Martin Scorsese’s boxing classic.
Starring Robert De Niro as boxer Jake La Motta, a fighter renowned for his ability to take insane amounts of beatings, before unleashing a violent outburst which usually knocks his opponent down. Jake’s career in boxing is tumultuous due to his behaviour outside of the ring; his unyielding independence and brutality make him few friends, and only his brother/manager Joey (Joe Pesci) barely keeps him in line.
Throughout the story, we also see Jake’s relationship with Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), a neighbourhood girl whom he falls instantly in love with, but other the years begins to use as a punching bag for his insatiable temper. As Jake’s dream of becoming a champion comes closer, his self-destructive nature worsens, and he begins to take it out on those around him.
A stark, beautifully shot film, Raging Bull deserves its accolades as one of the best boxing films of all time. Scorsese’s intense filming techniques capture the emotion of this character brilliantly, showing him as a natural predator in the ring, and a wild beast outside of it. The relationship between De Niro and Pesci is, as always, captivating. They seem to feed off each other’s energy, building up the anger and tension within each scene, but in a way that makes them seem like brothers.
I would not put this as my favourite boxing movie, I think a couple of other modern ones have better stories, but this set the bar extremely high, and, considering it was made over 30 years ago, deserves its place in cinematic history…right ABOVE the Rocky films.
No comments:
Post a Comment