The Bull Rages in Every Scene

Rating: 10/10 (20 March 2006)

Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro star in one of the most visceral portrayals of one man's fatal flaw (or is it FLAWS?): Jealously, Rage, maybe love seeking to emerge from the ruins of the pugilists wrecked relationships.
This is the story of Jake Lamotta, told from the perspective of the abused spouse - from glory tempered with self-abuse; the rise, and the decline of a man who struggles with existence, who cannot accept himself as human - In the ring he is a killer, and outside, he emulates person-hood, but achieves mere explosive presence.
This is tragedy, this is a story that embodies the fear of many men, who ask the sky, or quiz any convenient divinity: Who am I? Who am I but a derelict, a monster who consumes sustenance and sex. There is no higher ground for which to strive - the immediacy of jejune existence is the mundane pursuit of the neighborhood beauty, an exquisite blonde who is passive to LaMotta's rages, and is tolerant beyond the virtues of a Saint.
Perhaps the most poignant scene in this masterful, razor-sharp film is when LaMotta tries to sell the rubies off his title belt to a pawn broker. The jewels are worthless, LaMotta is worthless - his past glory propels him to oblivious indignities.
I submit that LaMotta's demise, is the demise that men fear as a collective - the uselessness - the loss of hope for future glory. When we examine our character - and Jake never does - when we see nothing but the shell of frustrated desire. Jake's demise is the demise of manhood, the disgust for the world - we missed the boat - and we rage like caged bulls.
The best film of the 1980s. Brilliant. Should have won Oscars galore - but America wasn't ready for this kind of examination of the male psyche (I believe a musical won this year?).