Raging Bull is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, co-written by Scorsese and Mardik Martin, and produced by Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler. The film stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, an amateur boxer from the Bronx who rose to fame in the late 1940s.
Historical Background
Jake LaMotta was born on July 10, 1921, in the Little Italy Raging Bull casino online section of New York City’s Manhattan borough. He began boxing at the age of twelve and won his first fight as an amateur by knockout. After serving in World War II, LaMotta turned pro in 1940 and quickly became a contender for the middleweight title.
LaMotta’s boxing career was marked by intense rivalries with Sugar Ray Robinson and Marcel Cerdan. He fought more than 100 times before retiring in 1952. During his peak years as a boxer, LaMotta married Vickie, who later left him for another man, leading to infidelity on Jake’s part.
The Film
Raging Bull is notable for its graphic portrayal of violence and the inner turmoil experienced by boxers during their careers. Scorsese drew heavily from LaMotta’s life story when writing the script with Mardik Martin. De Niro underwent a rigorous training regimen to portray LaMotta, losing over 50 pounds in the process.
The film begins at an old-age home where Jake is reminiscing about his past. The narrative then flashes back and forth through Jake’s early boxing days, marriage, extramarital affairs, family turmoil, and eventually decline as a boxer. Raging Bull explores themes of obsession, aggression, self-destruction, and the blurred lines between good and evil.
Critical Reception
Raging Bull received widespread acclaim from critics upon its release in 1980. Roger Ebert praised De Niro’s performance as “one of the greatest performances ever,” and Gene Siskel awarded it a perfect score, saying that Scorsese had created an “intense, personal film.” It holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The New York Times called it a masterpiece: “a magnificent cinematic achievement – visually stunning and emotionally devastating…the best American film of the past decade.” Peter Travers wrote in Rolling Stone that Scorsese’s use of black-and-white cinematography was an inspired choice, making each scene look like “a framed photograph from another time.”
However, not all reviews were positive. Some critics felt the pacing was slow and criticized Scorsese for indulging his subject matter too much. John Simon wrote in New York Magazine that Raging Bull suffered from a “lack of narrative cohesion,” while Pauline Kael in The New Yorker described it as “a movie about nothing, done with everything.”
Awards and Legacy
Raging Bull won eight Academy Awards: Best Picture (Chartoff and Winkler), Best Director (Scorsese), Best Actor for De Niro’s performance of LaMotta, Robert Richardson took home the Oscar for Best Cinematography. The film also received five Golden Globe nominations but none in major categories.
The impact on popular culture has been significant – many films since Raging Bull have borrowed techniques and themes from it. Boxers, especially those involved with professional sports leagues like HBO’s series “24/7,” acknowledge the influence of this movie as they often go through their own intense training regimens similar to De Niro’s preparation.
Scorsese went on to direct other films in various genres – Mean Streets (1973), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Goodfellas (1990). He experimented with filmmaking styles but never abandoned his fascination with exploring human nature through gritty, realistic stories.