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Raging Bull
1980
With RAGING BULL, Martin Scorsese's personal approach to filmmaking is taken to a whole new level. Shooting in a crisp black and white, Scorsese tells the story of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, played with incredible intensity by Robert De Niro, in an Oscar-winning performance. As La Motta rises through the ranks to earn .. Read more
| Starring | Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci |
|---|---|
| Director | Martin Scorsese |
| Genres | Drama, Sport |
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Raging Bull
With RAGING BULL, Martin Scorsese's personal approach to filmmaking is taken to a whole new level. Shooting in a crisp black and white, Scorsese tells the story of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, played with incredible intensity by Robert De Niro, in an Oscar-winning performance. As La Motta rises through the ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown, he falls in love with Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), a gorgeous girl from his Bronx neighbourhood. Jake's inability to express his feelings pours out in the ring and eventually takes over his life in his dealings with his brother, Joey (a brilliant Joe Pesci). Irrational jealousy over Vickie, as well as an insatiable appetite, sends him into a downward spiral that costs him his title, his wife, and his relationship with Joey. As the out-of-control fighter, De Niro delivers one of the screen's most unforgettable performances. Pesci is just as intense as Joey, who finally realises that he is unable to tame his animalistic brother.
Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Chapman shoot the film with a stylish flair that fills the boxing scenes with boundless energy and adds immediacy to the endless arguments that erupt whenever Jake is outside the ring. Coupled with Thelma Schoonmaker's breakneck editing and the film's audacious sound design, said scenes are the most brutally realistic depiction of the sport the cinema has ever seen. Simply put, RAGING BULL is one of American cinema's masterworks.
| Starring | Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci |
|---|---|
| Director | Martin Scorsese |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 4 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 3 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 must-see movies |
| Genres | Drama, Sport |
| Language | English |
| Dubbed | French, German, Italian, Spanish |
| Hearing-impaired | English, German |
| Subtitles | Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish |
| Released | DVD: 27 Nov 2000 Blu-ray: 09 Feb 2009 Production year: 1980 |
| Format | DVD |
Raging Bull (1980)
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Critics and film-makers are always being asked to reel off their desert island films: Raging Bull, without question, is one such great. Director Martin Scorsese makes no concession to character likeability as he portrays Jake La Motta's downward slide from arrogant prizefighter to frustrated, hateful dropout. Robert De Niro, who piled on the pounds to play the latter-day La Motta, proves he is the ultimate Method actor, both utterly convincing in the ring (the brutal fight sequences are spectacularly staged) and as the empty barrel abusing everyone (including his wife, Cathy Moriarty, and brother, Joe Pesci) at home. Scorsese effortlessly fuses top-drawer acting (De Niro rightly won a best actor Oscar for his efforts), pumping narrative drive and blitzkrieg camera technique to deliver a giddy, claustrophobic classic.
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"RAGING BULL is not simply the greatest boxing movie ever made; Martin Scorsese's 1980 masterpiece is arguably the finest American film released in [that] decade..."
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Most helpful member's review
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28 out of 30 people found this review helpful
This is as good as it gets
Martin Scorsese's searing masterwork Raging Bull is not just a film about a boxer. It's a film about obsessive jealousy, a film about the self destructive nature of masculinity, a film about sin and redemption. Scorsese looks much further than the boundaries of the boxing ring. His interest lies in the territory of the soul.
Robert De Niro rightly won an oscar for his portrayal of Jake La Motta. He is utterly convincing both as the arrogant, brutal fighter and later as a pathetic empty vessel abusing and alienating all those close to him. Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty are excellent as La Motta's brother and wife who are pushed away by La Motta's obsessive anger.
Scorsese employs every trick in the book to make the boxing sequences the most incredible ever to be filmed. A dizzying mixture of slow-motion, swooping camera moves and diverse use of sound combine to stunning effect. These scenes have a heightened, almost anti-realism feel to them. After all this is when La Motta feels most alive, where he can unleash all the violent rage he must attempt to control in his daily life.
La Motta's downward trajectory makes for unpleasant yet compelling viewing. Stunningly shot by Michael Chapman and skillfully edited by Thelma Schoonmaker, the film stands as one of the great achievements of American Cinema. Both savage and beautiful, Raging Bull is an undeniable masterpiece. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
bit disapointed
we have been meaning to see this film for ages as goodfellows is one of our favourite films, and this is always rated higher in top 100 film lists. although it was good it was no where near as good as we expected and was a little slow in places. worth looking at if only to say you've seen it.
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News and features
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Demme 'quits Marley biopic'
- 15 Aug 2009
A planned biopic of Bob Marley's life has been thrown into doubt again - director Jonathan Demme has reportedly followed in Martin Scorsese's footsteps and quit the project. The Raging Bull legend was originally signed up to helm the story of the late reggae icon's life, with Marley's family heaping praise on the moviemaker for taking charge of the production. In a statement, Marley's son Ziggy said, "I am thrilled that the Marley family will finally have the opportunity to document our father' Read more
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- Raging Bull - BLU-RAY Version
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With RAGING BULL, Martin Scorsese's personal approach to filmmaking is taken to a whole new level. Shooting in a crisp black and white, Scorsese tells the story of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, ... -
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Raging Bull
With RAGING BULL, Martin Scorsese's personal approach to filmmaking is taken to a whole new level. Shooting in a crisp black and white, Scorsese tells the story of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, played with incredible intensity by Robert De Niro, in an Oscar-winning performance. As La Motta ...
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