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For
all of the
impressive films
that Martin Scorsese
has been able to
make in his
illustrious career,
Raging Bull
might
not be the most
famous... but it is
Scorese's biggest
achievement. From
the ambition of
telling a story
about a guy that
really nobody could
like, to going the
black and white
route in 1980. This
was a complete
success and a
crowning achievement
for Martin Scorsese.
Likewise, it was
just as big for
Robert De Niro... if
not more. In a
career of impressive
performances, this
is his most
impressive. He
gained 60 pounds in
the middle of
production, he
embodied the
character and most
of all... his body
language in and out
of dialogue is the
most impressive
thing I've seen in a
movie... probably
ever.
Raging Bull
is about Jake
LeMotta. A boxer
from the Bronx that
was notorious
because he was a
walking time bomb.
Jake did things his
own way and most of
the time it got him
into trouble. He had
a severe temper that
got him at trouble
in his profession
and in his personal
life.
Raging Bull
chronicles Jake's
life from early on
in his career to his
fade into two-bit
showrooms doing
stand-up comedy. The
story is compelling
but at the same time
hard to watch. It's
a fantastic story
about a person
that's as human as
they come but it
centers on a
character that's
almost impossible to
like. You watch him
be wicked to the
people that love him
and everyone around
him, with a few
sincere moments
peppered in. The
final product is a
brilliant story told
by Scorsese and De
Niro.
De Niro's
performance as Jake
LaMotta might be the
most impressive
acting that I've
ever seen. Nothing
that you can ramble
about for 500 words
does it justice.
Even when he's not
talking and he's
just menacing around
the ring or stewing
in a corner. It's
one of the most
captivating acting
pieces ever done.
Like De Niro, Joe
Pesci's performance
as Joey LaMotta is
superb. He's a
fantastic compliment
to De Niro and their
relationship in the
movie is fantastic.
Cathy Moriarty is
amazing in her role
as Vicky LaMotta, in
her very first movie
she pulled off an
Oscar nomination and
she deserved it. The
script is great,
Scorscese's
direction is
inspiring, and
DeNiro and the other
actor's performances
are remarkable, but
there is one lone
hole in the story.
There's nothing that
talks about
LaMotta's early life
in reform school and
it doesn't talk
about the twilight
of Jake's career
enough after the
Valentine's Day
Massacre. But really
that's a positive
thing more than it's
a negative thing.
This movie clocks in
at just over 2
hours. If they dove
any deeper it would
have been a three
hour movie, and the
extra hour would
have killed it with
stuff that took too
much time to
elaborate on.
The
Blu-ray extra's on
this edition are
thick. There are
several looks into
De Niro and
Scorsese’s job with
the film and their
relationship
together. There's
also some profiling
of LaMotta and
different things
where we actually
get to hear him talk
about himself and
about the movie.
There are two bonus
features that I
liked the most with
this film though,
and that was the
filmmaker's
commentary with
Scorsese.
There
are tons of
insightful
conversations in the
commentary that give
you a great look
into why he did
things the way he
did. Then there's
another feature that
has a 360 view on
everything about the
movie. Both are
great bonus features
and both are
something that film
buffs will go back
to frequently. There
are other features
to watch with this
release, but the
commentary with
Scorsese and Beyond
the Mat are the most
impressive.
Raging Bull
is a cinematic
masterpiece. It's
why Scorsese
heralded as one of
the best director's
ever.
He
and De Niro made a
movie that only they
could make. Nobody
else could tell this
story the way they
told it, that's
true. But really
nobody else could
get past the first
ten minutes and even
approach it.
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