You can wrap up Raging Bull as "Rocky, only realistic". The film is based on the life of Jake LaMotta, a boxer whose jealousy, gluttony and violent behaviour wrecked his career and relationship with his family. Robert de Niro plays the main character and his preformance is excellent. The character is always believable as we watch him fuck up his life a little more by cheating on his wife, arguing with everyone he comes across, or getting into fistfights with his brother in front of his family. After a while, though, I felt it got a little old. It eventually gets hard to feel sorry for Jake since he's flawed to the core; the film rarely shows any good traits.
We get it, he gets drunk, punches people and fucks chicks. For two hours.
The rest of the supporting cast is very good too. Joe Pesci plays Jake's good natured brother, who also works as his manager. Like I said when I reviewed GoodFellas, I love the guy and the way Scorcese gets him to perform. I liked this character a lot more than Jake himself: he tries to help his brother keep his feet on the ground; trying to get him to stop eating like a pig to stay in shape, for instance. He has his flaws, though, and that keeps the character interesting. Cathy Moriarty plays Jake's second wife, Vickie (after he cheated on the first one). She also keeps being abused both physically and verbally by her husband, until she has enough. While she has to stand that constant abuse, she can hold her weigh at times without being a complete bitch, particularly at the latter half of the film.
While the film hasn't got much to offer other than Jake's hubris, it's still worth watching. There are plenty of memorable scenes, like when Jake seduces Vickie, when he fights with Joey in a blind rage believing he fucked his wife... Other moments, like when he has to bribe his way out of jail and ends up selling the jewels of his belt instead of the belt itself are small but also full of symbolism behind it. Jake's destructive nature is always there haunting him, and it's always thrilling to watch. Another thing that stands out is how de Niro put on weight for the latter portions of the film, where Jake got... well, just look below.
Holy shit. Hats off, fattie.
I don't think Raging Bull is remarkably entertaining or gripping, but the characters, scenes and overall style make it a modern classic. If you are willing to dump two-and-a-something hours watching the main character mess up everything, this film is for you.
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