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Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto ... see more see more... , Theresa Saldana , Frank Adonis , Mario Gallo , Frank Topham , Johnny Barnes , Kevin Mahon , Ed Gregory , Louis Raftis , Johnny Turner , Bob Aaron , Bernie Allen , John Arceri , Michael Badalucco , Wally K. Berns , Joseph Bono , James V. Christy , Daniel P. Conte , Shay Duffin , Don Dunphy , Peter Fain , Lori Anne Flax , Paul Forrest , Bill Hanrahan , Ted Husing , Jack Lotz , Allan Malamud , Mardik Martin , Bill Mazer , Richard McMurray , Candy Moore , Harvey Parry , Charles Scorsese , Geraldine Smith , Coley Wallace , Kevin Breslin , Cis Corman , Vic Magnotta , Martin Scorsese , John Turturro , Robert Uricola , Mary Albee , Kenny Davis , Marty Denkin , Jimmy Lennon Sr. , Lou Tiano , Count Billy Varga , Peter Savage , Peter Petrella , Noah Young , Rita Bennett

Martin Scorsese's brutal character study incisively portrays the true rise and fall and redemption of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, a violent man in and out of the ring who thrives on his ability ... read more read more...(and desire) to take a beating. Opening with the spectacle of the over-the-hill La Motta (Robert De Niro) practicing his 1960s night-club act, the film flashes back to 1940s New York, when Jake's career is on the rise. Despite pressure from the local mobsters, Jake trusts his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) to help him make it to a title bout against Sugar Ray Robinson the honest way; the Mob, however, will not cave in. Jake gets the title bout, and blonde teenage second wife Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), but success does nothing to exorcise his demons, even as he channels his rage into boxing. Alienating Vickie and Joey, and disastrously gaining weight, Jake has destroyed his personal and professional lives by the 1950s. After he hits bottom, however, Jake emerges with a gleam of self-awareness, as he sits rehearsing Marlon Brando's On the Waterfront speech in his dressing room mirror: "I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody." Working with a script adapted by Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader from La Motta's memoirs, Scorsese and De Niro sought to make an uncompromising portrait of an unlikable man and his ruthless profession. Eschewing uplifting Rocky-like boxing movie conventions, their Jake is relentlessly cruel and self-destructive; the only peace he can make is with himself. Michael Chapman's stark black-and-white photography creates a documentary/tabloid realism; the production famously shut down so that De Niro could gain 50-plus pounds. Raging Bull opened in late 1980 to raves for its artistry and revulsion for its protagonist; despite eight Oscar nominations, it underperformed at the box office, as audiences increasingly turned away from "difficult" films in the late '70s and early '80s. The Academy concurred, passing over Scorsese's work for Best Director and Picture in favor of Robert Redford and Ordinary People, although De Niro won a much-deserved Oscar, as did the film's editor, Thelma Schoonmaker. Oscar or no Oscar, Raging Bull has often been cited as the best American film of the 1980s. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

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98% liked it

58 critics

R, 2 hr. 8 min.

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Release Date: December 19, 1980

Keywords: sports, boxing

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DVD Release Date: August 1, 2000

Stats: 7,938 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (7,938)

  • fb1378820053
    April 16, 2013
    fb1378820053
    a
  • fb100000145236770
    January 26, 2013
    fb100000145236770
    Last year I set out to watch the AFI top 100 greatest movies of all time. I've made it through quite a bit of it, but I had skipped this one over for some reason. It's just one of those movies, that I'd always wanted to watch, just never made the effort to watch it. Finally sa... read moret down and watched, and as number 4 on the list, I expected an amazing movie. But I gotta be honest, I was very underwhelmed. I generally love De Niro movies, and Martin Scorsese movies, but this just didn't work for me as much as I thought it would. The performances are all great, and De Niro absolutely deserved the Oscar. But the movie is slow, and watching it seems more like an "important" movie than an "entertaining" one. Like, the type of movie you see once and that's all you need. Made more for the "art" of the movie, than the "popcorn" value, I guess. It's the story of Jack La Motta a famous middleweight boxer in the 40's and 50's and chronicles his career from the ring to hosting a night club in retirement, and all the ups and downs of his personal life in between. The boxing scenes are great, and I really loved the Sugar Ray Robinson scenes, but when the movie veered away from the ring, it just stalled for me. I may try to watch this again sometime, and hopefully my opinion changes.
  • blacksheepboy
    November 26, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    Superbly edited, acted and directed, this top-notch boxing drama is a fascinating character study centering on an agressive and insecure man overcome by intense jealousy and paranoia. A haunting film crafted with plenty of honesty and unpretentious realism.
  • c0up
    August 31, 2012
    c0up
    'Raging Bull'. An absolute masterclass in self-destruction by De Niro and Scorcese. I felt sick and sad for Jake LaMotta.

    The camerawork by Scorcese during the boxing scenes is poetic and brutal all at once. Loved the quick cuts to the cameras and their sounds, the use of slow m... read moreotion, the extreme close ups and tenderness when Cathy is kissing his eyes, the weird, cute "date" at minigolf when the courting first begins and the use of colour for their love story montage.

    Then there's De Niro's Jake LaMotta. Anger constantly bubbling beneath the surface. Absolute disregard for rules or society. Paranoia, obsession, extreme jealousy, control freak. Did I mention the oh-so-violent outbursts?

