Awesome look into the workings of a man's life

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2009)

The "Raging Bull" (1980), directed by Martin Scorsese, is a life story. A life story with a lesson. In this film, Actor Robert De Niro, plays the character Jake La Motta. La Motta is an up and coming boxer who lives in New York. He is accompanied by his coach, and brother Joey who is played by Joe Pesci. This movie depicts La Motta's boxing career and the ups and downs along the way. Throughout the movie Jake is troubled by his aggressiveness and insecurities. His insecurities lead him to think his wife, Vickie La Motta, is being unfaithful to him which causes large amounts of tension throughout this film.
The theme of this movie may come off as just another boxing movie, but in fact it is so much more. As stated before La Motta was troubled by his aggressiveness and insecurities. While in some ways these helped his career and made him a successful fighter, in the end it caught up with him. La Motta later loses everything that is close and dear to him by abusing the relationships he had with others. The movie Smokin' Aces (2006), basically has this same type of theme. Only instead of a boxer, it is a magician, Buddy Israel, played by Jeremy Piven whose life is on a downward spiral as a result of his destructive behavior.
The abusive way in La Motta treats his wife, Vickie, both mentally and physically, ruins their relationship which in turn, leads to her taking the kids and leaving him. The way he controlled her and interrogated her with allegations of being unfaithful was the fuel for the fire, so to speak. La Motta didn't have many friends, but his brother Joey was always by his side. For the longest time his brother was, for the most part, a bystander to the abuse Jake dealt to others. Until one day La Motta confronts Joey and accuses him of sleeping with Vickie. Whether he did or didn't really made no difference. Jake already had his mind made up that everyone was sleeping with his wife. This argument, lead La Motta over to Joeys house where Jake physically assaults his brother. This fight was the last straw between La Motta and his brother. Jake and his brother Joey, were no longer on speaking terms.
After losing everyone who is near and dear to him. La Motta continues on his downward spiral. He fails to become a world champion by throwing fights and being self destructive. Instead of being successful he becomes what he calls himself, a bum, working as a comedian at a local night club.
The cinematic effects of the movie are only heightened by the use of black and white coloring. It adds a dramatic effect to the scenes throughout the film, and also showed the darkness surrounding La Motta down his path of destruction. In addition to film format, the camera angles and sounds only added indefinitely to the realism of the fight scenes. The scenes were so real, and graphic, it's as if you were there. It is this realism, in addition to the great storyline of this movie, that resulted in winning two Oscars, among many other prestigious awards.