Certainly Great, just not perfect

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2020)

I know, I know. 4 Stars?! I must be on something, right?
This is one of the most highly regarded films of one of the most highly regarded directors starring one of the most highly regarded actors in American Cinematic History. Yet, I just find myself unable to take it from the level of a film "I Really Like (4 Stars)" to a film "I Love (5 Stars)"
Before I get into what it is I don't really care for in the film, allow me to rave for a few about all of the things that are great in "Raging Bull" just to assure you all that I am not slamming the film but do actually enjoy it.
First off, De Niro is phenomenal. I personally think this is his best performance though I am not personally well acquainted with his entire body of work and wouldn't argue with anyone that put up "Taxi Driver" or "King of Comedy" as a counterpoint to my statement. La Motta (Robert De Niro, "Taxi Driver") is a complex character who does many terrible things to the women he loves, his brother, and especially, those around him who get on his bad side. I imagine this is a tough balancing act for Scorsese and De Niro to work out together. This guy has to be volatile enough that it doesn't seem out of character for him to act in a reprehensible way but he also has to believable as a man that a young girl could fall head over heels for and also that the audience can get on board with as the anti-hero of a film that is about the tragedy of this brute's life.
The next thing that I really loved about this film was the cinematography. A lot has been written about the way that this film broke with common film conventions to get into the ring with the fighters but I would argue that the film does far more than that. The contrast between the more stable, slow paced, out of the ring portions of the film with the fast paced quick cut pounding of the match is key to one of the central motifs of the film: the ring is the heart of Jake La Motta. Outside the ring, he's all show. Inside the ring is where his life is to be found. When he feels the need to punish himself, he takes a beating in the ring. When he feels small and needs to feel big, he pounds the snot out of his opponent. His ultimate worth, in his own eyes, is found in his fighting, which is why it is so defeating to him when he finally leaves the ring behind for good. It's like he lost his heart or reason for living, especially since he has cost himself many of the relationships that people find meaning in once the world passes them by.
The theme of this bastion of unhealthy masculinity and what his ways both gain and cost him is the real star of the show. As I watch, I find myself hoping that, despite the feeling I have that he will ultimately self-destruct and cost himself everything, he might find a way to back down from a fight for once, be forgiving to his wife, or not think the worst of his brother and manager, Joey (Joe Pesci, "Casino").
So what is it about this movie that gives me pause. I'm not quite sure. It might be that you can see the end coming from the beginning and it removes a big portion of the tension for me. Maybe, it's the fact that I don't buy the idea that Vickie La Motta (Cathy Moriarty, "Analyze That") is even close to 14 and that seems to remove some of the taboo nature of one of the central relationships of the film. Maybe it's the fact that it wasn't till my second time watching it that I realized that those guys that want La Motta to work with them are the Mob because it was just assumed by everyone that it would be obvious. All I know is that while I like the film a lot, I'm not even a little tempted to buy it and that can only be because something about it was just off for me.
Please don't let my personal weirdness deter you, though. The vast majority of cinema fans who watch this movie simply adore it and I have no doubt that, unless by some freak coincidence you have all the exact same strange hangups I do, you will find this movie a more than worthy addition to you film collection.