Raging Bull

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⭐ 7.5/10

(Originally written by Tim)

There is truly no better feeling than when the theatre walking distance from my house is playing a classic that's been on my list forever. I was excited to see this one, but in the end was left not feeling as excited about it as I had hoped. Its a saga, a bit godfather-esque, tracking the rise of a toxic brute. I like that it spans many years, but I did have trouble empathizing for the main character in any way. You mean the guy who beats the crap out of people for a job also abuses his wife and can't maintain any relationships or display any level of trust for his family? Shocker.

I am not a boxing guy, and I think the whole sport is disgusting and barbaric. That said, Creed was 10/10 for me. I can connect with them as sports movies, with montages and glorious battle, but this one portrays an unlikeable boxer that makes me dislike the sport even more. De Niro is great, and so is Pesci as the brother/manager of the star. When De Niro starts to spiral, distrusting those around him and becoming violent, it is one of those trainwreck moments, so terrifying you can't look away. So even though the story didn't really connect with me, the powerhouse acting and directing did.

Something that drove me crazy is when I realized this was based on a true story, and the actual boxer Jake LaMotta consulted on it all. This was the same feeling I had with Wolf of Wall Street, so maybe something about Scorcese I don't understand. You spend all movie showing me how crappy this guy was, but then I am indirectly supporting this person by watching as they get glorified through a portrayal by the biggest stars in the world. It makes me feel gross, and I was kind of shocked that I didn't know this was a try story going in.

I am no Scorcese scholar, but there is lots of Goodfellas/Irishman and other mobster movies in this one. Maybe its just De Niro and Pesci, but it feels thematically similar yet less refined then his later movies. Its a classic for a reason, but I can't say I loved it.

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