What Types of Movies Have Been Inspiring Audiences for Decades Because of Their Display of Courage, Resilience, and Determination?
Sports films have been emotional and moving tales like The Pride of the Yankees, Brian’s Song, and Cinderella Man (2005). We have true underdog stories like Ruby and Hoosiers. Heck…we even get plenty of laughs from Major League, The Replacements, and Dodgeball. But these films have inspired us to work together and try our hardest. The great ones can transcend the field, court, or rink to make the audience care about the players and coaches who are making dreams possible.
Not every sports film needs to focus on human growth and success. But not all of them are inspiring.
Some of them can take this competition as a disease that will rot you to the core.
Which Filmmaker Would be Daring Enough to Take a Sport and Decay Our Hero to the Worst Aspects of Themselves?
Martin Scorsese. What sport did he dare tear down? One of the most significant competitions that captured the American gaze for most of the 20th century…boxing. Boxing is a towering duel between two larger-than-life beings. Fist versus fist. Two people trading blows until one can no longer take it. Rocky captured the spirit of a whole city and Italian Americans everywhere in the 1970s. But 1980 rolled around and Scorsese decided to look at a different Italian American boxer. This man was not the lovable lug that became everyone’s underdog hero. He didn’t have a sincere and endearing love story. The man has a much more warped sense of the world and what competition was about. Jake LaMotta. The Bronx Bull. Raging Bull.
Where to Even Begin When Talking About One of the Greatest Films Ever to be Put on Screen?
Do you start with one of the greatest performances ever seen on the screen?
Robert De Niro continues his long-standing professional relationship with Scorsese as he laces up his gloves to go pound for pound with some of the most historic fighters in the ring.
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Let’s begin with the most obvious… physicality. There are two different LaMotta’s that we see in this film. First, De Niro is some of the most amazing physical shapes he has ever been in. Trimmed perfectly and carrying a determined drive, De Niro is terrifying as he comes at his opponents (and family) like a wild animal. This animalistic embodiment of rage is poignant, and the audience can feel this presence right through the screen. But then De Niro shows something completely different once LaMotta’s career ends when the second half of the film begins. Overweight and decidedly out of shape, De Niro channels this broken man who has completely let himself go. He drinks and smokes as De Niro captures that tired and labored breath of some who are packed on too much weight than they are used to (such great attention to detail).
But it Cannot Just be All About Appearance, Right?
You can even go deeper into the physicality of how De Niro carries himself. One scene captures his presence so well. Having found out something unsavory about his wife and brother (or at least something he finds to be true), he marches over to his brother’s home. You see De Niro stomping down the hall towards the camera. He is a specter who is powerful and unrelenting. He is such an incredible actor and can say so much with just his walk. The way he has his shoulders rolled and he swaggers forward with his walk just tells you how dangerous he is. When you see LaMotta in the ring, he is a beast unleashed. Fists fly constantly which are accompanied by grunts and howls. You would not be at fault if you didn’t believe De Niro was human. After each knockdown, De Niro swaggers off with a confidence that is unmatched. This is such a great contrast because LaMotta bleeds insecurity throughout the film. This confidence may just be a façade as De Niro is filled with paranoia throughout the film. Just from a seemingly blank stare, he conveys so much.
Can, Even More be Said About this Incredible Performance?
Of course! We haven’t even scratched down into WHO Jake LaMotta is. Who is this man that De Niro embodies in the film? De Niro channels so much toxic confidence. He believes he is unbeatable and the only way he can lose is if he does it himself. There are multiple points in the film that LaMotta even shows some semblance of honor. He has a warped code. Punishment can be thrown at him unrelentingly, but he does not fail and falter in its gaze. His brother punches him repeatedly (while wearing a large ring no less) but Jake takes it and stands tall. The confidence and superiority shown by De Niro in this scene just pop off the screen. You might even respect his abilities and competitiveness on some level, but those respectable traits stop there. The rage that De Niro channels are scary as he lashes out at everyone around him. His outward racism and misogyny are disgusting especially as he tries to control his wife and physically reprimands her.
So Much Could be Said (and Certainly Was Said) About De Niro and the Man he Plays But What Else About the Film Makes this Such a Classic?
Before we venture too far from the people in front of the camera, we need to discuss two big supporting players. First off, Cathy Moriarty certainly holds her own. This is a tough job since De Niro is so powerful and commanding in every frame. Moriarty is stuck with being a character who could have 100% been just a victim and an afterthought but Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader would never let that happen. Schrader is way too compelling and ambitious of a writer to let his screenplay just fall into such tired tropes. Vickie shows strength at keep points throughout the film despite Jake trying to put her down at every turn. Whether it is her taunting him by telling him “all” the men she has messed around with (including his brother) or jumping into the fray with her world champion boxer husband, she will not just get out laying down. At first, Vickie is just treated like a piece of meat (Scorsese’s camera eye gazes upon her seductively as she lays out at the pool) by the camera and the men in the film. But Moriarty channels her own confidence and power in the face of the abuse that Jake plays upon her character.
But She is Certainly Not the Only Supporting Performance That Kills it, Right?
Joe…Pesci. This is the first Scorsese collaboration with Pesci whose career was truly launched and raised by the incredible material given to him. But let’s not kid ourselves, Pesci elevates every film that he gets his hands on. There is an undeniable rawness to every performance he gives. He commands the screen despite his small stature. His passion and aggression are so hard to contain, and he plays someone unlike his gangster movie characters this time around. Joey certainly has his flaws (racist and misogynistic as well), but he genuinely cares about his brother. He wants to see his brother be successful and has the brains to help him. But he also has a connection to his sister-in-law who he witnesses getting abused by Jake all the time. The small glances and judgmental glares from Pesci say it all. He brings his own unique energy to the film which sparks perfectly with De Niro. There is no surprise that they would be working with each other for years to come.
