So i'm just going to come out and say it, I hated Martin Scorcese's Raging Bull the first time I saw it. I found it to be ripe with unlikable characters, and an overall unpleasant story. For the life of me I never understood why this movie has been brought up to be compared against Rocky. Where Rocky dealt with an underdog character overcoming his own internal struggle and ultimately finding dignity in the woman he love, Raging Bull is about an asshole who treats everybody terribly and ultimately loses everything because of the life he leads. So how did I feel about after re watching it? Well… i still don't like it as much as other people do but I'm starting to feel like I'm not supposed to. Don't understand? lets start with the story and ill explain as we go.
Raging Bull follows the life of 1940's Boxer Jake La Motta ( played her by Robert De Niro) as he rises up from the slums of the Bronx into Fame and glory as a champion Boxer. along the way we see his relationships withe people around him as well as the inner workings of his mind, and life style; all of which ultimately lead to his fall from grace. Along the way he is joined by his brother, a wise guy who despite wanting to look out for his own brother has issues of his own including a huge anger problem, as well as his wife who is not the least bit loyal to Jake and appears to be a gold digger.
Off the bat the story is not my favorite. I find the fact that not one of these characters has a single redeeming quality to hinder the story itself. It's equally unpleasant when you watch these characters knowing that this is not only a true story, but hat according to some of the people who actually experienced this, it was way way worse. Thats right, a movie where a woman cheats on her husband with his own brother only to have that husband beat said brother nearly to death in front of his own children, and then finish it all off by punching his own wife square in the face, is noting compared to what actually happened. Scene after scene not only shows how utterly awful each of these people are, but how undeserving they are of the fortune and talent they have. Jake La Motta cheats on his wife, threatens to kill a dog, then beats his wife, only to go ahead and solicit an affair from a fifteen year old, and thats all in the FIRST TWENTY MINUTES of the movie. Later on we will find Jake doing such charming things as throwing a boxing match, and making out with underage teenagers. The brother for the most part is a likable character, except for you know that fact that he threatens to stab hi sson in the face and that sleeps with his brother's second wife. And then there is the WIfe who is the most likable character in comparison. I say in Comparison because at one point she openly dims to sleeping around with everyone in the neighborhood including Jake's own family. the characters are vile and that's sort of the point.
So if I don't like the character's then what redeeming value does the story have? Well, for one thing it happens to fall into one of my favorite cinematic stories; The American Tragedy. However, unlike Citizen Kane or The Godfather, where the hero's are likable characters with tragic flaws, Jake has no like ability and pretty much is the fatal flaw. there is nothing in this character that suggests that he might make it out okay. from the get go you know this guy is going down a path that he will not be able to escape from. That's sort of what makes this rendition of the American Tragedy so great though. IT'S THE AMERICAN TRAGEDY ON STEROIDS.
Story aside I'd like to talk about the cinematography of the film which is by far one of my favorite parts of the film. the style in which the fights are filmed, the close ups the sheer brutality of every blow, it makes the entire feel heavy and slow but in a way that just embodies the character of Jake La Motta. there are these great scenes where we see Jake observing other people talking from afar, and where in other films we would only see these characters lips move we actually hear them speak. I don't know, I always got the impression that maybe what we were sharing was all in Jake's head that it was his own paranoia leading him to the harsh conclusions, which are ultimately what lead to him losing his family, money, and pride.
Another highpoint of this picture is the acting. Can I just talk about Robert De Niro for a minute? because I'm going to. De Niro brings it in this film. not only does he immerse himself into the role emotionally he does it physically. Take a look at the pictures of him above and the check this one out.
Yeah! besides the nose, all of that is real. De Niro gained 60 LBS in order to portray the character accurately. There is of debate regarding actors performing major body changes in order to portray certain characters, especially in the light of Matthew Mcchonaughey's performance in Dallas Buyers Club. But I find it an incredible feat for an actor to take. As long as the changes are not life threatening i t make perfect sense for an actor to do this type of thing. In order for an actor to fully understand a character especially one that actually existed it's important to put yourself not only in the shoes of the character but also their body.
So why is it that I don't enjoy watching this movie so much? Well, like I said earlier, this isn't a movie that you're supposed to watch and enjoy. The story is unpleasant and its supposed to be unpleasant. The main character's overt masculinity, and self destructive behavior drive him to his demise. and that's what we're supposed to be watching. it's a movie that i feel like i can only watch once and get the message. There are certain films that are like that (i.e. Requieum For A Dream, and The Devil's Rejects). FIlms that although are fantastic and well done garner material so unpleasant hat it only takes one viewing to understand it, and then you will not need to or want to watch it again. this doesn't mean the film is bad it just means that it's not a movie you casually watch for enjoyment. and in the end thats what Raging Bull is a great movie with a very heavy message. And if there is any better way to end a film with such dark subject matter, than it is most certainly the eye opening final frame of the movie.
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