An athlete with domestic problems? Crazy

Rating: 8/10 (23 September 2012)

Raging Bull is a very violent movie, but in a distinctly different way from the modern gorefests we usually associate with the term. There's an undercurrent of anger that runs through the whole thing, and which always threatens to burst out into open violence. As the back of the box tells you, it's this anger that leads to Jake LaMotta's professional success and private ruin. But that seems to give it too much of a purposeful direction -- the violence seems to move in all directions with no rhyme or reason. LaMotta wins and loses fights on the caprices of fate. He beats up his wife for no good reason, and goes about his business as if nothing happened.
It's this directionlessness that I found kind of alienating. That may be an intentional choice, but after a while the procession of fights and events becomes a little numbing. Maybe this is why, though I respect Raging Bull, I'm not sure it belongs in the rarefied air of the Best of All Time lists that it usually occupies. Or maybe it's the occasional affectation too many, like the slow-motion opening boxing sequence.
But on the whole Raging Bull is a remarkably well-crafted film. Scorcese puts together boxing matches beautifully, and does as good a job with physical interaction. DeNiro is, of course, the main attraction, and he's both riveting to watch and able to quietly capture all of the changes that LaMotta goes through over the course of the film. The supporting cast is pretty damn good too. It may not be the best of all time, but it's still very solid.