Rent Raging Bull (1980)

A Masterpiece About a Monster - Raging Bull review by griggs

Raging Bull feels like a film Scorsese made as if it were his last—every frame, every cut, every sound is delivered with a level of intensity that borders on obsession. The boxing scenes are astonishing. Shot with the camera tight in the ring, they create a sense of tunnel vision that draws you into each blow, each breath, each roar of the crowd. It’s not just visual—it’s visceral. You don’t just see the punches; you feel them.

But all of that would be style if it weren’t for the character study at the centre: Jake La Motta, pure undiluted toxic masculinity personified. I hadn’t seen this since a screening 25 years ago, which was cut short due to complaints about the violence and language. Fair enough—the domestic abuse scenes are brutal. But this is La Motta’s life, not fiction, lifted directly from his autobiography Raging Bull: My Story. If a screenwriter had invented him, he’d be accused of going too far. Emotionally stunted and prone to sudden, senseless violence, he’s a man incapable of love—only ownership. He beats his wife, alienates his brother, sabotages his own career, and still believes the world owes him something.

De Niro throws everything into this. He trained as a boxer, gained 60 pounds to play the washed-up La Motta, and famously pushed Scorsese to make the film. It shows. His performance is raw, unrelenting, and often hard to watch. Joe Pesci, pulled from obscurity and retirement by De Niro, matches him beat for beat.

Thelma Schoonmaker’s Oscar winning editing is extraordinary, turning chaos into poetry. Together, she and Scorsese created something close to cinematic perfection—about a man who was anything but. Still, it’s hard to ignore the uncomfortable truth that the film put La Motta back in the spotlight. A man who deserved to fade into obscurity found new fame—not despite his violence, but partly because of it.

No prisoners - Raging Bull review by CP Customer

Tragic, violent, disturbing, these and many more words besides describe the journey we take with Jake LaMotta. A career defining performance from Robert De Niro and one all professional boxers seem to sympathise with. Shot entirely in black and white, it captures the era of the mid-40’s and beyond, with Martin Scorsese’s splendid directing. The film puts Rocky in its place, displaying more emotion and violence in one sitting than Sly’s series combined. A true classic.

They Never Put Him Down - Raging Bull review by JJ

Scorsese's best film, and ever more superb in Blu-ray when we watched this this afternoon. The picture quality is almost too good, really - you could see the make-up on the (male) faces in close-up. But a jaw-dropping and jaw-shattering achievement ad more for all that. No wonder the 'Academy' gave 'Best Picture' to Robert Redford's piece of bland good taste 'Ordinary People' that year. Raging Bull was far too real in its emotions.