These Great Actors Bring so much to this Story but What do Schrader and Fellow Writer Mardik Martin Bring to This Story?
The Raging Bull film balances a few different story threads that all flow so well together in crafting the overarching tragedy that was Jake LaMotta’s life. One of the hardest aspects to watch is certainly the domestic pieces. The Raging Bull film begins with a shaky domestic life for LaMotta as he flips tables because his first wife “overcooked” his steak.
The continued spotlight on horrible domestic abuse makes the audience confront a common issue in many households during that time.
The portrayal of accepted misogyny is graphic and needs to be because we need to disapprove.
Scorsese and Schrader are never ones to pull punches and they certainly don’t on this occasion. The more overt abuse is even harder to watch and society’s approach of “looking away” is confronted head-on in this film. We hate Jake so many times for the horrible way he treats his wife (and even his brother). Even Joey is shown expressing such outdated and harmful perspectives towards his wife and children. This spiral of Jake losing his family is the loss of humanity (or what humanity he had left) that left the audience connected to him. Once Vickie cuts ties and takes his kids, Jake is left being a loathsome and pathetic being.
But Raging Bull Was a Boxing Film, Right?
Oh…it sure is a boxing film. Jake is a raw and brutal creature who wants nothing more than to be the best and compete against the best. This is where Jake legitimately shows his humanity and expresses some feelings that might be relatable to the audience. It is tough to process that we can not relate to his basic human connections (which he never truly commits to), but we do understand his drive to be the best (which is honestly an admirable trait). Jakes shuns the idea of throwing fights because it is against the honor code that he has for himself. He refuses to take an actual fall. He would rather take a terrible beating without protecting himself than pretend to be knocked out. One of the most endearing (if you can call it that) moments of the whole film is Jake opening up to Joey about fighting Sugar Ray Robinson. He wants nothing more than to fight THE best fighter to prove himself. This is really where the heart of the film is, and Schrader’s dialogue can channel that so well in this scene. Even though boxing becomes an afterthought in the third act, his life as a boxer never really leaves him.
But Where Does the Real Nuance Come into Play in Schrader’s Screenplay?
The descent just might be the most intriguing and complex part of the film – Raging Bull. You see the “real” Jake LaMotta. There is no more pressure to be in shape for fighting and no more Joey pushing him to be better. His family leaves him and leaves him completely to his own devices. You see Jake trying to build a career as a comedian (something subtly hinted at through the film during certain club scenes) even if he is not the best at it. You see him get pushed to desperation to pay for his debt even by destroying his championship belt (in terms of destroying the legacy he worked so hard to create). The scene inside the prison when he is arrested is heartbreaking and shows that the animal inside him is still there as his boxing instincts kick into gear. The audience gets to witness one of the most tragic and pathetic “reunions” between brothers as Joey fully shuns Jake’s embrace. Then there is the closing scene.
This is the rawest and truest Jake we see as he quotes On the Waterfront and prepares for his standup just how he would for his fights. That competition and drive are still there despite it all.
The acting and the writing are just impeccable.
How Did we Get This Far Without Discussing Scorsese’s Filmmaking?
There are so many great examples of the expert craft that went into Raging Bull. Even before jumping into Scorsese’s work, the score is somber and beautiful which channels the tragic nature of this true story (incredible use of “Pietro Mascagni – Intermezzo”). From the opening credits, you see the striking black and white cinematography that creates a timeless feel. The slow-motion shadow boxing and staged look make this feel like a fable or fantasy instead of a hardened drama (this dichotomy is striking throughout the Raging Bull film). The best place to show off Scorsese’s work certainly is during the boxing scenes. Brutal and bloody at every turn, Scorsese brings a frenetic and aggressive energy to every punch and hit. The fast cuts capture the frenetic energy at times while others feature unflinching long takes that draw you into the violence. One of the greatest shots in the film is when the camera shifts down to look up at Sugar Ray while also widening the lens and turning down the lighting. This smooth and striking movement of the camera and shift in lighting reframes the whole moment to what Jake sees. The reflected shot of Jake and what he sees is equally impactful in conveying what Jake thinks. You will never see another film shoot a boxing match quite like Scorsese. The animalistic energy and jungle-like atmosphere (realized with fog and animalistic growls on the soundtrack) is so unique making every match a work of art. There is even a classic Scorsese long take that captures Jake’s descent to the ring and entrance (we as the audience cannot look away from his presence in all its glory).
But Scorsese Skills Don’t Just Get Left in the Ring, Right?
There are plenty of strong choices from a filmmaking perspective made throughout the film. As mentioned before, Vickie’s introduction is done in such a seductive and striking manner. The camera moves like gazing eyes, and we can tell why she catches the eyes of all the men in the neighborhood. Scorsese captures Jake’s jealousy in such a specific way with how he uses the camera. Slow-motion and long shots hang on to Vickie every time she kisses another man on the cheek. Cutting back to Jake allows the audience to see just how much these small and seemingly insignificant actions bother him.
The striking black and white give the film a dark and gritty gaze which matches the somber and raw atmosphere surrounding the film.
Scorsese is Scorsese and he would never dare to lay back and deliver a film full of convention and cliched approaches.
There is Plenty to Process Raging Bull, Right?
There are so many things for the audience to chew on in the Raging Bull movie. This true story is a cinematic descent of a man who had so much and let it all slip away from him. The Raging Bull cast is full of so many talented artists in their prime and firing on all cylinders. There is no denying the craft that went into this film and the legacy that Raging Bull still holds as one of the greatest films of all time. The 1980s started with a bang right out of the gate for Scorsese and De Niro and we shall continue this journey through all the great works of Scorsese’s filmography.
