers with which everyone can engage. Therefore, “Raging Bull” is one of those rare boxing movies everyone would find appealing.
Fans of Robert De Niro would definitely appreciate “Raging Bull” and so will movie-goers seeking meaningful entertainment. A breathtaking boxing biopic, it celebrates an iconic actor whose movies are admired by the general public.
Nearly 40 years following the groundbreaking release of an awe-inspiring film about boxers with raging bull temper seeking success in the ring, it’s a compelling reminder of an incredible actor achieving a huge fan following building a long-lasting legacy by portraying fascinating characters overcoming painful obstacles whose entertaining movies which haven’t lost the abilities to captivate audiences are definitely worth celebrating.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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