    I have no idea how De Niro prepared for this role, or how long it stuck with him afterwards. He is scarily good!
  • fb100002359227440
    July 28, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    Violent poem of the anti hero Jake LaMotta. Beautiful masterpiece of Scorsese, that bring De Niro's unforgettable acting. A painful nightmare redemption in it's powerful and spectaclue drama.
  • fb100002535597619
    July 10, 2012
    fb100002535597619
    Raging Bull boasts great direction and a vivid performance by Robert De Niro. It is a great character study like Taxi Driver, and is just as good as that film in terms of character development and its soundtrack.
  • spielberg00
    May 20, 2012
    spielberg00
    The decision to film RAGING BULL in black and white is utterly ingenious. This film is, quite frankly, one of the only films I have seen that I cannot imagine being anything the same in color. Something about this film makes it seem so much like something straight out of the time... read more period in which it is set. Thatā(TM)s impressive, because this film came nearly thirty years after the last point in the story. Even the fight sequences look beautiful under this visual effect. The final fight, though far more brutal than all the others combined, uses the embellishment well. Whereas in a colorization quite a few viewers would be shielding their eyes, the black and white cinematography allows us to focus more on the poignancy of the sequence rather than the violence.

    Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are the two key performing highlights of the film. De Niro portrays the furious Jake LaMotta, the filmā(TM)s primary subject, and Pesci portrays his stubborn brother Joey. Both are magnificently developed characters, and thatā(TM)s the least I can say. Itā(TM)s likely that every day, Jake goes to the ring and competes with a different rival every day. He never knows his opponent, but heā(TM)s consistently obligated, let alone paid to beat the living daylights out of him. Ironically, the one Jake seems to truly wants to pummel is Joey, who he sees seemingly every time he comes home. We begin to feel Jakeā(TM)s life eventually, and as the heated arguments and tension build up in the film, we begin to feel our blood burning, as well. Itā(TM)s the definition of a tour de force performance.

    http;//themoviefreakblog.com/review-raging-bull
  • fb791220692
    April 26, 2012
    fb791220692
    I tend not to be a fan of biopics and their often unfocused story arcs, and in keeping with that disposition, the first half of "Raging Bull" failed to fully engage me, despite the amazing performances of De Niro and Pesci. However, later on the film ends up a harrowing tale of s... read moreelf-destruction, where the boxing (which is perhaps the greatest spectacle in the film, with visceral cinematography and the captivating direction expected of Scorsese) is only an externalization for the fierce anger much deeper within De Niro's take on former boxer Jake La Motta. It's weird that I found myself enjoying such a prestigious classic less than much less meticulous "The Fighter" from 2010 as a whole, but trust me - the individual pieces of "Raging Bull" are explanation enough for it's legacy.
  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    An incredible movie. Martin Scorsese creates a character that seems cold and heartless, but relatable at the same time. A great movie with flawless acting from Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
  • jamers2011
    November 7, 2011
    jamers2011
    I finally got to see this classic film and sadly, I was disappointed; I didn't like it. There were elements that I thought were excellent like the acting, direction, and cinematography (the black and white is perfect for this film), but I just never got into it. I didn't really c... read moreare for any of the characters and the story wasn't that interesting. I plan to see this again...it may just be one of those films that takes multiple viewings.

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Critic Reviews

Keith Uhlich
November 3, 2010
Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

When has a performer as fully and uniquely sacrificed himself to the moving-picture cause as De Niro? Full Review

Richard Corliss
August 4, 2008
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

De Niro is always absorbing and credible, even when his character isn't. Full Review

Joseph McBride
March 14, 2007
Joseph McBride, Variety

Martin Scorsese makes pictures about the kinds of people you wouldn't want to know. Full Review

Dave Kehr
March 14, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

I can't pan it, but this 1980 fantasy biography of fighter Jake LaMotta seems unquestionably Martin Scorsese's weakest work, at least to that point in his career. Full Review

Jessica Winter
February 9, 2006
Jessica Winter, Time Out

This film does more than make you think about masculinity, it makes you see it -- in a way that's relevant to all men, not just Bronx boxers. Full Review

Ty Burr
March 11, 2005
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The film that many consider the finest of its decade. Full Review

Glenn Abel
February 23, 2005
Glenn Abel, Hollywood Reporter

An underdog in its day and a classic today.

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Though Raging Bull has only three principal characters, it is a big film, its territory being the landscape of the soul. Full Review

Amy Taubin
January 1, 2000
Amy Taubin, Village Voice

The most obvious basis for the film's claim to greatness lies in Scorsese's devastating critique of the very codes of masculinity that shaped him as a filmmaker, and in Robert De Niro's performance, t... Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's the best film I've seen about the low self-esteem, sexual inadequacy and fear that lead some men to abuse women. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Jake LaMotta: You never got me down, Ray!
    • Jake LaMotta: I bought it for my father. I bought the building.
    • Vickie LaMotta: Oh, yeah? From fightin'?
    • Jake LaMotta: Yeah. What else?
    • Jake LaMotta: I'm the best, I can take it more than anybody.
    • Jake LaMotta: I don't go down for nobody.
    • Joey LaMotta: What are you trying to prove?
    • Jake LaMotta: Who's an animal? Your mother's an animal, ya son of a bitch.
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Raging Bull Trivia

  • Robert De Niro plays the emotionally destructive boxer in this 1980 classic  Answer »
  • What do all these movies have in common: Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Raging Bull and The King Of Comedy  Answer »
  • Who was the actor who was killed by Joe Pesci in both Raging bull and Goodfellas?  Answer »
  • True Or False: ALL Of these films were directed by Martin Scorsese: The Departed, Gangs of New York, GoodFellas, and Raging Bull.  Answer »
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