Fantastic acting in a story with plot holes.

Rating: 7/10 (25 August 2006)

Raging Bull ranks among the most talked about and most respected films of all time. For the most part this is justified. Call me crazy, but I found some major flaws in this film. First, La Matta's relationship with his first wife is obviously tumultuous, however, we see them argue, and then La Matta and his brother go out together, and of course La Matta meets and falls in love with the blonde Vicki, but after that point we don't see his first wife again. She simply vanishes from the story! The audience is left wondering, what happened to his first wife? Deniro's character shows very little wit early on with the exception of the scene at the club with his wife when he says "Why don't i beat the sh#t of of bout of yous and then you can f##k each other" Aside from that, he is humorless. Obviously a talented boxer, and an emotional wreck, at the end of the story, he jumps into being a Lenny Bruce type stand up at clubs and eventually opens his own club playing host to groups of people and is the life of the party! where did this side of his character materialize out of? How did this happen?
Overall, outstanding acting by Pesce and Deniro, but aside from that, major plot holes obscure the integrity of this film. As the old saying goes, just because its shot in black and white, doesn't make it art.