If there's one thing that Martin Scorsese knows how to direct, it's broken men. Say what you will about the recent discourse over what constitutes "real" cinema, but it does not get much more real than the pounding and brutal storytelling that the Scorsese/De Niro powerhouse can accomplish. Raging Bull is the epitome of this, as it combines an excellent, autobiographical story with masterful direction crafted together with the glue of Thelma Schoonmaker's gorgeous editing. This film is a fantastic look into one man's moral and ethical descent spanning a few decades and how the consequences of his actions affected the rest of his life. While I personally had a hard time getting very invested in the story, it is clear to see how important telling this painful story was, especially to the titular fighter.
Based on the true, autobiographical novel written by the infamous boxer himself, Raging Bull follows the life of Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro), as well as his eventual career and personal downfall. As this revered fighter is busy with the fights he does for a living, he also struggles with maintaining the relationships with his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) and wife Vickie (Cathy Moriarty) as the audience sees the effects of how badly one man's life can spiral. Scorsese once again pairs with screenwriters Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin to adapt this compelling story. Along with the performance from De Niro, this film has a truly unstoppable force of storytelling. I love the framing narrative that Scorsese decided to take with this story. In an almost unrecognizable role, De Niro starts off this film nearly twenty years after the events that made La Motta so famous: the fights, the family, and the foul behavior. After being introduced as an almost standup comic, the film flashes back to his fighting days, along with his first girlfriend Lenore (Theresa Saldana) and their personal struggles together. It was such an interesting take having the audience start off this film directly in the midst of Jake being quite a bad person because it really sets the expectations for the rest of the film. What I enjoyed most was the exploration into how Jake's actions and treatment of everyone around him is what caused his life to go awry. From the very start of this film, I was worried that I would not enjoy it because of how blatantly abusive and overly masculine Jake consistently acted, from berating Lenore to using certain terms and slurs. While this did not ever really change until the very end of the film, I feel as if Scorsese's purpose was for the audience to really see how he was just a sad and insecure man at his core. Once the film flashes forward again to the early '60s, we see an older La Motta dealing with the repercussions of his younger self. While he has been reduced to an average guy, he tries to make amends with his brother and the closure of this film's protagonist is what makes its story so satisfying.
None of Jake's horrible actions are ever justified or deemed rightful, but rather they are used to tell the story of the dangers of having such a violent lifestyle in those times. Perhaps that was not the purpose of La Motta's original novel but the way that Schrader and Scorsese tell it is incredible. This can be classified into the wider category of toxic masculinity but that was not a huge point of discussion in terms of characterization, especially in 1980. The performances from this whole cast are absolutely noteworthy as well, from De Niro's grungy fighter to Moriarty's stoic character. De Niro and Pesci seem to be typecast, particularly in this era of film, as a certain type of broken character but there is no denying that they do it well. De Niro once again proves his chops as a fantastic dramatic actor and Pesci backs him up in the best supporting way possible. The fight scenes and editing throughout this film are also a huge part of what makes Raging Bull such an experience on its own. The sound design and sensory filmmaking that was used as Jake was smashing an opponent's face in or even getting his own pummeled made each punch and each strike so impactful. I could physically feel these fight scenes with how raw the action came out of the screen. Thelma Schoonmaker's impeccable editing was a huge part of this as well. Her lifelong creative partnership with Scorsese continues as she lets this whole, intense world of boxing breathe. The long takes and clever cuts really made me fall into this world and the way Schoonmaker avoids relying too much on quick, action cuts for the fighting is so admirable.
Raging Bull is a very interesting look into Jake La Motta's psyche and how badly his life was turned upside down after his horrible actions caught up with him. While it is captivating as a boxing biopic, Scorsese is able to make it captivating as a typical drama as well. I might not exactly adore Scorsese as much as someone else, but this fusion of personal and work life to make such a compelling narrative is what makes him one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
My Rating: ★★★½
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